Due to the characteristics of high strength, low weight and high production efficiency, composite materials have become more and more popular. In recent years, Covestro has developed a variety of thermoplastic polycarbonate and thermosetting polyurethane composite materials, and has become a leading supplier of such technologies. Many film-forming agents and cross-linking agents for fiber sizing complete the range of composite materials.
During the JEC World 2020 trade show in Paris from March 3 to 5, Covestro will showcase innovative and sustainable materials development solutions for various industries at booth K6 in Hall 5. Among them, an important application is lightweight and durable components that reduce vehicle fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Reduce fuel consumption or increase the range of electric vehicles. With such products, Covestro has also contributed to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs).
Through cooperation with customers and partners and their own development, compared with last year, the application range of Covestro composite materials has been expanded again. The products range from pultruded profiles and facade mounting components to large rotor blades for wind turbines, miniaturized electronic components and sports products, all of which can be mass produced in a short period.
Rugged, lightweight, and beautiful – focusing on thermoplastic composites
Covestro has developed a new composite material technology that helps mass-produce particularly thin, light-weight, high-strength, and beautiful parts. It is based on continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic polymer (CFRTP) and sold under the name Maezio ™. It uses thermoplastics (such as polycarbonate) as the substrate and carbon or glass fiber for reinforcement.
One current example is the redesigned wheels for the ES8 and ES6 SUVs of Chinese electric vehicle startup NIO. At K 2019 Plastics Trade Fair, Covestro showed decorative hub blades made of CFRTP composite materials, which can be selected on wheels. The advantages of these composite materials play an important role here.
Another project of Covestro is the design of an ultra-thin but very sturdy table as part of the new car interior concept, which was jointly developed by Covestro and partners and exhibited at K 2019. The design space required for the table is small, and its aesthetics and surface finish are impressive.
In addition to innovative thermoplastic composite materials, Covestro will also display granular foam made of expanded polycarbonate (EPC) at the JEC 2020 World Expo, which has very good mechanical properties in a wide temperature range and excellent Impact strength and good fire performance. The material can be used in high-quality, lightweight construction applications and can be recycled.
High strength, effective and durable – focus on thermosetting composite materials
For a long time, polyurethane (PU) composite materials have also been one of Covestro's core competitiveness. Together with partners in the value chain, the company is promoting the industrial production of these composite materials through an effective pultrusion process.
The highly active and aromatic PU matrix Baydur® PUL has excellent mechanical properties in various applications and good filling properties for reinforced glass fibers or carbon fibers. At JEC World Expo 2020, Covestro will show examples of chassis assemblies for light commercial vehicles developed and manufactured by Carbon Truck & Trailer GmbH using pultrusion technology.
This material can also be used to produce profiles for the lower part of the battery box of electric vehicles. These contours show the highest strength in the longitudinal direction and can safely fix the shape of the battery module, which has been reflected in standard industrial tests for side impact protection. And polyurethane can be easily combined with other materials to produce components efficiently and economically.
The aliphatic PU system Desmocomp® AP has unique UV resistance and weather resistance, so it is particularly recommended for outdoor pultrusion applications. Fisco GmbH, one of Covestro's customers, has used it to produce pultruded mounting elements for exterior walls. These elements are not only weather resistant, but also inherently flame retardant and mechanically strong. In addition to these characteristics, Fisco GmbH can also meet the strict thermal efficiency requirements of this application. The use of Covestro substrate Desmocomp® can well achieve these performance combinations.
Efficient production of rotor blades
The development of renewable energy, especially wind energy, plays a decisive role in effective climate protection. In order to make rotor blades more widely used in this field, we need to produce wind turbines with longer rotors more economically and efficiently, thereby obtaining greater power output.
The polyurethane resin developed by Covestro can make rotor blades lighter, longer and stronger than the existing combination of materials used so far. This is the result of a recent study conducted by WINDnovation Engineering Solutions GmbH, a leading company in rotor blade design. Combined with glass fiber mats and an effective vacuum infusion process, the resin can be used to shorten the production cycle, thereby saving a lot of costs.
PU dispersion optimizes fiber reinforced size
The various products exhibited by Covestro at the 2020 JEC World Expo also include waterborne polyurethane dispersions. They are used as film-forming and cross-linking agents in sizing formulations of glass, carbon, basalt, natural or other types of fibers. Baybond® is the leader in the fiber sizing product portfolio, ideal for thermoplastic and thermosetting substrates.