See and feel BASF plastic innovations at Fakuma 2014

INNOVATIONS for the furniture and packaging sectors from BASF can be experienced at Fakuma 2014. Both the stand's chairs and the coffee capsules used at the coffee bar represent new applications of the company’s new plastics. Aside from these, the latest developments in engineering plastics, polyurethanes and masterbatch preparations for automotive, E&E and medical technology applications at the international trade fair for plastics processing in Friedrichshafen.

Experience innovations in plastics at the BASF stand at Fakuma 2014 (clockwise from top left): Premiere of Ultradur? PBT for aroma-proof thin coffee capsules; booth seating with the surface polyamide Ultramid? SI; engineering plastics and TPU in a seat structure component made of Ultramid? for the BMW i3; Ultraform? PRO in the Skin Stretcher, an implement for closing large wounds after operations; and more than 20 materials in the bicycle design study ‘concept 1865’

PBT for coffee capsules BASF is one of the first plastics manufacturers to expand its PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) product line by a new special grade optimized for the production of air-tight coffee capsules that retain the aroma. This engineering plastic – Ultradur? B1520 FC (FC: food contact) – combines excellent barrier properties against moisture and oxygen, without a need for any additional complex coatings. This distinguishes these Ultradur capsules from other injection-molded capsules, which are usually packaged individually, as well as from multilayered thermoset capsules.

The injection-molded coffee capsule prototypes are made of the new material by CCS GmbH, an independent Munich-based supplier. With its food-contact certification, this new grade is suitable not only for coffee capsules but also for thin-walled injection-molded packaging for cosmetics and food products.  

The new Ultradur B1520 FC is now available in commercial quantities. It can be colored using suitable masterbatches created by BASF Color Solutions.

Surface polyamides for the furniture industry Visitors will sit on the “A-Chair” from the Brunner company. It is made of Ultramid? B3EG10 SI (SI: surface improved), one of the four representatives of the new surface polyamide family from BASF for the needs of the furniture industry. BASF experts assisted the manufacturer in the design of the office chair with their simulation tool Ultrasim?.

First introduced at the K 2013 plastics trade fair in Düsseldorf, the Ultramid family combines a high surface quality with the outstanding mechanical and chemical properties of the plastic class, in one case including special flame-resistant characteristics.

Engineering plastics and TPU BASF has successfully optimized thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) so that it can be applied extensively and unpainted on the vehicle exterior, and the results will be evident at their stand in Fakuma.

The automotive manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citro?n uses the new TPU grade Elastollan? AC 55D10 HPM (High Performance Material) for cladding the Citro?n C4 Cactus with so-called Airbumps?, which are large air-filled cushion bumpers in contrasting colors. They are fitted on the sides as well as on the front and rear of the vehicle, protect the car exterior from impact and scratches and give the vehicle its distinctive look.

This world first is the result of many years of development work between the French automotive manufacturer, the supplier Rehau of Switzerland, and BASF.

Meanwhile, two innovative components from the BMW i3, the electric vehicle from the BMW Group, will be on display at the BASF stand: the front seat, whose backrest is the first injection-molded and unpainted structural seat component made of polyamide that has a visible surface. The hybrid component weighs only 2 kg and embodies all the know-how of BASF's Global Seat Competence Team.

The backrest is made of a particularly UV-stable polyamide 6 compound specially developed by BASF for applications of this type (Ultramid? B3ZG8 UV). There is also a large integral component made of Ultradur? B4040 G6 on display that keeps the two body shells apart. The PBT material is dimensionally stable independent of the ambient climate and provides the necessary buckling resistance. The injection-molded component comprises several smaller components planned in the past, thus reducing complexity and costs.

Flame-resistant technical plastics improved further The trend towards miniaturization and thinner walls in electrical and electronics applications continues apace and BASF will be presenting multiple product families with new and improved UL listing to coincide with Fakuma.

The newly developed Ultramid? A3U42G6, too, a halogen-free, flame-retardant, glass fiber-reinforced polyamide meets fire protection class V-0 according to UL94 from a wall-thickness of 0.4 mm. The heat aging resistance was significantly improved over glass fiber-filled polyamide types such that the material, with an RTI value for dielectric strength at 140°C with a 0.4 mm wall-thickness and even 150 °C at 0.75 mm and more, is suitable for use at higher temperatures.

This new flame-resistant plastic is also distinguished by extremely easy processing with reduced deposit formation. The flame retardant system shows no migration effects and thus ensures higher-quality component surfaces. Possible application areas include control, contactors and connectors.

A first for the medical technology sector Ultraform? S2320 003 PRO (polyoxymethylene), specially developed by BASF to meet the particular requirements of the medical technology sector, has made an impressive debut in the Skin Stretcher, an implement for treating or closing large wounds after operations or accidents, from BioWim GmbH.

The material is used primarily for its reduction of the friction between touching functional components, the combination of high rigidity with outstanding resilience as well as very good flowability. The material also provides demonstrated compliance with international standards for the use of plastics in medical technology.  

A concept-bicycle as an experiment Rethinking Materials – this is the thought experiment posed by BASF and the design agency DING 3000 which led to the “Concept 1865” bicycle. At Fakuma, BASF’s designfabrik? will be displaying the fully functional bicycle design study – a bike that takes on the appearance of the penny-farthing bicycle that was popular at the time of BASF's founding in 1865.

The electric bicycle incorporates over 20 different, in some cases very innovative, plastics, from polyurethanes to thermoplastics, foams, epoxy resins and composite products that BASF subsumes under the heading “Performance Materials.” For example, the tire base material for the bicycle is composed of the world's first expanded thermoplastic polyurethane Infinergy? from BASF. It is light, durable and very elastic. The material had already proven its outstanding resilience and exceptional long-term durability in the midsole of the Energy boost running shoe from Adidas. Also advantageous in tires: the low density as well as the tear- and temperature-resistance of Infinergy.

Masterbatch preparations BASF Color Solutions will be presenting a wide spectrum of masterbatch applications for coloring and stabilizing plastics, also in cooperation with other BASF units.

One focus is the coloring of engineering polymers. With processing temperatures of up to 350°C, temperature-resistance is an especially crucial factor. The masterbatches of the Sicoversal?X series, which were optimized for the Ultradur? plastics from BASF (polybutylene terephthalate), are present in the displayed fiber-optics cables and the newly developed coffee capsules at the coffee bar. Special types approved for medical applications are also available. The displayed lightweight and yet robust airplane trolley made of Ultrason? (polyarylsulfones) is an example of the use of Sicoversal?X masterbatch in the transport sector.

In the construction sector, BASF Color Solutions puts its many years of experience to use in the permanent coloring of wood-plastic composites, which are visible in the floor elements of the BASF stand. Sicopas? masterbatch colors are also used in the Ultramid SI plastic for the stand's chairs.