JOINING | TECHNOLOGY
The company says that airtightness is greatly enhanced due to three factors: the effect of resin entering and filling the gaps between the glass fibres; deformation in the grooves of the primary material due to the shear flow force of the second- ary material; and crimping from mould shrinkage of the secondary material. AKI-Lock can help to reduce assembly work and the number of components, which reduces overall cost, says Polyplastics. It claims the technology also helps to reduce environmental impact through the use of dry processes, eliminating the need for adhesives.
Thermoset elastomers Elastomeric moulding group Trelleborg has set itself the task of finding solutions for thermoplastics bonding with thermosetting elastomers in multi- component parts. Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, which manufactures elastomeric seals for automo- tive, aerospace and other industries, says it is one of the world’s leading exponents of multicompo- nent moulding to create a single component from multiple assembled parts. The company, headquartered in Stuttgart,
Germany, invested in a Multicomponent Develop- ment Centre to solve the issue of bonding these types of materials to each other. This allows the company to provide fully tested and validated options to its customers. Neal Borg, Product Manager at Trelleborg
Sealing Solutions, says: “In a poll held during a recent technical webinar, 88% of attendees said that compared to other material combinations, they were most interested in thermoplastic to thermo- setting elastomer multicomponent parts. This confirms there is a real demand in the market for this type of product. With the validated material bonding options we have, we can now begin working confidently on thermoplastic to thermoset- ting elastomer multicomponent projects.” There are a number of issues that the company identifies, such as the problem of bonding thermo- plastic to thermosetting elastomer, or rubber, with the strength required for applications. For multicom- ponent moulding in which a thermoplastic polymer is bonded to thermoplastic elastomer or to liquid silicone rubber, material suppliers offer compounds specifically for bonding and can provide information on the bonding performance of the materials. However, says Trelleborg, for thermosetting elasto- mers there is no information available, especially as compounds can be proprietary. The company’s Multicomponent Development Centre has investigated bonding of thermoplastic
www.injectionworld.com
Above: Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has investigated bonding of thermoplastic to thermosetting elastomer materials for the purposes of multicomponent moulding
to thermosetting elastomer materials and re- searched the best methods to create secure bonds, considering surface properties and material processing. From this work, a one-step process has been developed for bonding thermoplastic and thermosetting elastomer materials without pre- treatment, adhesives, surface preparation or any other additional steps. Trelleborg says: “This creates an exceptionally reliable process that can include a high level of automation with integrated visual or functional quality checks.” The centre has already validated 50 different
material combinations, and is continuing testing to build an extensive database of possible combina- tions and test specifically to customer require- ments. Borg says it is best if a customer involves the Trelleborg centre from early in the concept stage of product development so it can take an all-round look at the application needs. He added: “We also look at all typical param- eters for a sealing application, such as process media, temperature range, tolerances, and critical sealing surfaces. Considering every aspect creates a better product, not only from a user’s point of view but from a design for manufacturing one; at an early stage optimising the product for serial production in high volumes.”
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
https://fibrax-mouldings.com �
www.lpkf.com �
www.emerson.com/branson �
www.herrmannultraschall.com �
www.rincoultrasonics.com �
www.cemaselettra.com �
www.extolinc.com �
www.polyplastics-global.com �
www.trelleborg.com
May 2022 | INJECTION WORLD 61
IMAGE: TRELLEBORG
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