LANXESS's High Performance Materials (HPM) business unit launched a series of high-end material solutions at Chinaplas 2018, including an unmanned one made of short glass fiber reinforced Durethan (nylon 6) Machine propeller.
Lanxess dates back to 1863, when Friedrich Bayer & Co., a manufacturer of synthetic dyes, was founded. In 2004, in order to focus on the health care and nutrition business, the majority of the chemical business and nearly one-third of the polymer business were spun off, and an independent company was formed, named LANXESS.
The injection-molded parts are light, yet have good strength and rigidity. This material is resistant to UV aging and is therefore suitable for outdoor use. Drone propellers made of LANXESS plastic have an attractive appearance and a long service life.
One challenge for manufacturers is limited drone flight time. In addition to increasing battery capacity and researching new energy sources, manufacturers can also take advantage of lightweight solutions to reduce drone energy consumption and increase flight time. With its experience in light vehicle design, LANXESS can provide better solutions for the drone industry.
In addition to wings and propellers, high-performance plastics can also be used in drone fuselage and landing gear. These materials help reduce the weight of the aircraft, thereby extending flight time and reducing vibration and noise. More importantly, these materials improve the impact resistance, reduce the interference of metal materials on radio signals, simplify the production process, and improve the flexibility of product structure design.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, often referred to as drones, have grown rapidly over the past few years. Whether used as toys for children and adults, or in more specialized applications such as rescue and agricultural applications, drones are becoming more common.
Lanxess reports that according to estimates from market research firm Gartner, about 3 million drones were sold worldwide in 2017-an increase of nearly 40% over last year. Gartner also predicts that drones will become one of the fastest growing industries in the consumer electronics space in the next few years. PwC's corporate consultants predict that the global drone-based services market size will approach $ 130 billion, such as in infrastructure, transportation, and security. Due to the wide application of drones, their market demand is constantly increasing, which also opens up a new development opportunity for material suppliers such as the high-performance materials industry.