· Polyurethane resin makes wind power more efficient
· Polyurethane pultruded composite materials to create energy-saving window frames
Desmocomp ™ resin makes solar module frames more sustainable
· Maezio ™ composite material makes the product thinner and stronger
Fiber-reinforced composite materials have a variety of advantages. They are lightweight, as strong as metal, corrosion-resistant, and require low maintenance. They can achieve higher design freedom and have excellent mechanical properties. As production technology becomes more sophisticated, compared with traditional materials such as aluminum, steel, wood or concrete, the advantages of composite materials in terms of cost efficiency and production scale are gradually emerging. Fiber composite materials can not only meet the growing demand for strong and lightweight materials, but also be resource and energy saving materials.
German material manufacturer Covestro is at the forefront of technological innovation in composite materials, providing a wide range of solutions for industries such as renewable energy, construction, sportswear and electronics. At the 24th China International Composite Materials Industry Technology Exhibition that opened today, Covestro showed its rich composite material solutions to shape the exciting life of energy conservation and environmental protection in the future (Booth A1210, Hall 1, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Hall).
"Sustainable development is the main source of our innovation and one of the core elements of our overall business strategy." Dr. Shi Ma Ke, Costron Asia Pacific Innovation Leader and Costron Polymer Scientific Research and Development Center Michael Schmidt said, "This means that we want to benefit society, improve the quality of people's lives, and reduce the impact on the environment through our products and technologies. Our composite solutions can meet these needs. Compared to traditional materials , Innovative lightweight materials and their own production processes have more sustainable advantages. Our research and development also focuses on the fields of construction, renewable energy and transportation. "
Polyurethane resin makes wind power more efficient
As far as wind power is concerned, the longer the turbine blades, the greater the amount of electricity generated. Therefore, the industry is constantly trying to make longer blades, and the potential has yet to be fully explored. However, longer blades also pose new challenges for design and manufacturing. This is where Covestro's solution comes in: using Baydur® polyurethane resin, vacuum infusion technology makes it possible to make longer, stable and efficient wind turbine blades.
The process and materials have multiple advantages. Compared with traditional epoxy resins, polyurethane resins can make lighter and stronger blades, and give them better mechanical properties and fatigue resistance. In addition, because the polyurethane resin is poured faster and does not require post-curing, the blade production time can be greatly reduced. This is very important for the wind power industry, because of the constraints of materials and technology, the wind power industry is currently facing great challenges in improving production efficiency. With its polyurethane solutions, Covestro has continuously crossed the limits and brought competitive advantages to wind turbine blade manufacturers.
Polyurethane composites for renewable energy and energy-saving solutions
Covestro is also actively developing pultrusion technology to produce fiber reinforced materials by mixing polyurethane resins with fibers. The technology developed by Covestro can significantly increase productivity, production processes and product quality.
Compared with epoxy resin or vinyl resin, Covestro polyurethane resin has obvious advantages. Polyurethane resin has the advantages of low viscosity, good fiber wettability and strong reactivity, so it can increase processing speed and reduce production costs. At this year's China International Composites Exhibition, Covestro exhibited two major polyurethane systems related to this technology: Baydur PUL® and Desmocomp ™.
Baydur PUL® can be used to make durable components with excellent thermal insulation properties. This system is very suitable for manufacturing thermal insulation window frames, an application that is particularly important for the Chinese construction industry. The energy consumption mainly comes from windows. Therefore, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China has clearly proposed relevant standards for energy-saving doors and windows in its "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" to improve them. Windows made of Baydur PUL® are more insulated. The material not only has low thermal conductivity, but also has good wind pressure resistance, sound insulation and fire resistance. It can also improve safety and improve living comfort while saving energy.
Desmocomp ™ is a matrix material system formulated from aliphatic polyurethanes. It has good mechanical properties, as well as excellent UV, chemical and weathering resistance. It has extremely high cost-effective processing, long pot life and fast curing, so no painting is required. These characteristics make it ideal for outdoor applications such as solar panels. At the China International Composites Exhibition, Covestro will exhibit solar panels based on this material. Non-metallic composites can improve PID (Induced Potential Difference Attenuation) resistance, UV and acid resistance, and no grounding. Last year, Desmocomp ™ won the JEC Innovation Award at the JEC Composites Exhibition in Paris, Europe's largest composites trade show.
Maezio ™ New Composite Meets Global Demand
Covestro has developed a new technology for the efficient production of thin, strong, and beautiful continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTP). A few days ago, the company launched a new brand name, Maezio ™, for CFRTP. The material is as strong as metal, but lightweight, can be freely formed, and can be recycled after the end of the product's life cycle. The first products made from this material include appliances, laptop cases and sports shoe soles. For example, Covestro provided the material to Chinese Internet sports brand Bimai, producing lightweight and strong marathon running shoes. Some Maezio ™ applications were also exhibited at the China International Composites Exhibition.
In order to meet the huge market potential, Covestro has invested tens of millions of euros to build the first large plant in Markt Bibart, Germany, to produce this new material. Here, Covestro uses these materials to produce composite unidirectional tapes and sheets, which are then supplied to customers for further processing. Due to the lack of a cost-effective and scalable production process, the further expansion of advanced composite materials has been hindered, and Covestro has overcome this obstacle through the commercial production of Maezio ™.