by Liz White, editor
Foam-in-place gaskets were on offer from several suppliers at the K 2010 event, but Japanese producer Braking Sunstar thinks its Penguin one-component polyurethane foams, made at the K show using Ceracon’s robotic dispensing equipment, have stolen a march on the competition
Sunstar’s mechanically foamed 1K Penguin material and Foamply application process give very high productivity — much better than twopart, chemically foamed materials and processes, claimed Stephan Hoof, manager of Sunstar’s chemicals business in Europe
“It is a very simple process,” he said, explaining that, “This is why we show equipment running, making gaskets. This is why we run it throughout the day, which for our competitors is very difficult.” Two-component foaming technology has been on the market for about 30 years. It makes foam by mixing the components, including blowing agent, and creating a gas at atmospheric pressure, Hoof said, in a 28 Oct interview during K 2010, held 27 Oct-3 Nov in Düsseldorf, Germany
Hoof described this chemical process as “very inconsistent,” pointing out that it depends on many environmental issues: “temperature of the part, atmospheric pressure, chemical reaction, temperature of the components.” As a result, he said, productivity drops to 85 percent, with the other 15 percent needed to service or clean the equipment. “It depends on the operator to keep it running,” he said
“In our case,” Hoof said, “we do not have this chemical process, we have no reactive materials in the process. We do not have to interrupt the process to do any purging,” and parts can be made 24 hours a day
Sunstar developed the Penguin technology about 15 years ago in Japan, when the company was looking for new applications. It recognised that “the standard range of adhesive and sealants is a commodity business,” and that means competition is high, while prices are low and dropping further. So Sunstar was, “looking for advanced products, innovative products and we detected that this FIPG market would be growing quickly in the future,” Hoof explained
As well as several special formulations — which Sunstar does not divulge details of — the foaming process mechanically mixes air into a one-component ‘paste-like’ material
In Japan, Sunstar sells both the application technology and material, while in Europe, it has licensed German company Ceracon to supply the gasket-application technology Sunstar has been in Europe with this technology for about eight years now. Hoof said. For this FIPG material, there are a couple of competitors, but they not are using the Penguin materials, and Hoof commented that, “The market is very big; the competitors are very small.” Asked about the variety of uses, Hoof said basically supply to automotive OEMs “is 80 percent of our market, and 20 percent is nonautomotive.” The automotive uses cover a wide range: “We can use it in tail-lights, we can use it in door-module technology, we can use it for HVAC — heating, ventilation, air conditioning,” he noted. In gaskets, “You have about 40-50 potential applications per car,” Hoof said
These applications use Sunstar’s whole range of gasket materials, and include handapplied gaskets, which can be made using 2-K FIPG technology or the 1-K material
In Japan, Sunstar makes both material and equipment and sells these across Asia. In Europe, “Ceracon has the licence to build the equipment according to our specification,” with joint marketing and sales, Hoof said
Braking Sunstar’s European operations are based in Italy, with a subsidiary in Germany
Hoof claims the business is “very strong in Asia, very strong in Europe, and we are starting to get stronger in the US, where we started to implement this technology two years ago.” Sunstar has a big advantage in North America in that, “we already have very, very strong contact with the Japanese car manufacturers,” through relationships and contracts in Japan, Hoof emphasised
“And for 20 years we have had subsidiaries in the US, dealing with our commodity business,“ which are now adding FIPG products
Sunstar also offers two-component foams in polyurethane and epoxy resins, Hoof said the company keeps its Penguin formulations to a minimum: “We try to do only one super product and sell it for everything
“Everybody would like to have a onecomponent material ... it is the top target.” Very quick cure, and an extremely long shelf life are vital, but “when you would like it to react you want instant reaction,” Hoof explained
“Everyone is looking for it: we are very close,” said Hoof.
