Demand rises for lighter and stronger composite materials

The new line will produce the LNP Verton long glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites that are widely used across the burgeoning automotivetelecommunicationsand appliance industries in Asia. The company’s continued investment in new production facilities such as the LNP Verton composite line is designed to provide customers with a local source of innovative product solutions and technological expertise.

By providing customers with local production and resourcesthe company aims to slash delivery times for LNP Verton composite grades. Local material production can help customers reduce time to market for a competitive advantageespecially in the telecommunications and electronics sectors.

"We are demonstrating our ongoing commitment to faster and more responsive customer service by investing in this new production line" said Alan Leungthe company’s Pacific president. "It will enable us to quickly supply manufacturers and moulders in Korea and Asia with our popular LNP Verton composites. These high-performance materials are in great demand as superior replacements for metal and short-fibre-reinforced plastics. We believe easier access can help customers develop and market innovative applications for greater business success."

The LNP Verton production linewhich began operating in Marchwill run 20 grades of the composites in a variety of resin systems including polypropylenepolyamide and PPA. The new line significantly expands the
Chung-Ju facility.

The Chung-Ju plant houses a 40000-tonne high-tech manufacturing systemmaterial properties testing equipmentand colour-matching equipment to meet customer requirements. The plant develops colours and materials through Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma; the latter is a business improvement methodology that combines tools from Lean Manufacturing for speed and Six Sigma for quality. The result of all thissays the companyis the highest-quality service with strict quality management – to ISO9002 and ISO14001.

LNP Verton thermoplastic injection molding compounds are designed to offer high strength and are said by the company to be an excellent metal-replacement option. Produced by a novel pultrusion processthey combine rigidity and resistance with ‘excellent’ resistance to impact failure.

As suchthey should help customers to save on total cost and increase productivity.

For exampleaccording to testing done by SABIC Innovative Plastics' technology teammobile phone makers could achieve up to a 30percent cost savings and a 30percent increase in productivity by replacing the magnesium or other metal used for internal parts of sliding-type mobile phones with LNP Verton composite. Other benefits include weight reduction and design flexibility.

Fibres for surgery

Nederlands-based DSM has chosen the World Biomaterials Congress in June to launch a new grade of its high-performance Dyneema Purity polyethylene fibre portfolio that offers the same high specific strength as existing grades at significantly thinner diameters.

This new product was developed specifically to help medical device manufacturers design smallerlower-profile implants for minimally invasive surgical procedures without sacrificing strength and durability.

Expansion of the Dyneema Purity product portfolio is the latest of example of the company's strong commitment to the biomedical market. Through materials innovation and ongoing collaboration with medical device companiesDSM is firmly focused on enabling medical device companies to develop new clinical approaches that improve patient outcomesincluding shorter recuperation times and less scarring.

The new productDyneema Purity TG dtex 25 TS180 gradeoffers a number of advantages over traditional materials. According to the company this includes an exceptional high tensile strength that enables manufacturers to develop lower-profile yet strong implants that support the trend towards and benefits of minimal invasive surgery. Dyneema Purity TG also provides pliabilitysmoothnessa low coefficient of friction and fatigue and abrasion resistance. The product has been fully and successfully tested according to ISO standards for genotoxicitycytotoxicitysensitisation/irritationhaemocompatibilitypyrogenicity and mutagenicity.

"Today’s minimally invasive procedures demand new instrumentstechnologies and materialsparticularly thinner and smaller surgical devices and implants" said Carina Snijderbusiness manager medical for DSM Dyneema. "DSM is playing an important role in developing and improving advanced materials that allow medical device companies to develop more minimally invasive procedures."

The company’s Engineering Plastics division has also been busywith the addition of Arnitel C to its line of copolyester thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). DSM describes its latest TPE as a breakthrough technology for wire and cable coatingdelivering the best high-heat aging performance of any TPE-Ecombined with halogen-free flame retardance and hydrolysis resistance that surpasses other copolyester elastomers. It is designed to meet the performance and compliance needs of today’s automotive designers (Fig.1).

"As auto designers try to fit more and more components into a fixed spaceit becomes critical to improve wire and cable coating flexibility and reduce mass and weight" said Francis AussemsDSM Innovation programme manager. "Additional under-the-hood content is also leading to rising temperatures that require improved heat resistance. We developed Arnitel C specifically to meet these needs. In addition to exceptional performanceour new recyclablehalogen- and plasticiser-free TPE helps OEMs and tiers meet environmental regulations."

Kromberg und Schuberta German manufacturer of cables and wires for automotive and industrial applicationshas already selected Arnitel C for under-hoodtemperature class D coating applications. The company’s single-wire and multi-core cables benefit from the excellent abrasionwear and chemical resistance of Arnitel C. Spokesman Heinz Paul from Kromberg und Schubert commented"Due to a unique combination of heat stability and excellent abrasion resistanceArnitel C affords for the first time an opportunity to design automotive wires with ultra-thin-wall insulation for under-the-hood applications."

An airline solution

One of the world’s leading producers of lightweightcross-linkedclosed-cell block foams has won a major contract from Boeing.

Zotefoamswhich uses a novel nitrogen expansion technology to manufacture its high performance polymershas been working with Technifab to develop applications for the aerospace industry using its ZOTEK F PVDF. Now the two have won a five-year contract from Boeing for a fabricated gasket application used on the 737 aircraft.

Technifab is the designated aerospace licensee of Zotefoams that converts the basic PVDF foam into various part configurationsincluding insulation tubesgasketsseals and other specialty aerospace components. The Zotefoams PVDF foam is an exceptionally lightflame retardant material that carries a Boeing material specification.