Resolving plastics - a holistic approach to the future

The compounder will not only present further product developments, but will also focus on application-specific solutions developed in cooperation with partner companies:

Additive manufacturing
The processing of highly reinforced plastics compounds opens up new possibilities in additive manufacturing and is a core competence of AKRO-PLASTIC. The carbon fibre reinforced AKROMID® B3 ICF 30 9 AM is successfully being used by the IKV (Institute for Plastic Processing) in Aachen in the MDM (melt deposition modelling) process. Thanks to the improved thermal conductivity of the carbon fibre reinforced compound, the associated faster cooling speeds and the tight batch tolerance for highly reinforced plastics, a stable manufacturing process with high production speeds has been implemented.
A video illustrates the functional principle of this processing technology using a test specimen made of AKROMID® B3 ICF 30 9 AM.

Contact with drinking water 
The compounder provides an overview of the materials from the AKROTEK® PK series and the AKROMID® T5 series, which meet the standards according to KTW/W270, ACS, NSF 61 and WRAS up to 85 °C.
The test reports comprise all product variations between AKROMID® T5 non-reinforced to 50% glass fibre reinforced in natural and in black, as well as AKROTEK® PK-VM 8 non-reinforced to 50% glass fibre reinforced, also in natural and black.

Transportation / flame-retardant compounds
For the public transport sector, the compounder has expanded and improved its portfolio of flame-retardant compounds based on halogen-free flame-retardant additives.
Regulation ECE 118 applies in buses. For this purpose, AKRO-PLASTIC has developed compounds with various glass fibre contents which meet the requirements of Annex 6, 7 and 8. This means that the materials can be used anywhere in the interior of buses. 
Since the introduction of EN 45545-2, stricter, far more differentiated criteria have applied to the railway application area. Here, too, the compounder has products in its portfolio which meet the demands of the standard valid since March 2016 with the requirement sets R21 HL2, R22 HL3, R23 HL3, R24 HL3 and R26 HL3. These materials are best suited for small to medium-sized parts in the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Particularly strict specifications apply to larger components and seat shells. AKROMID® C28 GF 25 FRT is the first glass fibre reinforced polyamide to meet the requirements of EN 45545-0 R1 HL2, R6 HL2 and R7 HL2 as well as the American standard NFPA 130.
Overall in the transport sector, the aerospace industry demands the strictest compliance of flame-retardant materials. For this purpose, the compounder has developed AKROMID® PA K17 FR black (5762). Filled with 35% glass fibres, this polyamide is specified for indoor use according to Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 25.853 and released by AIRBUS.

Expansion of the PPA product line
Besides the conventional PPA compounds based on PA 6T, AKRO-PLASTIC has expanded its portfolio with the new AKROMID® T9. These compounds, based on the homopolymer PA 9T, are particularly characterised by lower water absorption and thus more consistent mechanical performance. PPAs are mainly used where increased requirements for strength and stiffness at elevated temperatures are required. This is achieved by a higher glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer, which can often lie between 125 and 135 °C. With the PA 6T copolymers mainly used, however, the Tg drops below 100 °C with water absorption, together with the mechanical load capacity. Due to the fact that AKROMID® T9 absorbs less than half of the moisture, the high Tg and thus the high mechanical strength are maintained at elevated temperatures and humidity. Initial tests in direct comparison also show better flowability and faster crystallisation behaviour, which will facilitate the very complex production of PPA compounds. In addition, the 50% glass fibre reinforced compound offers a small but welcome density advantage of 6%. The melting point of AKROMID® T9 is 300 °C and thus somewhat lower than comparable PA 6T grades. This results in advantages for the processing window as well as possible material modifications. Flame-retardant grades as well as impact-modified compounds are therefore more robust to formulate and process.

Plastic/metal hybrid Composite
An economical solution for lightweight construction with simultaneous high functional integration is a combination of plastic and metal. Media impermeability is also a necessary criterion for the quality of the bonding. Optimum hybrid components are obtained through the combination of an applied plasma layer and targeted modification of the plastic.
In order to fully exploit the potential of plastic/metal hybrid compounds, AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH and Plasmatreat GmbH have entered into a cooperation which pursues the goal of realising a material-formed bond between plastic and metal in a closed process.
An innovative project, which was developed together with K.A. Schmersal GmbH & Co. KG in Wuppertal, will be presented at K 2019. The Schmersal Group is a leading system and solution provider in the field of safety switchgear for the protection of people and machinery.

Substitution of PA 6.6
Polyamide 6.6 compounds are only available to a limited extent, due to the shortage of raw materials on the market which has persisted for years, and prices have risen constantly. Therefore, the compounder has set itself the task of modifying a PA 6 in such a way that it achieves comparable properties to a PA 6.6 as an attractive alternative. 
Over the past few months, customers have approached the company with numerous specific test requirements, which have been passed with flying colors and are presented here.

Highly reinforced compounds
AKRO-PLASTIC has specialised in the production of highly reinforced engineering plastics with its in-house machine technology. The focus of these products is on achieving high mechanical performance and reproducibility. Gentle processing enables less glass fibre or carbon fibre breakage during compounding, resulting in slightly increased mechanical strength and impact strength compared to conventional products on the market. Used and proven worldwide, the ICX® Technology with identical machines and processes ensures globally the same product quality and constancy, no matter on which continent it is manufactured. Especially in the case of highly reinforced plastics in demanding applications, these properties offer advantages to both the design engineer and the person responsible for the parts in order to achieve the promised functionality safely, competitively and sustainably.
Based on the strategy of high-strength compounds, AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH, working together with FEDDEM GmbH & Co KG, has extended the proven technology to the compounding of long fibre reinforced compounds. The compounds produced in this way show a factor of 2–3 times higher tenacity than short fibre reinforced compounds with improved ageing stability and creep properties. Particularly noteworthy is the AKROMID® B28 LGF 40 1 L: a chemically coupled blend of PA 6 and PP, which flows much better than a pure PA 6 with 40% glass fibre reinforcement and offers conditioned strengths higher than a 50% reinforced PA 6. The advantage for the application is a weight advantage of about 15%.

PA 6.6 / PA 6I/6T blends also offer significant advantages when using long fibre technology. Thus AKROLOY® PA LGF 50 natural (5504) with 290 MPa not only has about 10% higher strength (compared to the short fibre grade), but also achieves top values in this class with 200 MPa after 5,000 h of heat ageing at 150 °C. At 265 MPa, the conditioned values are only slightly below the dry-as-moulded values and constitute a benchmark in the class. Puncture impact behaviour (ISO 6603) triples compared to the short fibre variant and makes AKROLOY® PA LGF grades particularly interesting for the substitution of cast metal structures.

The right product for your application
In order to make it easier for customers and interested parties to choose the right material, the compounder has in recent months continuously improved and expanded its product filter to its website at https://akro-plastic.com/productfilter/. At the trade fair stand in Hall 6/B42, the show team will be happy to explain in detail the advantages and possibilities that the customer will gain.

Biodegradable and biobased compounds
BIO-FED, a branch of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH, produces and markets biodegradable and/or biobased plastic under the brand name M∙VERA®. The product portfolio comprises biocompounds with a share of renewable resources ranging from 30 to 100%. In order to meet the legal requirements of the bioplastics sector in France and Italy, among other countries, BIO-FED offers compounds with a correspondingly high proportion of renewable raw materials (biobased carbon content over 50%) and variable end-of-life scenarios such as OK compost INDUSTRIAL, OK compost HOME and OK biodegradable SOIL. Possible application segments are:
• Biodegradable compounds for injection moulding applications (e.g. coffee capsules, drinking straws and disposable cutlery)
• Compounds for the production of home-compostable films for starch-based bag applications (e.g. fruit and vegetable bags)
• Compounds for the production of biodegradable films for agricultural applications (e.g. mulch films)
All M·VERA® compounds can be colored individually – for example with the AF-Eco® biopolymer based masterbatches which are certified by TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium in accordance with EN 13432. The AF-Eco® range consists of color and carbon black masterbatches as well as additive masterbatches. 
“With our extensive, constantly expanding portfolio of innovative bioplastics compounds, we are making a contribution to waste avoidance by supplying alternatives to conventional plastics and thus also helping to reduce the carbon footprint,” says Dr. Stanislaw Haftka, Head of Sales at BIO-FED.

Color and additive masterbatches
AF-COLOR, also based in Niederzissen, is another branch of AKRO-PLASTIC and is the specialist for color and additive masterbatches.
AF-COLOR’s customers enjoy access to an extensive masterbatch color programme. Here the spotlight is on individual and customer-focused solutions for high demands as regards color and technology. The masterbatches are produced in all common carrier materials as well as in engineering thermoplastics. This year, visitors to the trade fair will be informed about the current highlight topics:

• Sustainable masterbatches for use in recyclable packaging 
• AF-Clean®: effective cleaning concentrates for various applications
• Additive concentrates for optimum laser markability
• Laser-transparent color concentrates to ensure optimum laser weldability
• Temperature-stable color concentrates for HT polymers, with a focus on PEET, PPA and PPS
• Ice effect in packaging films
• Functional masterbatches to ensure optimal radar reflection in automotive front applications
• Ambient lighting in the automotive interior sector

AF-COLOR is sufficiently equipped with the latest production facilities to cater for all industries and their diverse requirement profiles. For extensive product presentations and questions, the show team will be glad to assist and advise you.