Leverkusen, Germany - Bayflex, a lightweight polyurethane system from Bayer MaterialScience, received the '10th Materialica Design + Technology Award 2012' at the Materialica trade fair in Munich, Germany.
The high performance, tough-elastic polyurethane construction material even floats on water due to its low density, says Bayer.
"We are delighted with this recognition of our commitment to sustainable material solutions," said Dr Birgit Meyer zu Berstenhorst, project manager for the foam, in a company announcement. "Our new material weighs up to 30 percent less than the standard material and is thus a perfect fit for future drive concepts such as electric mobility."
This foam's lightness is helped by a sophisticated combination of fillers instead of the mineral fibres used previously, helping retain excellent mechanical properties, added Meyer zu Berstenhorst. The compact material also offers great design freedom in vehicle construction.
The potential for innovation offered by this lightweight material can also be applied to other applications such as trucks and buses. Bayer says its experts believe it is also suitable for use in the leisure and furniture sectors, the construction industry and the IT segment.
PIC: The Bayflex team l-r: Dieter Gaumitz, Heike Niederelz, Silvia Gülker-Löhr, Andreas Stabla, Dr Norbert Eisen, Dr Birgit Meyer zu Berstenhorst, Gregor Murlowski, Daniel Seidlitz, Dieter Schendzielorz and Uwe Pfeuffer (not visible).
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