ENGINEERING THERMOPLASTICS | MATERIALS
A wealth of new materials have been launched by engineering thermoplastics suppliers, some with sustainability in mind and some that push performance boundaries. By Peter Mapleston
New ETPs unveiled by materials majors
With the Circular Economy being the unifying theme at K2019 in Düsseldorf last month, it was no surprise to see suppliers of engineering thermo- plastics putting a special emphasis on sustainability issues such as polymers derived from renewable resources and the use of recycled materials in their compounds. On top of that, there was the continu- ing message about how ETPs can be used, in automotive applications in particular, to reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency. Here is a look at a few of the more interesting developments that were on view.
Polycarbonate Covestro presented a new concept for post-con- sumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonate waste and its use in the electronics industries. “Polycarbonate is far too valuable to be disposed of after just one use,” says Kayla Wu, marketing manager for electronics applications of polycarbonates in the Asia-Pacific region. The closed material cycle presented at K2019 begins with the production of new, transparent polycarbonate at Covestro and its supply to a manufacturer of 5-gallon water bottles. This customer delivers the bottles to a water producer, which then provides the filled containers to consumers. They can be reused for up to approxi- mately 50 times. At the end-of-life, they are
www.injectionworld.com
returned to the bottle manufacturer via the water producer through the same value chain. The bottles are then shredded, cleaned and
sorted. After that, the quality of the post-consumer recyclate is checked and granulates produced. The recycled material is used by Covestro to form a polycarbonate blend that can be used by OEMs manufacturing products such as laptops, copiers, printers, mobile chargers for smartphones and other electronic devices. Covestro says the concept offers significant advantages over previous recycling approaches for thermoplastics. “The collection and material sorting of post-consumer products has often been a challenge in the past,” it says. “Fluctuations in quality have also often stood in the way of effective and economical recycling. However, all partners
Main image: With a high weld strength and long-term temperature resistance up to 230˚C, Ascend’s Vydyne XHT performs well in under-hood parts like integrated air intake manifolds
Left: Covestro says PCR polycarbonate can be blended and used by OEMs
manufacturing products such as laptops
November/December 2019 | INJECTION WORLD 47
PHOTO: COVESTRO
P
O :
T O H
C
A S
N E
D
P
E
F R
R O
A M
C N
M E
A
TERIALS
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
