SABIC collaborates with China’s Dongfeng to produce lightweight truck-mounted toolbox with novel plastic-composite hybrid solution

“This plastic composite solution is a great example of how SABIC helps automotive customers expand design options and simplify production so they can achieve their goals,” said Abdullah Al-Otaibi, general manager, ETP & Market Solutions, SABIC.

“By combining two different materials, our solution improves both performance and processability. Now that this composite technology is validated and in mass production with Dongfeng, we see many other automotive applications that could benefit and we are excited to help manufacturers seize those opportunities.”

In addition to truck tool boxes, automotive applications for this hybrid solution with STAMAX resin can potentially include tailgates, seating, front-end modules, and battery housings for electric vehicles. The use of this plastic composite solution can enable manufacturers to not only reduce weight, but also lower carbon emissions, control costs through production efficiencies, and achieve higher performance.

Design and Performance Optimization

SABIC’s hybrid solution combines STAMAX resin with thermoformed composite inserts made of unidirectional (UD) glass fiber-reinforced PP tape from China-based Qiyi Tech, a company dedicated to the development and production of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite materials.

The laminate inserts are pre-heated before being placed in the tool and over-molded with STAMAX resin in a single operation. The inserts add stiffness and strength to critical areas of the part, enabling the use of thin-wall geometries that can reduce weight.

Compared to steel, the conventional material for truck toolbox applications, SABIC’s plastic composite hybrid solution expands design options, enables the consolidation of parts, and avoids secondary operations that can add costs and prevent high-volume production.

The plastic composite solution reduces the weight of the toolbox by approximately 30 percent (from 6 to 4 kg) without sacrificing the stiffness, toughness, or strength required for this utility application.

STAMAX resins feature 10-25 percent lower density than some competitive materials for weight-out. Their properties include high stiffness and impact strength, excellent structural performance, and easy flow for thin walls.

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  Covestro launches climate neutral MDI

Covestro is consistently pursuing its path to a circular economy and is now offering customers a climate-neutral MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate). It is climate neutral¹ from the cradle to the factory gate of Covestro, thanks to the use of alternative raw materials – based on plant waste – that are allocated to the products with the help of certified mass balancing according to ISCC PLUS. The new MDI grades can be used in numerous applications in the construction, cold chain, and automotive sectors.

According to a common calculation model, on balance, no CO₂ emissions are generated in the aforementioned part of the value-added cycle. The climate-neutral MDI and its precursors are manufactured at the ISCC PLUS-certified Covestro sites in Krefeld-Uerdingen, Antwerp, and Shanghai.

“With the launch of our climate-neutral MDI, we are now further expanding our portfolio of climate-neutral products,” says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer of Covestro. “I am pleased that this will enable us to even better support our customers in large parts of the world in meeting their own sustainability goals and transitioning to a circular economy.” Only last December, the company announced the launch of its climate-neutral polycarbonate.

Hermann-Josef Dörholt, Global Head of the Performance Materials Business Entity, adds: “Climate-neutral products are an important factor in achieving our sustainability goals. Our climate neutral MDI has another major advantage: it is a drop-in solution – so our customers can use it immediately in their production without any changeover and without compromising on quality.”

Even more sustainable building insulation

 This is the case, for example, in building insulation. MDI is an indispensable raw material for the production of polyurethane (PU) insulation boards and sandwich panels, among other products. These have proven their value for many years as highly efficient elements in the thermal insulation of buildings. The heating or cooling requirements of buildings can be reduced by up to 70 percent through the use of PU insulation. This saves CO2 emissions and is good for residents’ wallets. Because PU insulation elements can therefore be designed thinner to achieve good insulation performance already, they save resources and make more usable space accessible than other insulation materials.

In addition to the good thermal insulation properties of PU insulating materials, Covestro’s climate-neutral MDI now provides a further sustainability benefit: By practically avoiding emissions during its production, it even helps to reduce embodied carbon over the life cycle of a building. The use of PU insulating materials made from it in new buildings as well as in the renovation of older real estate can thus make an important contribution to the responsible use of primary resources and to significantly reducing CO2 emissions.

#launch #newmdi #covestro

Clariant at ACS 2022 Discover Beyond Color innovation for high-performance coatings products

“The coatings industry is evolving. As specialists in collaborative problem solving, we’re excited to bring multifunctional solutions that elevate performance and inspire innovation to address industry-wide challenges and the toughest, application-specific unmet needs, “explains Ray Gonzales, Head of Additives Sales – North America, Clariant.

Clariant will feature its wide-ranging formulation tools and additives for formulators and manufacturers that meet emerging trends, regulatory changes, and higher performance requirements as the industry transitions to creating more sustainable consumer and industrial products.

“Clariant presents a new VITA range of surfactants & polyethylene glycols (PEGs), a 100% bio-based portfolio that sets a new standard in green surfactants by raising the renewable carbon content of the end product. Simplifying the formulation process and handling of water-based paints is key to help address new regulations while boosting protection and aesthetics,” comments Jeff McManus, Head of Industrial & Consumer Specialties, Industrial Applications, Clariant.

Explore Clariant’s latest innovative developments with its experts at booth 2846 and discover extensive support found beyond color in a series of on-show presentations featured below.

Sustainability Beyond Color

• Maximize the renewable carbon content of paints, coatings, and inks with Clariant’s new range of surfactants, polyglycerols, and other processing aids to support formulators and brands with their sustainability efforts. This VITA range is fully segregated, 100% based on plant-based carbon via bio-ethanol. The products contribute to removing fossil carbon from the value chain while offering the same performance and efficiency as fossil-based versions. Solutions for Carbon Negativity with Green Ethoxylated Derivatives.

(Wednesday, April 6, 2:40 – 2:55 pm | Speaker: Sebastian Prock, Global Marketing Segment Leader Industrial   Applications)

• Ceridust 1041 VITA and Ceridust 1060 VITA are sustainable waxes offering very effective matting and scratch resistance properties while providing a soft touch feel in wood coatings and brighter colors in powder coatings. Improve wood coatings and powder coatings using modified natural waxes.

(Tuesday, April 5, 11:20 – 11:35 am | Speaker: Michael Watson, Technical Segment Manager, Coatings and Inks, North America)

Performance Beyond Color

• Adding Dispersogen  PLF 100 to pigment pastes boosts several key aspects when formulating color concentrates. As well as achieving high color strength and significantly improved pigment loading, it extends storage stability, reduces viscosities, reduces process foaming, reduces color blocking, and minimizes leaching. Redefine Color and Performance with a Novel Waterborne Polymeric Dispersant

(Thursday, April 7, 10:00 – 10:15 am | Speaker: Mark Coward, New Business Development Manager, and North America)

Innovation Beyond Color

• Improve the weathering performance of 2K epoxy coatings while addressing the current regulatory changes for light stabilizers. We are excited for our technical expert, Dr. Mouhcine Kanouni to present Clariant’s new additive solution to support paint formulators in overcoming durability and classification challenges.

American Coatings Conference – April 6 2022, Session 7, 09:30 – 10:00.

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OE-A at LOPEC: Printed electronics competition bigger than ever

How can printed electronics be useful for monitoring sleeping babies or to support people who lost their legs? And what role can printed electronics components play in the gaming world? The answers to these exciting questions will be given at LOPEC 2022, the international platform for printed electronics, from 22-24 March live at ICM, Messe München.

This year 23 international companies, research institutions, and universities take part in the “OE-A Competition 2022” to present their new products, prototypes, and concepts. The submitted projects are judged by a jury of representatives from well-known international companies and institutes in three categories: “Prototypes & New Products”; “Freestyle Demonstrator”; and “Publicly Funded Project Demonstrator”. As every year, all submitted products and demonstrators will be presented to the international community at the OE-A booth at LOPEC and online at oe-a.org.

Promising ideas for printed electronics

“We are happy that the competition is growing every year since its start. We received more than 20 submissions from 11 countries. It is a great pleasure to see the number of products for automotive and healthcare which are close to a market growing year by year.” Says Dr. Klaus Hecker, Managing Director of the OE-A, an international working group within VDMA.

Printed electronics for babies and gamers

This year, the expert jury will have to discuss and rate more contributions than ever at the jury meeting in Munich. For a first insight, three examples briefly explained:

A sensing artificial leg, submitted by IEE, helps people feel every step and tackles the problem of phantom pain. Market standard prostheses often lack the capability to recreate sensing of the missing body parts. This prosthesis has a sensing surface facilitated by a sensor foil integrated into a sock that is imposed to the artificial foot. It comes with a readout electronic with a wireless transmitter and an actuator for human feedback. It creates a better control of movements and provides feedback that helps those affected to feel the ground and the sense of touch reduces phantom pains.

The Holst Centre has developed an ultrathin, conformable smart sensor mat that can detect a baby’s breathing rate, heart rate, and posture. The multi-modal sensing mat consists of a combination of printed piezo-resistive and piezoelectric sensors and can be placed under a bedsheet, enabling long-term monitoring of babies in a hospital bed or at home. The non-intrusive device simply disappears into the object in which it is integrated and a variety of applications not only in healthcare is possible: e.g., when used in a car seat, the mat can monitor posture and driver alertness.

The 3 D gaming device handed in by Nuremberg Tech is portable and the user can play “Tic-Tac-Toe” alone or in pairs. The three-dimensional game is designed on an attractive free-form surface and is fully operated through touch functionality. The demonstrator combines the functionality of printed electronics with standard surface-mount technology components on an initially flat flexible dielectric substrate. The direct integration of touch functionality inside the assembly opens up wide fields of application, for example, in automotive applications, for white goods, or for consumer electronics with maximum freedom of design.

Every project is a winner at LOPEC

All visitors are invited to make their choice for the “Public Choice Award” at the OE-A booth at LOPEC (Hall B0, 306), on March 23rd and 24th. “Have a closer look at the broad range of submissions to the OE-A Competition, from concept to product, which illustrates the potential printed electronics offers. And cast your vote to choose which demonstrator deserves the “Public Choice Award”, asks Klaus Hecker.

The winners of all categories will be announced on the evening of Wednesday, March 23^rd during the LOPEC Get-together & Award Show. Additionally, the winner of the “Public Choice Award” as well as the price winners of the other categories will present their demonstrators at a web seminar in April 2022.

Meeting point OE-A booth at LOPEC

LOPEC visitors will get a comprehensive insight into printed electronics applications at the OE-A booth at LOPEC 2022. A visit to the OE-A booth is also worthwhile to learn about the latest edition of the OE-A Roadmap, the results of the new business climate survey, and the activities of the numerous international working groups. “We invite you to visit our booth to look at the demonstrators but also to get an update on OE-A’s latest activities and future events,” says Klaus Hecker.

www.oe-a.org

DSM Engineering Materials partners with Samsung Electronics to develop first smartphone made with recycled ocean-bound fishing nets

Launched in 2018, Akulon RePurposed is made by partnering with the local community along India’s coastline to collect and retrieve abandoned fishing nets. These are then processed into the exceptional polymer, containing a minimum of 80% recycled polyamide 6.

Working with Samsung Electronics, DSM tailored Akulon RePurposed to meet the specific high-performance requirements of the new Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Tab S8 series. As such, the material is incorporated into key components including the Galaxy S22 series’ key bracket and inner cover of the S Pen, as well as the Tab S8 series’ inner support bracket. Thanks to its unique properties, Akulon RePurposed offers an excellent balance and leading mechanical performance and has already been applied to various industries, such as automotive, consumer goods, and electronic devices. 

DSM has developed a wide range of engineering materials over the years to help its customers in support of a sustainable, low-carbon circular economy and has committed to making available bio- and/or recycled-based alternatives for its entire portfolio by 2030. These circular materials help to de-fossilize the economy and society, reduce plastic waste and carbon footprint, and meet changing legislative and end-consumer demands.

Pranveer Singh Rathore, Materials R&D Manager at Samsung Electronics, commented: “Through this open collaboration, which combined our technology with DSM’s expertise, we successfully developed a solution that bridges the needs of the planet and our Galaxy users. The Galaxy S22 series and Tab S8 series help advance Samsung’s sustainability vision, Galaxy for the Planet, which includes reducing our environmental footprint by incorporating recycled materials in all-new mobile products by 2025. We’re excited about strengthening our partnership with DSM and continuing to positively impact Galaxy users and the environment as we expand our efforts to integrate repurposed ocean plastics across our entire product lineup in the years to come.”

Nileshkumar Kukalyekar, Business Director South Asia, DSM Engineering Materials, commented: “As the first player in the electronics industry to be making its smartphone with Akulon RePurposed from discarded fishing nets, Samsung shares our ambition to develop sustainable recycled-based solutions that help consumers make more eco-conscious choices in their daily lives. Together, we will continue to deliver sustainable and scalable solutions that help to address the climate crisis. We hope Samsung’s move to recycled ocean-bound fishing nets will inspire many others to take similar steps to make our planet a better place.”

#firstrecyclesmartphone #oceanbound #partnership #dsm x samsung

http://www.dsm.com/

Ascend to forego attending Plastimagen 2022, citing coronavirus concerns

Ascend Performance Materials will not be exhibiting at Plastimagen 2022, citing updated guidance and a travel advisory from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We continue to invest in our manufacturing assets, expanding our portfolio and increasing our technical and commercial resources to support our customer’s growth in Latin America,” said Isaac Khalil, Ascend’s senior vice president for polyamides. “Safety remains our highest priority. While we are unable to attend Plastimagen, we continue to engage with our customers and align our asset network and portfolio with their growth plans.”

Ascend is expected to close on its first acquisition in Latin America on April 1. Since announcing the acquisition last December, Ascend has been qualifying production at the facility of its signature polyamide compounds and named a new country director in Lourdes Alvarez.

“Preparations for integrating the new site in Mexico are well underway, with production qualifications for grades of our Vydyne and Starflam polyamides nearly complete,” said Ms. Alvarez. “While we will miss the opportunity to network with our peers and customers at this year’s Plastimagen, we are in contact with our customers to ensure we can support them locally as soon as possible.”

Ascend, a fully integrated producer of durable engineered materials has grown its global production footprint with a series of announced expansions over the past four years. Since 2018, the company has added three compounding facilities in Europe, a compounding facility in China, the compounding facility in Mexico, and announced plans to build a world-scale HMD plant in China.

http://www.ascendmaterials.com/

 Milliken’s ColorDirection 2023 Bold Unity: evoking a sense of belonging and familiarity 

In 2023, as the world celebrates resilience greater than we could have hoped for, Milliken & Company’s Color Direction Bold Unity presents a collection of connected tones powerful in impact and vulnerable in expression, colors that can sing gentle harmonies or raise the roof with vibrancy.

The new 2023 collection is the work of thought-leaders and trend-watchers in the worlds of textiles, packaging, fashion, design, and marketing and a specially convened Milliken panel, analyzing what’s trending today and what is next.

Mixing the dreamlike with the ultra-real, the gentle unknown with the vibrant unmissable, Milliken Color Direction 2023: Bold Unity combines a palette of boldness with pastel alter-egos, creating tones and contrasts that work together as a team.

Extravagant Orange

When it’s time to be sharp and fresh, nothing beats Extravagant Orange. It’s a powerful and universal color that brings brightness to a world still waking up to new possibilities. Both vibrant and clear it’s a rich sign that shouts for positive action and new hope.

Radiant Rose

Shining its bold strength through the color palette, Radiant Rose brings together a softer harmony of warmth and comfort. This is the tone of challenging norms and of working together to create new visual languages from an alphabet of color.

Lavender Embrace

A sure sign of luxury and ceremony, Lavender Embrace is the go-to color for effortless comfort, texture, and richness. In a time when the world is crying out for good news and extra care, this is the color that brings support and reassurance to the palette.

Unity Blue

The flagship color of the Bold Unity range, Unity Blue, is an unforgettable link to the oceans of possibilities within us, a time for exploration and trust in what is to come. With this classic blue, we reach out our arms to welcome the potential ahead, putting the past to rest.

Coral Moments

Adding a welcome note of freshness and light, Coral Moments is the spirit of playfulness for the consumer’s mind. Carefree walks with loved ones under bright summer skies, precious days collecting moments that will live forever in memory, all with the crisp bright comfort of this unmistakable hue.

Team Green

Working together with nature, society is building an era of growing respect and Team Green flies the flag for new generations of love for our planet. A statement that is both bright and rich, this shade represents the fertile and vibrant world around us.

Sharply Citrus

After quiet years in disconnected shadows, the world is starting to come together to be seen and to be bold. In contrast with the humble shades of softer colors, Sharply Citrus brings a call for attention and urgency that dares to be noticed. This is the color to make it happen.

For all these dazzling colors, our eye-catching colorants include:

Liquitint customized polymeric colorants that combine dynamic colors with excellent processability for multiple applications including home and laundry care. These water-soluble and non-staining colorants are compatible with the most challenging active ingredients, including additives and higher perfume levels.

Liquitint Agro advanced colorants for fertilizer. This range of non-staining liquid colorants provides a broad spectrum of color options with low inventory requirements and easy blending, thus reducing waste and increasing the saving potential for your operations.

ClearTint color concentrates for NXh UltraClear polypropylene (PP) add vivid, transparent color and are compliant with safety requirements for food packaging.

Reactint polymeric colorants for polyurethane (PU) add appealing color to products without affecting the physical properties of the material.

KeyPlast colorants are a spectrum of bright, high-performance shades for a multitude of polymer and resin systems including ABS, PET in transparent, food-contact applications, and other transparent amorphous polymers such as polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), and acrylic (PMMA).

KeyPlast RESIST is a high-performance colorant, designed especially for coloring engineering polymers such as polyamides (PA), polybutylene terephthalates (PBT), polypthalamides (PPA), polysulfones (PSU), and other high-heat glass filled and flame-retardant resins and alloys. These colorants perform well in high-temperature processing and application conditions typically associated with high-performance polymers.

#2023collection #harmony #senseofbelong #ultrareal

http://chemical.milliken.com/

Repeltec undergoing World Health Organization approved field trials together with the Somalian Malaria program

In the global efforts to combat insect-borne diseases, non-profit organizations and governments have looked towards residual indoor spraying as one of the tools to fight mosquito carried diseases like Malaria, Dengue, and Chikungunya. The approach leaves a thin layer of pesticides on walls inside residential spaces. The big downside to traditional residual indoor sprays is that they are classified as hazardous. Repeltec, a new coating developed by AFFIX Labs, a Finnish technology start-up, aims to be the safest indoor residual spray on the market to repel insects.

Repeltec’s coating creates a clear layer that adheres to a surface and utilizes a controlled release of a spatial repellent that drives insects away from a treated space. In addition, the coating temporarily interferes with the ability of insects to detect and bite people, breaking the infection cycle.

The active ingredient used by AFFIX Labs is commonly found in skin lotions and has the lowest toxicity ratings as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). Once released, the active ingredient is biodegradable, minimizing a long-term risk to the local environment. The environmentally conscious solution drives insects away from treated spaces without killing them, meaning it avoids adversely affecting ecosystems including bee colonies.

After lab studies in Germany, France, and South Africa, Repeltec is currently undergoing field trials executed by the Somalian government malaria program, combating the disease without damaging the environment.

Field trials for this potentially game-changing coating, designed and supported by the WHO and the Somalian government’s malaria program, are now underway to prove the efficacy of Repeltec in real-world settings. 20 locations have been treated and are being actively monitored for mosquito count, species detected, feeding behavior. The goal of these trials is to show that Repeltec can replace traditional solutions.

“We are seeing promising results and receiving great community feedback. Where people have been reluctant to allow pesticides to be sprayed in their houses, a friendlier solution like Repeltec is the future of a sustainable fight against Malaria.” States Dr.Abdikarim Husein Hassan, head of the Somalian Malaria program in Puntland.

According to the WHO: “Somalia has a high burden of malaria, and between 2000 and 2019, an estimated 759 000 cases and 1942 deaths from malaria have occurred. Various control efforts undertaken by the Government with the support of WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and funded by the Global Fund have resulted in the reduction of incidence from 2.6 cases per 1000 population in 2014 to 1.8 per 1000 population in 2020, showing a 25% reduction.” These results show the effectiveness of the malaria program itself.

After successful trials, AFFIX Labs is ready to roll out Repeltec coatings for non-profit organizations and commercial partners in Somalia and other regions replacing toxic residual spraying programs with the friendlier Repeltec solution.

“We started the company with the aim to replace toxic products with future-proof solutions. These field trials are the result of years of hard work and we are grateful for the support given by the Somalian ministry of health and the Somalian Malaria program,” says AFFIX Labs CEO, Tom Sam.

#WHO #approval #somalianmalariaprogram  #AFFIXlabs

https://www.si-quat.com/