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Categories
» Automotive
» Automotive Parts
| Nano Additives for Scratch-Resistant PP/PS Blends / plastic mold |
| Country: |
Germany |
| Link to your website: |
http://www.sud-chemie.com |
Description:
Using a modified nano additive, the German firms of Süd- Chemie AG, Moosburg, and Putsch Kunststoffe GmbH, Nuremberg, have succeeded in manufacturing the first ever completely compatible blends from polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS). These PP/PS blends are intended primarily for use in the manufacture of moulded parts for vehicle interior components and trim, not least on account of their relatively high scratch resistance, their uniformly matt surface and their pleasant tactile properties. These PP/PS blends prove to be particularly lucrative when used as substitutes for painted parts made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymers (ABS), as the entire painting process can then be waived.
key function in the manufacture of PP/PS blends is performed by a new generation of nano additives developed by Süd-Chemie. During compounding of the blend with Nanofil® SE 3000 in a twin-screw extruder, the nano additive is exfoliated, i.e. totally separated into extremely fine platelets having a thickness of approximately 1 nm and a diameter of up to 500 nm. The resultant specific surface area of the nano additive is extremely large – approximately 700 m²/g – and is the decisive factor in ensuring that the PS is finely, uniformly and stably distributed within the PP matrix.
Of these new PP/PS blends, Putsch currently produces three types – Elan XP 515, Elan XP 416 and Elan XP 422 – for industrial applications and on an industrial scale. They contain approximately 5 % Nanofil® SE 3000 and 15 to 25 % PS. Type XP 422, with its modulus of elasticity in bending of 1,500 MPa, manifests the highest rigidity, while XP 515 is distinguished by its very good Izod low-temperature impact strength of 4.5 kJ/m² at –20 °C. All three types are compounded ready for injection moulding, that is to say, they are heat and UV stabilized and already pigmented in the desired interior trim colours. They can be readily processed on standard injection moulding machines with processing parameters and cycle times similar to those for the processing of PP or mineral-filled PP.
Among the first of the parts to be mass-produced in Elan XP 515 is a footwell heater vent for various Volkswagen and Audi models. The development of car seating trim is progressing well and an initial mass production run is scheduled for the middle of this year.
Süd-Chemie is an independent group in the field of speciality chemistry. Its core interests, which include energy, the environment and sparing use of resources, are promoted by the two divisions of Catalysts and Adsorbents. With some 5,000 employees active in more than sixty production and sales companies worldwide, sales of €763 million were generated in 2003. |
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Automotive parts
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