ENGINEERING THERMOPLASTICS | MATERIALS
can benefit from the new concept and the business model behind it.” In another project, Covestro is working
with partners on the recycling of polyethyl- ene terephthalate (PET) bottles together with polycarbonate. The two polymers are pro- cessed into a PC-PET blend. Another polycarbonate major, Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics, says it is getting increas- ing requests for recycled content in components, even in high end products such as laptop computers, as well as for sockets, power distribution and the like. The company offers grades with post-industrial and post-consumer recyclate coming from products such as large water bottles. The company offers grades of its Xander product with 30 and 50% PCR. Mitsubishi also offers a bio-based polycarbon-
ate, Durabio, derived from plant-based isosorbide. It is clearer than conventional polycarbonates made from bisphenol A, and also has higher scratch resistance. Mitsubishi says this represents a new material category. It enables production of parts with high surface properties without the need for painting: for example, it is possible to get piano black surfaces straight out of the mould. Any solid colour can be achieved, and the material also has good resistance to UV radiation and chemicals. SABIC now has a polycarbonate based on a
certified renewable feedstock. This is a tall oil, which can be used as a feedstock in the company’s crackers. Tall oil is a by-product of the Kraft process of wood pulp manufacture when pulping mainly coniferous trees. The SABIC PC is around 60% bio-based, using a mass balance concept. It provides a reduction in carbon footprint of up to 50% and has a fossil depletion reduction potential of up to 35%. SABIC’s polycarbonate based on ISCC PLUS
certified feedstock will be produced initially at its manufacturing facilities in Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands, with global availability in the future.
Polyamide DSM says that, by 2030, some 15% of the engi- neering thermoplastic market will be catered for by either bio-based or recyclate-based materials. It says its ambition is to have a full alternative range of its entire portfolio either bio-based or recyclate- based by that time. By this, it means that materials will have at least 25% bio/recyclate content. “The portfolio of sustainable alternatives will lever- age a toolbox of different technologies and ap- proaches such as fermentation, mechanical recycling and mass balance accounting of bio-based and/or chemically recycled feedstock,” says the company.
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DSM used K to launch bio-based grades in its Arnitel TPE-E and Stanyl polyamide 46 portfolios. Joost d’Hooghe, Vice
President Polyamides at DSM Engineering Plastics, says they will deliver the same functional perfor- mance as DSM’s conventional portfolio. “This will enable our customers to easily shift to a more sustainable solution without having to requalify materials,” he says. The new Stanyl grades are already available with the globally recognised sustainability certification ISCC Plus. The C4-based part of the polymer is bio-based; like SABIC, DSM is currently using tall oil as a feedstock. DSM already offers bio-based polyamides in the
form of EcoPaXX PA410 and ForTii Eco. At the moment, it is the C10-based section of these materials that is bio-based, coming from castor plants. Away from renewables, Ascend Performance
Materials launched new grades of its signature Vydyne polyamide 66 at K2019, as well as special- ity polyamides 610 and 612. It is also moving into compounds with antimicrobials built into the polymer (and nonwovens too). With under-hood temperatures in cars powered by internal combustion engines continuing to rise, Ascend has introduced the Vydyne XHT line, of which there are currently two grades. R535XHT and R735XHT. The second grade incorporates a novel additive chemistry to slow down thermal oxidation. Vikram Gopal, Ascend’s Senior Vice President, Technology, says that it has “fantastic” performance in terms of retention of properties between 170 and 230°C. It incorporates new copolymer technol- ogy and additive chemistry that provides multi- stage heat stabilisation. It is intended for applica- tions like charge air coolers and air intake manifolds and similar parts subject to very high temperatures. The grade also has good resistance to acids. Further features include good knit-line strength and reduced moisture uptake. It is currently being sampled with customers. Vydyne R535XHT is based on PA 66 homopoly-
mer that is heat stabilised to improve its ageing properties (although they not quite as good as
November/December 2019 | INJECTION WORLD 49
Above: Vydyne ThermaPlus brings PA 66 cable ties into higher temperature areas, including under the hood
PHOTO: ASCEND PERFORMANCE MATERIALS
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