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Vehicle weight reduction requirements today pose great challenges not only to automotive manufacturers and suppliers but also to material producers. The materials used must cut weight while at the same time withstanding the mechanical and chemical stresses encountered in service. This can be achieved, for example, with blends of polyamide and polypropylene. These blends also offer other useful advantages.

Fig. 4. Test bars after contact with a calcium chloride solution. The grey points indicate degradation. The bars made from the PA+PP blends show basically no degradation, unlike those made from PA.

16:9

Blends of PP and PA Reduce Weight and Improve Chemical Resistance

Blend

Kfz-Elektronik

Polyamide

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Polypropylen

Lighter Together

Profiles made of rigid PVC have many advantages: they are easily extrudable, inexpensive, and with suitable additives, they exhibit good UV resistance. However, regarding its mechanical and thermal properties, PVC occasionally reaches its limits. This shortcoming can be evaded by co-extrusion with a PBT blend.

If the properties of pure PVC profiles are inadequate, PBT co-extruded versions are an option. For example, their thermal expansion and post-shrinkage when heated are lower.

Co-Extrusion of PVC with Modified PBT Blend Improves Profile Mechanics

Polybutylenterephthalat

Polyvinylchlorid

Technische Kunststoffe

Rohr- und Profilextrusion

Extending the Limits of PVC

Mars Petcare will use Sabic’s BCT18F impact-resistant polypropylene copolymer for the retort pouches of its Sheba cat food brand.

In the future, Sheba wet cat food will be sold in retort pouches with recycled content.

Verpackungsmaterial

Polypropylen-Compound

Sustainable Retort Pouches

Perstorp presents a general-purpose plasticizer partly based on renewable raw material using a traceable mass balance concept.

Weichmacher

PVC-Additive

DPHP Plasticizer Based on Renewable Material

Fakuma will see polymers distributor Dreyplas showcasing applications for Lubmer ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) from Mitsui Chemicals. Compared with conventional, sintered, semi-finished products, this PE offers substantial cost savings in the production of molded parts and profiles, which are characterized by very good slip properties.

When it comes to tribological applications, UHMWPE represents an alternative to engineering polymers, such as PPS, POM, PA and PBT

Messe Fakuma

Polyethylen

Polyethylen, ultrahoch-molekulares

Injection Moldable UHMWPE

Before the direct extrusion of profiles made of polyvinyl chloride was developed, it was previously necessary to produce a dry blend. This process is expensive and energy-intensive and, in contrast to direct extrusion, discontinuous. The direct extrusion of PVC using planetary roller extruders promises an improvement. In addition to soft PVC, rigid PVC can also be processed in this way with a few adjustments.

The direct extrusion of PVC profiles on planetary roller extruders can save costs and energy and simplify the process

Extrusion of Rigid PVC without Dry Blend Production

PVC-Profile

Kunststoff-Profile

Granulat, PVC- (Compound)

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Kunststoff

Extrusionsanlagen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Direct Route to the PVC Profile

To be able to manufacture products from 100 % recycled post-consumer materials (PCR), Avient has developed appropriate colorant and additive masterbatches with PCR matrix.

Especially for packaging, post-consumer recycled percentages of 100 % are increasingly in demand

Masterbatches

Farbstoffe und Pigmente

Farbkonzentrate (Batches)

Farbstoffe

Standardkunststoffe

Additiv-Batches

100 Percent Made from Recycling Material

A new HDPE grade fills the space between unimodal and bimodal HDPE grades.

HDPE grade Paxon SP5504 offers good ESCR without compromising stiffness, impact, top load performance, or processability

For Blow Molded Bottles and Containers

For a long time, chemical recycling was considered an unfinished addition to established material processes. In the meantime, however, some technologies are making the leap into large-scale industrial use: an overview of the various processes and providers.

Overview of the Various Processes and Suppliers

Recycling

Polyurethan

Kunststoff-Recycling

What Is Happening in Chemical Recycling?

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.

Factory at APK AG in Merseburg, Germany, where up to 8000 t/a of plastic recyclate can be manufactured using the new process

APK Relies on Newcycling Processes

Extruder

Extrusionsanlagen für KU-Verarbeitung

How to Make Plastic Compounds out of Packaging Waste

Milliken PP additive for thermoforming uses cleaner chemistry to deliver brighter look.

With its growing range of Hyperform HPN high-performance additives, Milliken helps converters improve their processing and enhance the performance of their final PP parts

Warmformen / Thermoformen

Additive

New PP Additive for Thermoforming Food-Contact Applications

 Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd., Bolton, Ontario/Canada, has launched its new NexPET system – a mid-volume PET preform molding solution purpose-built to help producers introduce multiple new applications into the market more quickly and cost-effectively than ever before.

The NexPET system is designed for medium volume PET preform molding

Spritzgießen

Spritzgießmaschinen

 A Solution to Accommodate Niche Brands

The joining of dissimilar materials is a special challenge for joining technology. Thermal direct joining together with suitable surface treatments enables stable joints between very dissimilar materials combinations, thus offering an alternative to classic procedures for joining hybrid parts.

This electronics housing composed of an aluminum die casting with PA6 covers is a potential application case for thermal direct joining

Thermal Direct Joining of Plastic-Metal Combinations for Industrial Applications

Aluminium

Laserstrukturieren

Verbindungstechnik, hybride

Alternatives to Gluing and  Mechanical Joining

The non fossil fuel-based portfolio offers same high quality and performance for applications in all industries.

The Bornewables portfolio is suitable for the production of the most demanding applications, including hygiene and food-contact

Gehäuse aus Kunststoff

Polystyrol

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Kunststoff-Regenerate

Kunststofffasern

Borealis Launches Portfolio of Circular Polyolefins

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.

MRS extruder screw with multi-rotation section for efficient degassing and decontamination

Polyester

Blasfolienextrusion

Flachfolien- und Plattenextrusion

Polyethylenterephthalat

Folien

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

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

Twin-screw extruders enable even contaminated post-consumer polystyrene to be depolymerized continuously and efficiently. This opens up a promising recycling route in terms of industrial implementation via renewed polymer synthesis to produce plastic granules with a quality approaching that of virgin material.

Continuous process in a twin-screw extruder: For industrial implementation of chemical recycling of polystyrene, a reactor technology is required that allows high throughput rates and also processes heavily contaminated post-consumer material continuously with high process stability

A Robust Continuous Process for the Chemical Recycling of Polystyrene

Turning Old into New

Simultaneous extrusion of polyvinyl chloride profiles with a PS foam core is challenging due to the different processing conditions and has not been performed before. A trial plant for researching this process has now been set up at the SKZ.

Fig. 1. The foaming of PS was investigated in a test system developed for this purpose 

Method for the Simultaneous Extrusion of Window Profiles with a Foam Core

Schaumstoffe und Vorprodukte

Schaumstoffe

Dichtungsschäumen

Foamed and Still Extruded  in One Step

The Danish company Plastix recycles old fishing nets and ropes. The granules produced are used by JSP International, among others, to manufacture expanded polypropylene (EPP).

11 % of the plastic waste in the sea comes from the maritime industry. For the recycling of old fishing nets and ropes, accurate sorting is very important

Expanded Polypropylene from Maritime Plastic Waste

From Fishing Net to Particle Foam

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.

Styrene copolymers are frequently used in the exterior of vehicles. The Chinese manufacturer Lixiang, for example, uses an ASA for the radiator grill of its electric vehicles

Styrenic Polymers

Automotive

Styrol-Copolymerisate

Medizintechnik

Medizinprodukte

Diverse Shapes and Applications

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.

More than half of the world’s ABS consumption is accounted for by household and E&E equipment

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS)

Elektronik

ABS / ASA-Kunststoffe

Sustainable Growth

In recent years, society’s view of plastics has shifted. The actual material advantages have been overshadowed by the plastics waste debate. Uncommon times, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, remind society of the outstanding contribution of plastics materials. Polyethylene is particularly strong in medical and hygiene applications.

PE ensures cost and weight savings in medical technology. For containers, the material also facilitates sterilization

Polyethylene (PE)

Strong in Medicine and  Sanitary Applications