Plastic materials makers are peddling their wares in abundance at Fakuma 2017.
Resin makers and compounders offering new products and solutions at the event include:
Dutch bioplastics firm Total Corbion PLA BV is promising to take Fakuma attendees "from cosmetic pots to sushi platters." To meet this promise, the firm will display a number of applications based on its Luminy-brand PLA resins. The Luminy line includes both high heat and standard PLA grades and is used in a wide range of markets from packaging to durable consumer goods.
A Corbion PLA material is being used in a wood-look soap case made by Sulapac of Finland. Pack & Proper also has used a Corbion PLA material in a bioplastic thermoformed black platter for foods such as cheese, sushi and hors d'oeuvres. The platter has a stone-look slate appearance.
Corbion PLA grades also are being used in thermoformed domes, PLA-lined paper cups, single-use aprons, coffee cup lids, tea bags, coffee capsules and foamed ice cream packaging. The firm is on schedule to open a PLA plant with more than 160 million pounds of annual capacity in Rayong, Thailand, in the second half of 2018.
DSM Engineering Plastics NV has a range of high-performance materials for automotive, electronics and water management applications. The Dutch firm this year is spotlighting its expanded ForTii-brand PPA resin portfolio and its core qualities of reflow, processing and superior mechanics. Glass-filled grades of PPA also are available for high stiffness needed in many metal-to-plastic conversions, officials said.
DSM is also showcasing Arnitel HT-brand copolyester, which is being used in high-temperature, flexible air ducts, with best-in-class thermal stability and good weldability, officials said. The material offers the ability to integrate several parts into one molded piece, reducing processing steps and overall cost.
Kraiburg TPE GmbH & Co. KG is introducing a new TPE series that officials said has outstanding adhesion to EPDM. These new compounds in the Thermolast K family also provide high resistance to UV radiation and weather influences and good flow properties. Officials said the new material series is ideal for automotive exterior applications. Pilot projects include window seals consisting of EPDM profiles with molded TPE corner joints.
For consumer electronics, Kraiburg, based in Waldkraiburg, Germany, has developed TPEs with velvety surfaces and superior adhesion to polar thermoplastics, as well as outstanding mechanical properties.
Hexpol TPE AB of Malmo, Sweden, is offering TPEs that have been developed to meet industry standards and emerging demands in the consumer, medical, packaging and automotive interiors markets.
"In our product development, we not only have to consider the properties of the TPE compound," managing director Peter Ryzlo said in a news release. "It's also essential to have a deep understanding of specific regulatory requirements and aspects.
"Our customers are looking for highly customizable materials, originating from trusted raw materials, which are compounded under well-controlled conditions," he added.
Hexpol materials at Fakuma will include Dryflex-brand TPEs for auto interior applications such as floor mats, cup holder liners, fascia mats and HVAC components. These compounds are designed to minimize emissions from volatile organic compounds.
Hexpol's Mediprene family of TPEs for medical applications has introduced several grades for solvent bonding. In the sustainable arena, Hexpol has Dryflex Green bio-based TPEs from renewable resources. Officials said that these compounds are opening up previously unreachable design solutions to the biobased thermoplastic market by covering a wider range of hardnesses while incorporating high levels of renewable content. Typical applications include household products, sports equipment, construction profiles and automotive mats.
German materials firm Grafe Advanced Polymers GmbH is at Fakuma with an extensive range of color and additive masterbatch concentrates based on nylon, polybutylene terephthalate, polycarbonate and other engineering resins.
The 26-year-old firm employs more than 300 in Blankenhain, producing and developing customer- and application-specific products for domestic and international markets.
A broad array of new product offerings from A. Schulman Inc. covers masterbatch concentrates, engineering plastics, engineered composites and specialty powders.
Product highlights for Fairlawn, Ohio-based Schulman at Fakuma include:
• A silver metallic product range for automotive and household appliances.
• Schularec grades, a new concept that fills the demand for recycled materials.
• A complete product range of low-emission solutions for interior automotive applications.
• Icorene 9005 nylon for use in rotomolded automotive tanks.
• Lytex styrene-free sheet molding compounds.
• Schulamid nylon 6 and 66 carbon fiber-reinforced compounds.
Schulman also is spotlighting recent expansions, including:
• Recent opening of a new masterbatch production site in Turkey.
• Increased capacity at its existing masterbatch sites in France, Poland, Italy, Hungary and Spain.
• First successful trials at the new joint venture plant in Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The production of Polyfort and Polyflam polypropylene compounds will ramp up over the months to come.
• Production startup of a new production line for sheet-molding compounds in Germany is foreseen for January 2018.
"Our efforts go beyond product innovation and improved service with increased capacity," senior vice president Heinrich Lingnau said in a news release. "We have also implemented a new simplified and streamlined structure of our sales and customer service teams, which gives our customers easier access to a broader array of innovative products."