Innovation and collaboration is the name of the game at K 2013

By Simon Robinson

K2013 was a chance for groups of firms to showcase collaborations that solve customers’ problems

K2013, the large international polymers show, was held in Dusseldorf, Germany between 18 and 25 October this year. There were approximately 70 companies with interests in polyurethane at the event ranging from large materials suppliers through to gear-pump manufactures.

K is notable for attracting companies from around the world. Turkey’s Tekpol, a polyurethane systems house based in the southeastern outskirts of Istanbul, is one of the systems houses that was present. The firm has a staff of 22 R&D engineers, three are PhD qualified from US universities and four of the staff have MSc qualifications, said Caglar Kilic, director. His firm makes a range of polyurethane formulations for all types of use apart from footwear. This is an area where margins are low and payment terms can be 18 months in Turkey, Kilic said. The firm claims 60,000 tonne/year polyol systems production, 24,000 tonne/year pre-

polymer isocyanate production, 6000 tonne/year thermoplastic polymer production and a base polyol production of 20,000 tonne/year. Kilic said Tekpol produces a bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane in which soy oil forms 70% of the feedstock. The material has properties which are identical to conventional polyurethanes. It is priced at the same level as conventional polyols.

K2013 marked 15 years since Huntsman Polyurethanes’ last visit as a stand holder to K1998, said Craig Roberts, global marketing and technology director, thermoplastics.

“We’re known for innovation,” said Roberts. “We’re going to use it to help us grow the business.” As part of this drive, Huntsman was using the K show to highlight some of its latest developments in thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). There was a strong focus on the automotive sector in its stand and the company was outlining a range of products for the automotive industry for applications as diverse as key fobs and cable ducting.

The firm’s Irogran A 70 E 4675 is a soft, UV stabilised TPU with high bond-strength for over moulded parts, the A 85 C 4002 is designed for door checks because of its high rebound resilience, while the A 92 E 4246 Irogran grade is designed for highly stable oil-resistant cabling applications for components in the ABS system, said Michael Kolm, account and market manager, injection moulding TPU Europe, Asia, India and Middle East.

According to Kolm, the Irogran A 85 P 4441 grade is an extrudable TPU that can be made into tubes that can protect wires for automotive electric management systems. This has a matte finish and so it is easy to pull cables through the tubes without them sticking, he added.

Away from cables, Huntsman has also broadened its TPU film products portfolio with a new range of TPU sheet materials for adhesive applications.

Irogran CA 117-200 is a polyester-based TPU that enables automotive seats to be produced with lower energy consumption than competing methods, Roberts said. The material can be used to laminate foam to automotive seating, where its low activation temperature could be an advantage, said Roberts.

He added that the low temperature makes it possible to laminate delicate materials to foam which may be damaged by higher temperature processing.

Huntsman Polyurethane’s approach to the automotive sector “is all about performance and simplifying processes. If we can make components out of the same material then it could be recyclable,” he added. “Recycling is driving a lot of innovation in the automotive industry,” he said, adding, “TPUs have a lot of advantages.” TPU-leather is being used in a number of automotive interior components, he said.

The Lubrizol Corporation used the K show to promote its extended Isoplast ETP engineered thermoplastic polyurethane portfolio.

Lubrizol said its Estane Engineered Polymers platform, Isoplast ETP is a tough material that combines a high modulus with good chemical and heat resistance. Impact strength is high too, the firm said, adding that this makes it a replacement for metal in some applications. When considering polymer transparency, Isoplast ETP offers outstanding optical performance in comparison to standard rigid transparent plastics. Isoplast can be over moulded which allows for enhanced design flexibility.

Lubrizol said the range can be used in highly demanding end-uses such as automotive components, industrial pump systems, connectors, power tool casings, marine boat propellers and scaffolding fittings.

“We are excited about the growth and possibilities of the Isoplast ETP portfolio. One of the top grades, Isoplast 302EZ, combines a set of unique properties such as chemical and corrosion resistance, light weight and dimensional stability. This makes it the material of choice for diverse end uses such as highly durable transparent fuel filter bowls and eyewear frames,” said Arnau Pano, European business director, Lubrizol Engineered Polymers and LifeScience Polymers.

Bayer MaterialScience unveiled new sustainability targets for 2020 at K 2013.

“Sustainability has grown to such a level that it equates to better life,” BMS executive Richard Northcote said at an Oct. 15 press event at the show. Northcote serves as the unit’s head of communications, public affairs and sustainability.

The new targets include reducing the impact of BMS’ manufacturing operations. These steps include reducing specific carbon dioxide emissions by 40% compared to 2005 levels and increasing energy efficiency by 30% compared to 2005. Leverkusen, Germany-based BMS also wants to continuously drive its safety culture to zero accidents.

Other 2020 sustainability goals for BMS include driving initiatives that identify cost-effective, renewable and bio-based raw materials. The unit also wants to ensure that transportation of finished products made from its materials is as environmentally-friendly and safe as possible.

The BMS motto for K 2013 was Sharing Dreams, Sharing Value — Be Part of It. The firm’s three key themes of Safe, Free and Happy also were embedded in its K show stand.

Another K 2013 focus for BMS was Cello 2.0, a musical instrument made from the firm’s aliphatic polyurethane. BMS officials said that PU components used in the cello prototype are lighter than other materials and can incorporate a number of design features. The ergonomic shape of the instrument was developed with Teams Design Co.

Other polyurethane highlights included infusion resins to make rotor blades for wind turbines. Using a polyurethane matrix for such components makes the blades sturdier, longer lasting and lighter weight than those produced with epoxy resins, said Bayer.

Bayer added that the low viscosity and short cure-time also makes polyurethane attractive for such applications. It could be possible to “reduce cycle times from 16 to 24 hours currently to 7 to 8 hours,” said Kim Harnow Klausen, head of the firm’s global wind power competence centre.

Bayer MaterialScience also outlined the role that polyurethane foam can-play in making automotive structural composites (see K collaboration article). On the stand, Bayer showed how continuous glass fibre reinforcement embedded in a polycarbonate matrix could be used for the outer surfaces of an automotive component supported with a

polyurethane foam. The foam is low density, stiff and sticks well to the outer layers.

Parts made in this way are lightweight, resist damage and can have antennae for car radios embedded in them.

Within BMS, first-half year sales of polyurethane grew almost 3% to E3.02 billion (US$3.93 billion), while sales of polycarbonate in that six-month period dipped 7% to E1.33 billion

Elsewhere, Polyurethane aerogel insulation materials with very high insulation values were unveiled by BASF at K2013.

Marc Fricke, laboratory leader, BASF said the aerogels allow insulation lambda values of 16 mW/m.K to be achieved. This is very much better than polystyrene foam with a typical lambda of 32 or conventional cyclopentane-blown rigid polyurethane with lambda ranging from 24 to 30.

He added that it is possible to increase the insulation level of the foam further by laminating foils onto both sides. BASF literature said that if it is used as a vacuum insulation panel “a further reduction in thermal conductivity by a factor of three is possible.”

BASF said the material could achieve equivalent insulation to conventional materials with a 25-50% reduction in insulation thickness. The company added that it has compression resistance of more than 300kPa, which is about twice as high as conventional panels used in construction. Panels can be sawn, drilled, milled and bonded, the firm added.

The material is called Slentite. Fricke

explained that aerogels are unlike conventional foams. “They are produced with an isocyanate and a polyol in a solution in a patented process,” he said.

When the polyurethane reaction is complete, the resulting polyurethane precipitates out of the solution in a mass and the pores within the foam are filled with solvent. “Pore size is very small,” he said, indicating that it can be around 100 nm. At this size, capillary forces within the foam, which is open-celled, are very high so extracting the solvent needs a novel approach, he said.

BASF uses supercritical-liquid carbon dioxide to replace the solvent, which is then recycled back into the process. The carbon dioxide can then evaporate out of the boards, Fricke explained.

Although the foam is open-celled, because the cells are very small and because the internal structure of the foam is composed of many cell struts – gases can only diffuse slowly through the foam. This makes it highly insulating, he said. The material’s slow diffusion properties allow it to regulate moisture in buildings, according to BASF literature.

Fricke said that BASF has started building a demonstrator plant for the material at its Lemförde, Germany location, scheduled to be complete in 2014. It will be capable of producing panels that are 40cmX60 cm (15”x24”). BASF expects there to be samples available from the middle of 2014.

In 2010, BASF Venture Capital invested in Aspen Aerogels, which makes slica aerogels

Into the machine halls

Tecnoelastomeri used the K 2013 show to display its latest low pressure polyurethane dispensing equipment.

The firm’s Castech DB9 machine can dispense between 150g – 6kg/min through four mix heads, which allows the customer to produce a wide number of formulations using combinations of prepolymer and polyols, said Ermes Gramellini, president at the K show.

Gramellini added that the machine can be used in the lab or in small volume production. In the lab, it enables small volumes of materials to be tested. The minimum amount that can be processed is a 3kg load. The machine will dispense with a 0.3% by weight accuracy, Gramellini added. It also comes equipped with a number of stations for additives that can be accurately dispensed.

The Castech DB9 features brushless motors which can operate at a wide range of speeds without changes in power, so mix ratios are maintained, Gramellini added. This combination of brushless motors and Tecnoelastomeri-designed geared mixing pumps enables the machines to dispense at this accuracy, he added.

Also at K, Tecnoelastomeri was also showing its Castech LCM range of equipment, which is a larger version of the PD series. “Machines must do what the chemist wants. Chemists must not be forced to do what the machine will permit them to do,” said Gramellini. “We design machines from the point of view of a chemical engineer, not a mechanical engineer,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hennecke displayed a new compact flexible foam line for slabstock makers which do not need the high production output provided by Hennecke’s smallest continuous lines. These start with production capacity of around 150 tonne/day and could be idle for relatively long periods of time, said Hennekce. Alternatively, discontinuous lines may be used but these often require a lot of cutting and a relatively large labour force, which hits process economics, said the firm.

Hennecke said that its new range of Jflex lines fit the gap.

The new Jflex line features a redesigned infeed section inside the patented pouring and reaction zone, said the firm. This redesign enables the new system to produce foam continuously with extremely compact dimensions.

Hennecke added that in its standard configuration, the new line is about 12 metres long but foam blocks with a width of over 2m can be produced without difficulty at a rate of 1m/min (80kg/min max). This is about one-fifth the production speed of traditional continuous plants. The blocks are full-sized, said Hennecke. The company expects this machine to be interesting to foamers looking to move from discontinuous to continuous foam production without having to make a relatively large investment in a bigger continuous line. Jflex machines are designed to output up to 4.5kT/year which puts them at the bottom end of the firm’s midsized Multiflex machines, between 3 and 10kT/year and well below the larger QFM machines which start at about 8kT/year capacity.

Also at K, Hennecke said that it had redeveloped the operating concept along with machine automation behind its Highline range of high-pressure metering machines. Other developments include a high degree of parts standardisation between models and a synchronised flow assembly system at the firm’s factory. This helps to keep costs and delivery times down, while maintaining high production standards, the firm said.

The new Highline machines have an intelligent energy management system that can reduce power consumption under typical operating conditions by 50%, the firm said. The basic version has a 250 litre tank and it is possible to fit smaller 60-litre tanks for laboratories or technical centres.

Output depends on the capacity of the axial piston pumps fitted to each build but can vary between 25-2,500 g/s at 50Hz mains supply frequency, or up to 3,000 g/s at 60Hz supply frequency.

Ureatac of Korea was using the K show to introduce its MXL-type mixing head range to the European market, said Cho Kwang-Hee, director.

There are four basic designs in the range, 2 Comp, offering good laminar flow and mixing quality, low levels of maintenance and long life, Ureatac says. The flows of liquid are mixed in a chamber that is offset from the outlet by 90˚ which, Ureatac said, gives a laminar flow, no or little splashing and good mixing quality even with small output volumes into an open mould. The design can increase mixing

efficiency by 30%, said the firm.

Cannon used the K 2013 show to unveil six new and redesigned mix heads for liquid resins.

The JL 32, available in 18, 24 and 32mm diameter outputs are designed for rigid polyurethane foam formulations; the FPL SR (18,24 and 32mm) are designed to retrofit to existing foam plants LN6 for ESTRIM, designed for fast RIM with epoxy resins, AX series designed for automatic automotive seat installations, RIM24/4 mixing head is a compact solution to inject filled and reinforced RIM formulations. Finally, the Cannon InterWet 30 is a revised design which gives superior wettability of chopped glass fibre using the InterWet co-injection process.

Cannon said that the changes to these designs had been driven by the move to faster reacting rigid foams for refrigerators, insulation panels and pipes. The improved insulation resistance of the foams is being demanded in larger and larger applications, so technology to inject the reacting polyurethane components has had to move to allow greater reaction volumes.

Cannon said that its heads give significant foam savings over existing designs because of greater mixing efficiencies at lower working pressures, good mixing efficiency and very laminar injection at high output. Low boiling point blowing agents can be handled, Cannon said. The company added that it is possible to reach remote injection holes because of longer injection noses and sleeker exterior design. The new heads make it possible to vary the foam’s output at different phases of the injection process and Cannon said the new designs are built to reduce the total cost of ownership.

In addition to the new machinery developments, the company announced that Francesco Abba had been appointed sales and marketing manager at Cannon Afros.

A number of other polyurethane equipment makers were also at the event including Gusbi, Impianti OMS, Tecmac, Baumer, and Fecken-Kirfel. Desma was showing its equipment for the footwear market.

Denmark’s Hyma and LaaderBerg of Norway were offering different styles of polyurethane foam lines. Robor from Treveso, Italy showcased its range of insulated sandwich panel equipment at the show.

Isotherm used K to showcase its airless polyurethane spray equipment, which according to Hamlet Tamazian, IT manager/sales at the firm, has almost no overspray. The system uses impingement mixing and can deliver around 10g/second.

The Ukraine’s OSV Technology used K to showcase its new high pressure casting machine OSV H40 for polyurethane foams and a low–cost OSV Mini Pneumatica which is designed for spraying and casting cold-cured polyurethanes and silicones. The H40 is designed to process a wide range of polyurethane foams, rigid, flexible and integral skin, said Alexey Kuznetsov, managing director. He added that the machines are fitted with DUT Korea self-cleaning mixing heads. They have an output range from 150g/s to 700g/s.

The Mini Pnumatica is designed for companies with an intermittent demand for polyurethane spraying. This pneumatically-powered machine has a two-litre capacity and output between 100 ml/min and 600 ml/min.

 Fachtverband des Schaumkunststoffe und Polyurethane

While many companies were dotted throughout the 17 exhibition halls like nuggets. The motherload was in Hall 7a at the Fachtverband des Schaumkunststoffe & Polyurethane Association of foamed materials companies.

The association took 250m2 shared among 10 member companies. Here, a number of companies in the association showed their new products at K 2013.

Stitola, for example, displayed a new turntable unit for its contour cutting machines. This may be retrofitted to existing machines and can increase cutting accuracy, said Rudiger Simon, sales director at the firm. He added that it can help reduce waste by making cuts at different angles more accurate.

Acmos was displaying its range of release agents for polyurethane; FreChem showed a range of casting and coating systems, sealants, foams, adhesives, binders and prepolymers. Keil explained its rage of tailor-made solutions for storing and conveying water polluting materials, design, construction and maintenance of storage tanks.

Meanwhile, Kral discussed positive displacement pumps and flow meters, Leva’s dosing equipment for additives and propellants were also on display and Masterfoam used the K show to talk about its production capacity and processing capabilities for flexible foams, films.

On the PUR system stand, polyurethane systems for rigid foam applications, spray foams, integral and flexible foam applications were outlined. Rampf used the meeting to showcase its competence in polyurethane systems, as did Ruhl Puromer which showcased customised polyurethane systems for a wide range of applications.