AUTOMOTIVE | SURFACES
Above: The Mini Clubman instrument panel
Styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) was once widely known as “the dashboard plastic,” since so many IPs were made in the material. Most of that business has since moved to polypropylene. But Polyscope, the world’s leading SMA producer (Xiran), reckons there is still a future for it in automotive applications. It has broadened its product portfolio of compounds with a new SMA-GF/PP-based compound, Xiloy SG 160. “In the instrument panels market, PP based compounds are mainly used but due to the crystal- linity of PP these compounds have to cope with internal stresses resulting in lower performance,” the company said. Alloying PP with SMA is the answer, it reckons. Xiloy SG 160 is 30% glass filled. “With key properties as high thermal stability, high dimensional stability and high stiffness, the product is very suitable for parts requiring both high temperature resistance and low mould shrinkage and warpage,” Polyscope said. “Develop- ment has passed some critical tests such as airbag deployment. All in all, Xiloy SG 160 offers a better combination of properties compared to competi- tive materials such as PP/LGF and PC/ABS at a competitive price level.”
Going soft Suppliers of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) were also expressing optimism for their products at Fakuma 2017. Hexpol TPE, for example, said it has been working a lot on low emission grades and claims to now have one of the best products on the market in terms of emissions and fogging, critical for auto interior applications where norms are becoming increasingly strict. The product, based on styrenic TPEs, will be launched onto the market in early 2018, said Sales Director Philippe Julien- Labruyère. Teknor Apex, meanwhile, said its acquisition of
PTS in the middle of 2016 has given it extra expertise in “adhesion modified” TPEs, making it possible to combine polar and non-polar materials
52 INJECTION WORLD | November/December 2017
without the need for a binder. As a result, Ger Vroomen, Senior Market Manager, Automotive, for the company in the Netherlands, said he sees a good future for more hard/soft combinations. At the show, the company was also spotlighting super high-flow Sarlink materials: Sarlink 17100 Series TPVs and Sarlink ME-2500 & ME-2600 Series styrenic TPEs. These materials were developed for automotive sealing systems and exterior parts, particularly for window encapsulation. Kraiburg TPE presented a new series of thermo- plastic elastomers that were specially developed for high adhesion and UV resistance in two-compo- nent applications with ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber. The new compounds in the company’s Thermolast K family are intended primarily for automotive applications such as EPDM window trim and sealing profiles with moulded TPE corner joints and end elements. Door and window seals require dimensionally stable corner joints and end elements, Kraiburg said. “This has been achieved in the past with styrene-butadiene compounds (SBC) and thermo- plastic vulcanisates (TPV). The cost-effectiveness of TPV is limited, however, due to diverse factors in the manufacturing process, in particular the window trim. The EPDM adhesion series from Kraiburg TPE offers a good alternative with added value.” Michael Pollmann at the company said its new
material solves the phase separation problems of the systems that are currently used. “The AD/ EPDM/UV series combines optimal adhesion properties with long-term resistance to UV radia- tion and thermal effects with a hardness of 70 Shore A,” he said. “Compared to competitive materials, these special TPE products exhibit superior stability. The EPDM profile is neither compressed, nor destroyed or deformed. The compounds feature uniform colour fastness and there is no tendency to stickiness.”
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.engelglobal.com �
www.arburg.com �
www.basf.com �
www.evonik.com �
www.elix-polymers.com �
www.solvay.com �
www.emsgrivory.com �
www.aschulman.com �
www.sabic.com �
www.polyscope.eu �
www.hexpoltpe.com �
www.teknorapex.com �
www.kraiburg-tpe.com
www.injectionworld.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80