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A new stabilization with heat resistance up to 190 °C protects against galvanic corrosion

Heat-Resistant and with Halogenide-Free Stabilization

Polyamide

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Technische Kunststoffe

Kunststoff-Erzeugung

Automotive

Polyamide for Use in All Powertrains

Thermoplastic compounds with integrated electrical conductivity offer a potential solution to resolve EMI, EMS and electrostatic discharge challenges. These thermoplastic materials can deliver the appropriate level of electromagnetic shielding for electronics, while providing freedom to design complex geometries and opportunities to streamline processing by avoiding secondary operations.

Ensure the Electromagnetic Compatibility of Wireless Devices with Special Plastics

Compound

Medizintechnik

Polycarbonat

Medizinprodukte

Well Protected against  Electromagnetic Interference

In addition to high stiffness, the semi-aromatic polyamide Leona SG series features an improved flowability and a good surface appearance without any additional surface treatment or coating.

Asahi Kasei Introduces a Semi-Aromatic Polyamide to the European Market

Glasfasern / -matten

Hilfs-und Zusatzstoffe für die Kunststoff-Industrie

Excellent Processability and Good Surface Quality

With Newcycling, multi-polymer and multi-layer plastic packaging, that previously could not be recycled, can now be separated and processed into homogeneous regrind using ZSK twin screw extruders.

APK Relies on Newcycling Processes

Polyethylen

Extruder

Extrusionsanlagen für KU-Verarbeitung

Kunststoff-Recycling

How to Make Plastic Compounds out of Packaging Waste

Replacing metal with polyamides (PA) in components can not only reduce weight and costs, but also offers developers greater design freedom. However, this requires materials with improved mechanical properties.

Special Polyamides 6 Match the Properties of Polyamide 66

Metal Substitution with Improved PA

The availability of PET bottle flake outside the beverage sector is expected to decline continuously in the coming years. Tray-to-tray recycling can close this gap and succeeds particularly easily with a new extruder.

Polyester

Blasfolienextrusion

Flachfolien- und Plattenextrusion

Standardkunststoffe

Polyethylenterephthalat

Folien

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Unique PET Tray-to-Tray Recycling in a Single Extrusion Step

Styrenics can be polymerized using different technologies and it can be modified with a range of copolymers. The resulting plastics offer a wide range of properties allowing to customize them for different applications. Because of this range of properties they are suitable for many industries. Strong demand is for example driven by the automotive industry, healthcare and the packaging industry.

Styrenic Polymers

Verpackungsmaterial

Polystyrol

Styrol-Copolymerisate

Kunststoff

Diverse Shapes and Applications

Lightweight construction, functionality and design are characteristic of material development in all areas of application for PC compounds, composites and films. The range of materials has enormous opportunities when it comes to the mobility of the future, lightweight structural construction with continuous fiber-reinforced composites, 5G technology and medical technology.

Polycarbonate (PC)

Recycling

Present in a Multitude of Trends

Because of its good temperature resistance, impact resistance and aesthetics appearance, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene is often used in household goods and in the automotive industry. The development of a circular economy also shows successes.

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS)

Elektronik

ABS / ASA-Kunststoffe

Sustainable Growth

Optics play an increasingly important role in plastic components. Glossy and even surfaces are decisive for an attractive appearance. With glass fiber-reinforced polyamides (PA), these requirements can usually only be achieved with an additional coating. A PA specially developed for surface design offers an alternative approach.

Aliphatic High-Performance Polyamide for Plastic Surfaces

Spritzgießen

Oberflächentechnik

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Kunststofffasern

Glossy Components without Painting

Plastic waste in the sea has been shaping the negative image of the industry for several years. Various initiatives and mergers of companies have therefore launched projects to tackle this Ocean-bound Plastics (OBP). Components made of OBP could become a symbol for a sustainable use of plastics.

Flame Retardant for Compounds Based on Recycled Ocean-Bound Plastics

Polybutylenterephthalat

Flammschutzmittel

Additive

From the Sea to Electronics

Plastics are among the materials most widely used for food contact applications. While there is pressure to use recycled plastics in packaging in order to combat plastic waste, certain conditions must be met before food packaging can be considered safe.

Plastics Recycling for Direct Food Contact and Alternative Applications

Verpackungsmittel aus Kunststoffen

Food Safe Post Consumer Recyclate

Contrary to the current perception, plastics, as a component of packaging materials, often represent the most environmentally sound option. The plastics industry is currently undergoing a transformation, shifting the focus onto the realization of closed material loops as well as reducing the resource input with highly efficient materials.

More Resource-Efficient Materials for Thermoforming

Blend

Masterbatches

Warmformen / Thermoformen

Polypropylen-Compound

Resisting the Pressure

The goal of the European Union (EU) to recycle all plastic packaging in Europe in an economically viable manner by 2030 is exerting enormous pressure on the packaging industry. It is very common that packaging films are made of different materials, and this causes challenges since they are often not easy to recycle.

Designing Food and Consumer Packaging for Recyclability

Verpackungstechnik

Can One Material Be Enough?

Housings not only protect the inner workings of medical equipment, but also protect patients from electric shocks, for example. This function is very important for the increasingly widespread medical wearables, which are often in constant contact with the patient. When designing such devices, it is therefore important to select the appropriate housing material.

Materials for Medical Wearable Housings

Gehäuse aus Kunststoff

Protection and Attractive Design

The transformation from the combustion to the electric engine entails several imponderabilities for the plastics industry. In part, electric drives have completely different material requirements which are becoming specifically evident with the increasing use of appropriate vehicles.

Flame Retardancy, Heat and Tracking Resistance of Electric Vehicles

Elektromotoren

Elektromobilität

Elektronische Bauelemente

Leistungselektronik

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Drivers of Electromobility

Harmoniously integrating displays into the lines of a vehicle cockpit has always been a real challenge. Continental now uses a combination of film insert molding, in-mold decoration and injection-compression molding to produce large, three-dimensionally formed plastic panels.

Large-Area Curved Plastic Panels with Integrated Displays

HMI, Bedienelemente, Displays

Display im Automobil

Thermoformanlagen

Automotive Display: A Matter of Form

Ambient lighting has captured the car interior – and facilitated orientation for the passengers. There is no need for anyone to fumble for the seat belt buckle in the dark in the Audi A7, as an integrated light guide shows the way. Kunststoff Helmbrechts produces the 3-component part and also developed the tool concept. The trick:  a so-called twin-turn tool which rotates on both sides. The company was awarded the GKV TecPart Innovation Prize for it at the K 2019.

Twin-Turn Tool Provides Solution to Production Problem with a Double Turn

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

KFZ-Zulieferer

Runway Lights for the Seat Belt

At the first glance, this year’s K was clearly focused on recycling and the circular economy. However, apart from these topics, many novelties were also exhibited in the classical plastics fields such as automotive. And many materials producers showed exciting new developments for electromobility in particular.

Automotive Trends at the K 2019

Streifinger, Florian

Verbände, Institutionen, Messen

Polyurethan-Schaumstoffe (PUR)

Polyurethan

Electromobility and a Concept Vehicle

Farsoon Europe GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany, has installed a Flight-HT403P, claimed by the manufacturer to be the world’s fastest laser sintering machine for plastics, at Rapid Manufacturing AG in Rümling in the Swiss Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. This device can scan at speeds as high as 20m/s, enabling it to traverse the part geometry in the powder bed extremely fast. 

Farsoon Flight-HT403P is Taking the Beta Test 

Polyamide 3D Printed in No Time at All 

Shape-changing structures (smart structures) are able to change their shape in response to external stimuli. The change of shape is self-induced and requires no artificial energy input. In view of the increasing demand for efficiency and resource conservation, shape-changing (smart) materials offer a sensible approach to integrating functionalities into a component without giving rise to additional energy and material costs. Even greater sustainability is achieved if the components are produced from bioplastics.

Bioplastics for Shape-Changing Structures

Polylactid

Biokunststoffe

Additive Fertigung

Green Shape Changers

The global market for PMMA continues to benefit from an increasing demand, mainly from the construction and electronics industry as well as the automotive and transportation sector. However, continuing raw material bottlenecks have damped sales, which has also pushed up the price for PMMA.

Growth through Diversity for Molding Compounds and Semifinished Products

Polymethylmethacrylat

Platten

Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA)

The aesthetically and mechanically outstanding properties of styrene polymers are extensively enhanced by different blending partners. New developments include weather-resistant grades, laser surface structuring and fiber reinforcement. The newly founded “Styrenics Circular Solutions” industry association recently started a chemical recycling initiative for polystyrene.

Polystyrene and Copolymers Combine Aesthetics with Technical and Sustainable Properties

Polystyrol-Platten

Styrene Copolymers

Today, over 70 % of global POM production capacity is located in Asia. The market is growing strongly at around 4.5 % annually, totaling around 1350 kt in 2018. Main buyers are the automotive and the electrical/electronics industries. Development is focused on low emission, reduced friction or high impact grades or grades which are detectable with metal detectors or have been subjected to special quality control.

Moderate Growth in Traditional Applications and Ongoing Attractive Growth in Demand in Asia

Polyoxymethylen

Polyoxymethylene (POM)

PET bottles can be recycled into new food packaging. Large-scale recovery systems and recycling procedures have become established since many years. PET bottles made of 100 % post-consumer recyclate are already available in the market, and a version made of renewable raw materials also exists. No other packaging plastic can show such a positive balance. Nonetheless, PET is under criticism.

Prime Material for a Circular Economy

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)