Covestro's Maezio Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastics (CFRTP) has been successfully used in high-end air-conditioning Haier Casa Di. Maezio is now used by the Chinese sports shoe brand Bmai on the uppers of their limited edition sneakers.
David Hartmann, senior vice president of Covestro, who lives in Shanghai, said, "Covestro has established its global headquarters in Shanghai since 2011. After the global recession, we recognized that China is the largest single market for our products. It's impossible to grow our business only in Europe and head here. "He explained that Covestro has well-established bases in Germany and the United States and a strong base for Maezio thermoplastic composites in Asia.
China first
"We see that the most cutting-edge and exciting developments in consumer products are in China," Hartmann continued. "One reason is that Chinese consumers are very tolerant. They are willing to try new technologies and then move on to the next iteration. If you Being able to keep up with iteration speeds makes it easy to find new opportunities. "
Partnerships and cooperation along the entire supply chain have always been at the core of material suppliers-at DuPont, we work with Nomex Paper's direct customers, core manufacturers, panel manufacturers, and Boeing / Airbus. This is a step forward for Covestro's approach in China. "In our collaboration with Bmai, we discuss and send design information back and forth through digital communication applications 2-3 times a day. It is important to convey not only the message of your success, but also the message of your failure. This is in line with European and American standards Very different. "
Another different method is to conduct a sample survey of the Chinese market directly through Alibaba's 1688.com platform, which is China's largest B2B digital market. "This is not just a sales platform," Hartmann said, "We are making our products more accessible, which is making it easier for customers to test materials and helping to promote the use of thermoplastic composites." One 1 kg 33 meters long 120 The millimeter-wide unidirectional carbon fiber / polycarbonate tape sells for 488 yuan. Although this is the only Maezio product on 1688.com, Covestro has also commercialized custom-sized sheets and tapes with a width of 120-730 mm and 3k woven alternatives.
Performance for everyone
One reason for this new partnership is that composite materials are customizable. Or, as Covestro prefers, it is adjustable. Hartmann said: "When we make the midsole, we precisely adjust the stiffness in one direction and the flexibility in the other direction. For each shoe customer / partner, we are working with some of them and we are working according to They want a shoe designed to achieve a slightly different range of performance. With thermoplastic composites, you can achieve that on a large scale. "
He pointed out that Covestro has been making shoes from various materials for a long time, and that thermoset composites can be traced back to the 1980s. "Nike used them in the uppers and soles, but they were mainly for aesthetics," Harmann recalls. "Then Nike Vaporfly 4%, they designed a shoe to help overcome the 2-hour marathon obstacle. In running, there is nothing between you and the road except for the shoes. Nike claims that they used those shoes Composites and other technologies return 4% of the runner's energy to them. They now have enough data to show that runners wearing this shoe have gained a 4% advantage. "
But Bmai and Covestro don't want to help elite athletes just gain this type of performance advantage. "This is where Bmai connects with our team in Maezio," Hartmann said. Bmai is an unusual company, "Chothee Chandrachoti, a global product expert at Covestro, added." They stand out from the top sports brands in China, but Almost established himself as counterculture. "(Note: Bmai means" Be Yourself "in English.) They are located in the middle of Beijing's largest entertainment park, and each employee has a running goal. They are committed to opening up sports to everyone, emphasizing that everyone has rights Help yourself run faster and reach your best. "She added that there are now more than 1,000 marathons in China each year.
Changing traditional consumer applications
The idea of democratizing this movement is interesting. Chandrachoti said: "We have received customer requests for solutions designed for women, such as high-performance heels. They need the flexibility of the front foot, but the arch of the foot is more rigid, and then you need more when you move to the heel Support. However, manufacturers do not want to assemble many different materials and parts. They want one part. We can do this with Maezio. "
Hartmann lists a variety of potential shoe components, including midsoles, toe caps, uppers, and outsoles. "The midsole is between the top of the insole and the outsole," he explained. Chandrachoti added: "Designers of shoes try to find a very dense material to support the shoe, but it can also serve as a cushion and durability." Pronation is another key function that affects the foot during exercise Health, stability and control. Pronation is the movement of the feet from side to side while walking or running. If you are over-rotating, that is, your feet are turning inward more than usual, then your shoes should help distribute the impact force evenly and increase stability. If you have insufficient internal rotation, that is, your feet roll inward less than usual, then your shoes should provide more cushioning to absorb additional vertical forces and impacts. "Shoe manufacturers want to add stiffness, cushioning, and / or flexibility to specific moves or sequences of moves," she explained. "This adjustability is limited by traditional materials, which also need to reduce the weight of these materials. Thermoplastic composites Provides a solution to these two issues. "
This is Bmai's first foray into thermoplastic composites and is similar to a test case. "Their goal is to keep prices affordable. Bmai has few retail stores and 70% of its sales are online. Their only few stores are called 'experience centers' and provide customers with an introduction to their products. "Because Bmai doesn't spend much on advertising or large-scale marketing, their average price for a pair of shoes is less than $ 100.
Wide selection and sustainability
Polycarbonate (PC) is the first material to commercialize Maezio products because Covestro has extensive expertise and capabilities. "The Bmai solution is PC, but we are screening a range of materials for footwear. We have ten different materials for testing, including thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)," Chandrachoti said.
Regarding recyclability, Hartmann said that by 2024, the EU wants to ban single-use plastics. "We have recycled-grade PCs in the market and we are looking for Maezio's recycling, but we need the initial partner who wants to develop this. We cannot do this alone because it involves the entire value chain." He asserted, Thermoplastic composites have a more sustainable potential than thermosetting plastics because scrap is shredded, reshaped, or converted into injection molded composites. Hartmann pointed out: "Maezio's closed-loop recycling requires the establishment of a dedicated value chain. But we have indeed done this in our work at Haier. For more than eight months, our technical team has visited a large number of partners in China to make this plan Implemented. But this partnership and sustainability is the future of the chemical and composite industries. "
other applications
Hartmann believes that Maezio Lake offers a wide range of applications for lightweight solutions. "We have some commercial automation projects in progress and are talking to some major laptop makers." He said "the laptop industry wants to make them thinner and lighter", however, the rigid cover must be sufficient to protect Electronic components. Some manufacturers already use commercial laptops with magnesium alloy exterior surfaces, but have some supply chain issues and Maezio offers design flexibility including various surface designs.
Both battery packs and luggage are evolving. "We have a suitcase material that has a unique appearance and lightweight properties," Hartmann said. "We have solved the problem of deep-drawn forming structures. Especially at the corners of the suitcase, it is very difficult. When we finished These, we really feel a sense of accomplishment and demonstrate our ability to meet the needs of industry. "This design also helps Maezio in the development of bicycles and other sports products.
High performance, high output and low price?
Interestingly, all of Maezio's current development projects are for relatively high-volume consumer products. "For small parts like insoles or laptop covers, you see millions of annual sales. That's where the advantages of thermoplastic composites come into play. With thermosetting plastics, this volume is difficult. For This is not a problem for our materials. Why not? Because rapid prototyping cycles are possible, usually measured in 1-2 minutes, down to seconds. Nevertheless, as a new starting point, we think our job is to understand these industries and Markets to better understand their needs and what we must do to meet their needs. "
"The meaning of Made in China is changing," Hartmann said. "There's a strong design cult here, but it's combined with the desire to democratize. His goal is to make style and performance accessible to everyone. "He cited Xiaomi, a Chinese electronics manufacturer, as an example." They are known for producing high-quality electronics, but at a lower price, "he explained." They promise to get a 5% profit margin and target a large number of customers. With Maezio, Covestro CFRTP keeps pace with this market and product development. We allow people to experience the design, performance, and lifestyle benefits provided by composites—but not as expensive as Lamborghini. "