Plastics News - Show Daily - October 22, 2022 - 32

32 * Plastics News, October 22, 2022
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Fürth, Germany-based UVEX
Arbeitsschutz GmbH was
awarded for a single piece
polycarbonate occupational
safety goggle, produced in a
two-cavity injection mold, then
treated with a scratch-resistant
coating and laser marked.
Marbach am Neckar was awarded for the battery housing for
the Mercedes Benz Axor truck, involving overmolding of four
rotationally symmetrical steel discs with 35 percent glass-fi berreinforced
nylon 6. The application demands close tolerances in
the 1/100th range for precise insertion of the steel discs into the
injection mold. Plastics News photos by Caroline Seidel
Honoring innovative design,
processes in technical parts
By David Vink
Plastics News Correspondent
Despite its split off from the
GKV association of German
plastics processors earlier in
the year, the Frankfurt, Germany-based
TecPart plastic technical
parts trade association
presented winners of its 2022
innovation awards on the first
day of the K 2022 fair.
The ceremony continues a
long-standing tradition at K
fairs since 1974, but this time on
its own TecPart booth. Of the 11
awards, nine were for molded
parts, but there were also two
awards for thermoformed parts.
Marbach am Neckar, Germany-based
BBP
Kunststoffwerk
Marbach Baier GmbH (Hall 6,
Booth E76) was awarded for the
battery housing for the Mercedes
Benz Axor truck, involving overmolding
of four rotationally symmetrical
steel discs with 35 percent
glass-fi ber-reinforced nylon
6. The application demands close
tolerances in the 1/100th range
for precise insertion of the steel
discs into the injection mold.
BBP molds the housings on a
2,000-tonne clamping force injection
molding machine from
Munich, Germany-based KraussMaffei
Technologies GmbH (Hall
15, Booth C24-D24). The part
weighs 10.2 kg and BBP succeeded
in obtaining 28 percent
weight reduction over the previous
version housing, which was
in 40 percent long-glass-fiber-reinforced
polypropylene.
Saalburg-Ebersdorf, Germany-based
ETM Engineering Technologie
Marketing GmbH was
awarded for an air line, a single
multi-component part used to
feed fresh air to combustion engine
turbochargers. It consists
of a hard 30 percent glass-fi -
ber-reinforced polybutylene terephthalate
component with an integrated
sensor and soft TPC-ES
thermoplastic polyester bellow
component, which protects the
air line from movement.
Helmbrechts, Germany-based
Kunststoff Helmbrechts AG
(Hall 8A, Booth F11-02) received
an award for a " piano black "
screen-printed in-mold labeled
(IML) " black panel effect " capacitive
steering wheel control
unit for the Volkswagen ID3
electric drive car.
The unit uses the PET filmbased
FFB functional film bonding
technique developed by
Fürth, Germany-based Leonhard
Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG
(Hall 5, Booth A19-E09) and it's
PolyIC subsidiary to provide
capacitive operation. The previous
two-component control
module had required 10 moldTECPART
Hall
7A,
Booth B28
ing tools,
now just
one single
mold tool
suffices.
In February
2022,
household
appliance producer Warendorf,
Germany-based Miele & Cie KG,
which molds all its own plastic
parts, announced that it has
reduced weight by 30 percent,
representing
several hundred
tonnes per year of plastic granulate,
by using physical structural
foam molding to produce laundry
dryer base modules. Miele
molds the modules in virgin 40
percent long-glass-fi ber-reinforced
PP and the covers in recycled
talc-reinforced PP with a
molded-on thermoplastic vulcanizate
(TPV) seal. The company
has been using recyclate for the
cover since 2021. The foam process
alone accounts for 10 percent
of the overall weight saving.
The process chosen by Miele
is the MuCell microcellular foam
molding technology from Trellig,
Germany-based Trexel GmbH
(Hall 13, Booth B46). It is a demanding
application, as the base
supports components such as the
electric drive, pump, compressor,
heat exchanger, cladding and feet,
so it has to have tight dimensional
tolerance and withstand associated
high static and dynamic loads.
Soltau, Germany-based G.A.
Röders GmbH & Co. KG (Hall 1,
Booth A35) won three awards.
One of them was a hybrid plastic/metal
turbocharger bypass
valve group molded in 45 percent
glass-fi ber-reinforced PPA,
replacing an equivalent cast aluminum
part. An interesting development,
as Röders also produces
aluminum castings. As the
valve group is exposed to continuous
use temperature of more
than 200° C, the PPA is subjected
to a post-molding crosslinking
process at above 180° C. Röders
has revealed that outer surface
of the PPA compound layer
forms an protective layer under
exposure to heat above 200° C.
Coburg, Germany-based
Ros
GmbH & Co. KG won both a SPE CE
automotive award on Oct. 17 and
a TecPart award, for a close-tolerance
electric vehicle fl ap module
that eliminated assembly steps
by use of in-mold assembly. The
module apparently contributes
towards higher cooling system
effectiveness and thereby lower
engine CO2 emissions.
One of the two plastics used in
the application is DIC-FZ2130, a 30
percent glass fi ber reinforced PPS
from Parsippany, N.J.-based Sun
Chemical, distributed by Düsseldorf,
Germany-based DIC Europe
GmbH (Hall 8b, Booth A53). The
other plastic is Vestamid HTplus
M1063, a 30 percent carbon fi -
ber reinforced medium viscosity,
high rigidity, antistatic, conductive,
stabilized polyphthalamide
(PA6T/X) from Essen, Germany-based
Evonik Industries AG
(Hall 6, Booth B28). The module
is produced on an injection
molding machine from Schwertberg,
Austria-based Engel Austria
GmbH (Hall 15, Booth B42-C58).
The TecPart award drew attention
to the challenge of molding
the part in two high temperature
thermoplastic materials that have
signifi cantly different shrinkage.
Fürth, Germany-based UVEX
Arbeitsschutz
GmbH was
awarded for a single piece polycarbonate
occupational safety
goggle, produced in a two-cavity
injection mold, then treated
with a scratch resistant coating
and laser marked.
Wiedergeltingen, Germany-based
thermoformer
Huber
Kunststoff
& Technik GmbH, received
two awards, for a 2.08 meter
long fi re engine LED tail light
unit in ASA with a folded acrylic
sheet to which it was bonded,
and a luxury sedan rear partition
wall in mainly ABS/polycarbonate
blend with many integrated components
and milled structures.
Plastics News - Show Daily - October 22, 2022

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