Friedrichshafen, Germany — At Fakuma 2015, PolyOne Corp. is meeting challenges with natural fibers, conductive plastics and metal replacement materials.
The Avon Lake, Ohio-based firm just launched color and extrusion grades of its reSound-brand natural fiber-reinforced materials. New reSound NF color options include beige, copper, terra cotta, green, blue and black. These colors were developed in collaboration with PolyOne's InVisiO Color Inspirations 2016 color collections.
The materials can offer lighter weight in automotive applications, as well as in furniture and for sports and leisure uses, engineered materials Europe marketing director Anne Hippert said Oct. 14 in Friedrichshafen. ReSound materials offer an alternative to glass fiber reinforced polypropylene compounds, with comparable mechanical properties at 5-10 percent lower density.
New conductive materials are part of PolyOne's Therma-Tech line and are being used in LED applications for heat and light diffusion, Hippert added. They can remove a step in the manufacturing process, allowing processors to focus on design and heat management.
Metal replacement materials in PolyOne's portfolio include materials in its Therma-Tech, Stat-Tech and Edgetek lines. Hippert said they can provide lightweighting, design freedom and process improvements in automotive, industrial, sporting goods and other markets.
PolyOne in 2015 is having “a good year” in Europe by growing in specialties through innovation, Europe Vice President and General Manager Holger Kronimus said.
“The Middle East and India also have helped us this year,” he said. “We've seen growth across a wide range of industries.”