BASF at Fakuma
Ultradur® for aroma-proof thin coffee capsules (upper left), booth seating with the surface polyamide Ultramid® SI (middle), front seat including a seat structure component made of Ultramid® in the BMW i3 (upper right), Ultraform® PRO in the Skin Stretcher, an implement for closing large wounds after operations (lower right) and more than 20 materials in the bicycle design study “concept 1865” (lower left).
Visitors to Fakuma 2014 this month (October 14th-18th) can experience innovations in plastics directly at the BASF stand.
The innovation on the BASF booth extends even to the furnishings and refreshments, with the stand's chairs and coffee capsules representing the newest applications of BASF plastics. Aside from these innovations from the furniture and packaging sectors, BASF will also be presenting innovations 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.
Smell the coffee
The PBT for the coffee capsules at the BASF stand seal in the aroma of the coffee and pioneer a new special grade of PBT optimised for this kind of product. The plastic goes by the name Ultradur B1520 FC (food contact) and combines excellent barrier properties against moisture and oxygen, while containing the aroma without a need for any additional complex coatings. This distinguishes these Ultradur capsules from other injection-moulded capsules - which are usually packaged individually - as well as from multilayered thermoset capsules. Injection moulding is the adequate processing technique for the production of upscale coffee capsules with their exacting design.
With its food-contact certification, this new grade is suitable not only for coffee capsules but also for thin-walled injection-moulded packaging for cosmetics and food products. The first coffee capsule prototypes made of the new material by CCS GmbH, an independent Munich-based supplier, are being showcased at Fakuma and the new Ultradur B1520 FC is now available in commercial quantities. It can be coloured using suitable masterbatches created by BASF Color Solutions.
Take a seat
Not only will visitors to the BASF stand get the chance to enjoy coffee made using these innovative capsules, but they can sit on the 'A-Chair' from the Brunner company.
The chair is made of Ultramid B3EG10 SI (surface improved), one of the four representatives of the new surface polyamide family from BASF for the needs of the furniture industry. First introduced at the K 2013 plastics trade fair in Düsseldorf, this product 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. BASF experts assisted the manufacturer in the design of the office chair with their simulation tool UltrasimTM.
Automobiles
As the first manufacturer of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), BASF has successfully optimised the material so that it can be applied extensively and unpainted on the vehicle exterior. The automotive manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroën uses the new TPU grade Elastollan AC 55D10 HPM (High Performance Material) for cladding the Citroën C4 Cactus with so-called Airbumps. This world first is the result of many years of development work between the French automotive manufacturer, the supplier Rehau of Switzerland and BASF. Airbumps are large air-filled cushion bumpers in contrasting colours. 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.
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-moulded 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-moulded component comprises several smaller components planned in the past, thus reducing complexity and costs.
The trend towards miniaturisation 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 flame-resistant Ultradur types B4406 G2/ G4/ G6 (polybutylene terephthalates) are classified according to UL94 V-0 from a wall thickness of 0.4 mm. Now the listing has been expanded to include the relative temperature index (RTI) for 0.4 mm. The high RTI values
P347/14e for dielectric strength remain consistently high at 140 °C. The product family therefore is especially suitable for increasingly powerful electrical plugs, power strips and housing components. These can now be produced with lower wall thicknesses.
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. The new Ultramid A3U42G6 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.
Medical and pedalical
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 product from BioWim GmbH, 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. Skin Stretcher is an implement for treating or closing large wounds after operations or accidents.
BASF’s designfabrik will be displaying the 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 tyre 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.
Colour preparation
BASF Color Solutions is once again represented at the BASF stand this year and will be presenting a wide spectrum of masterbatch applications for colouring and stabilising plastics, also in cooperation with other BASF units.
One focus is the colouring 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 optimised 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 SicoversalX masterbatch in the transport sector.
In the construction sector, BASF Color Solutions puts its many years of experience to use in the permanent colouring of wood-plastic composites, which are visible in the floor elements of the BASF stand. The stand's chairs are also a BASF complete solution in which the Sicopas masterbatch colours the Ultramid SI plastic.
