At the Fakuma 2021, the LEHVOSS Group presents sustainable solutions for the plastics processing industry based on polymer high-performance compounds
For the LEHVOSS Group, the Fakuma 2021 will be themed as how the increased sustainability requirements of customers can be better met with sophisticated high-performance compounds and the intelligent use of recycled polymers and fibers.
LEHVOSS has used the last few years and purposefully expanded its very extensive portfolio of high-performance compounds again in order to better meet the challenges of structural lightweight construction and to enable expanded metal replacement with lightweight, fiber-reinforced compounds.
Materials for structural lightweight construction
For more than 20 years, the LUVOCOM XCF products have stood for carbon fiber reinforced (CF) thermoplastic compounds of the extra class with extreme mechanical properties. The latest development from this family is a product based on PPA. With a strength of 425 MPa, a stiffness of 47 GPa, a tensile elongation of 1.4% and 100 kJ/m2 for the impact strength, it is a real alternative to light metals in many applications and due to the low density of 1.37 g/cm3 very high values for the specific modulus of elasticity and the specific strength. These have not yet been achieved by thermoplastic compounds.
LEHVOSS' own XCF technology can be transferred to all thermoplastics. Products based on PA 66, PPS, PPA, PEEK and other polymers are already in the extensive XCF portfolio. In principle, the compounds can be processed on conventional injection molding machines and tools.
For applications that require high chemical resistance with an even lower weight and good mechanical properties at the same time, LUVOCOM 60-50097 based on PP with CF is new to the portfolio and a highly interesting alternative to materials based on PA 6 and PA 66 with CF and GF (glass fibers). LUVOCOM 60-50097 offers the best mechanics on the market for this material combination: strength 170 MPa, stiffness 18 GPa, notched impact strength 11 kJ/m2. Due to the lack of water absorption, it does not show any decrease in properties under humid conditions and is therefore on a par with PA compounds in terms of mechanics and temperature resistance.
With LUVOCOM 1105-50303, a PEEK compound reinforced with hollow glass spheres was brought onto the market, which with a density of only 1.01 g/cm3 is predestined for structural lightweight construction. The compound is manufactured using a specially adapted compounding process in order to avoid damage to the hollow glass spheres. The material is also characterized by a low heat capacity and a very good mechanical property profile. This makes this material particularly suitable for thin-wall extrusion. The underlying modification and production technology developed by LEHVOSS can be transferred to other polymers, so that a large variety of polymeric substrates can be modified at the customer's request.
Thermoplastic foam injection molding and foamed extrusion applications have been used in a large number of components for a number of years, for example to reduce sink marks and weight. As the requirements are becoming more and more demanding and the feel, surface quality, dimensional stability and use in sensitive end-use applications play an ever greater role, the demands on the blowing agent concentrates used are also increasing. LEHVOSS has taken on this and developed various high-performance, physiologically harmless endothermic propellant masterbatches. These new highly loaded products can be used with very low dosages (from 0.1%) in injection molding and extrusion. LUVOBATCH PE BA 5821 is optimized for use where excellent surface quality is important despite high weight savings. LUVOBATCH PE BA 5823 has an exceptionally fine cell structure, which is a great advantage for film applications. The new masterbatches are free from azodicarbonamide (ADC) and can therefore be used in foamed applications with subsequent contact with food or drinking water. Due to their exceptionally high gas yield, these can be used as an alternative to ADC masterbatches.
Components equipped with flame protection enable safer use in transport, construction or electrical engineering. In addition to the classic, halogen-containing flame retardant masterbatches, the LEHVOSS Group has developed an extensive product line of environmentally friendly, halogen-free flame retardant masterbatches and compounds for these applications. The possible uses range from film structures to cables and components with higher wall thicknesses. Nitrogen- and phosphorus-based as well as mineral additives and intumescent systems can be used, in which the effect in the event of fire is achieved by foaming the material with subsequent formation of a stable protective layer. If required, as is customary with LEHVOSS, customer-specific solutions are developed to meet individual objectives.
With the LUVOTECH product line introduced in 2019 as part of the K trade fair in Düsseldorf, the highly individual high-performance compounds of the LUVOCOM range were supplemented by very high-quality standard compounds. The portfolio of structural materials is now being expanded with new technical compounds from the LUVOTECH PAHT® product line - based on high-temperature PA. These materials are highly filled with a glass fiber content of 40 to 60 percent by weight and, with their high mechanical properties, are ideal for metal replacement applications.
Sustainable solutions
The new LUVOTECH eco products are a major expansion of the LUVOTECH product line. This product line combines the usual high and reliable performance with the use of recycled raw materials. The LEHVOSS Group is uniquely positioned in this segment, as it can not only fall back on 40 years of formulation know-how in the field of high-performance compounds, but has also a subsidiary with WMK Plastics for 5 years, which has been very much for more than 25 years successfully active in the field of recycled compounds and not only knows the challenges of the supply chain and the testing of recyclates, but also masters them. All products in the LUVOTECH eco line are characterized by a significantly improved CO2 footprint, which can be reduced by up to 90% when using PEEK or carbon fiber recyclates, for example.
When it comes to material recycling, the LEHVOSS Group largely concentrates on the upper end of the material pyramid in the areas of engineering plastics and high-performance plastics and offers recyclate-based products from PC/ABS to PA to PEEK.
Recycled materials in 3D printing
The eco materials are used across all processing technologies. The need for sustainable materials is also growing in the field of 3D printing. For such requirements, the LEHVOSS Group has developed the LUVOCOM 3F eco PET, which is 90% based on recycled PET. This is currently the highest known recycling rate on the market. The LUVOCOM 3F eco PET can be used in both FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) and FGF (Fused Granulate Fabrication) processes. Like all products from the LUVOCOM 3F product line, this material also impresses with its very good processability and excellent product properties. Areas of application are functional prototypes and series parts in numerous industries, such as mechanical engineering, automotive engineering and medical technology.
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