Arkema Inc. has developed Kynar polyvinylidene difluoride foam core structures with solid interior and exterior layers.
The King of Prussia, Pa., company said the Kynar Flex 2620 FC masterbatch resin allows production of a multilayer pipe with 50 percent weight reduction and lower production cost while maintaining Kynar PVDF properties.
Kynar pipe is well established in oil and gas, chemical processing and weatherability applications. The foam core technology creates new opportunities in aerospace, aircraft and automotive uses where weight reduction is critical. The lower cost of the foamed pipe helps Kynar compete against conventional materials such as metals, fiberglass and other thermoplastics, according to Arkema.
In addition to lighter weight, foam core products have more flexibility and acoustic insulation and less thermal conductivity.
"At 50 percent weight reduction the pure Kynar PVDF structure can be made lighter than water," claims Arkema business development engineer for Kynar fluoropolymer foams Sean Stabler.
The masterbatch, developed in the King of Prussia laboratories, is sold in pellet form to allow fine tuning of foaming levels in conventional extrusion processes.
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