Extrusion International 5-2024

46 Extrusion International 5/2024 FAKUMA 2024 At the battery island, the compa - ny will showcase the modified poly - phenylene ether (mPPE) XYRON™. Featuring a high non-halogenic flame retardance and the lowest ion elution properties, this mate - rial is suitable for thermal manage - ment applications in EV batteries. At Fakuma, Asahi Kasei will also show multilayer cooling pipes that do not require an adhesive layer. These pipes are made of a compos- ite of the company’s LEONA™ PA on the outside, and XYRON™ on the inside. This pipe offers excel- lent bending properties, hydroly - sis resistance and low ion elution properties. To meet the increasing demand for materials that boost the efficien - cy of 5G applications, Asahi Kasei is currently introducing new grades of its all-round material XYRON™ to the European and North American markets. The combination of PPE with other polymers such as poly- phenylene sulfide (PPS) or polysty - rene (PS) allows this family of high- performance compounds to feature low dielectric properties and a high non-halogenic flame retardance. Together with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, the company has cre - ated a prototype resin antenna uti- lizing a new XYRON™ grade. This grade offers high heat resistance and a stable, low linear expansion coefficient over a wide temperature range. This makes this material ideal for plating-on-plastics applications and metal replacement in compo- nents that require precision – like slotted waveguide array antennas. From automotive head-up dis- plays to head-mounted displays and smart glasses, the require - ments towards weight and design of optical devices have been steadi- ly increasing in recent years. The transparent polymer AZP™ fea - tures an almost zero birefringence and is overcoming the challenges of conventional transparent poly- mers in applications with polariz - ing light. Its superior processabil - ity compared to glass enables the large-scale production of injection- molded optical components that fulfill the demanding customer re - quirements. Achieving a good balance be - tween sustainability and function- ality without sacrificing cost-com - petitiveness is a major issue for car manufacturers. To tackle this challenge, Asahi Kasei is currently developing a tailor designed ther - moplastic styrene block copolymer (SEBS) grade for automotive interior surfaces, which require good hap - tics and soft touch. Conventional approaches use different materials and production technologies for skin, foam and core layers in au - tomotive instrument panels, door panels, armrests or center consoles. The connection to the polypro- pylene (PP)-based core layer is possible in the same or separate injection molding step. The strong chemical bonding between all lay - ers eliminates the need for addi- tional adhesive layers. Asahi Kasei's new SEBS contributes to reducing the total number of materials, sim - plifying the manufacturing process, and improving the recyclability of interior components. Asahi Kasei will display a bio- based and biodegradable cellulose nano fiber (CNF). This material is made from cotton linter and fea- tures a high heat resistance and network-forming ability. CNF-re - inforced polyamide shows a thixo- tropic behavior, making it highly suitable for 3Dprinting applications for easy printing, dimensional ac - curacy, smooth appearance, and mechanical performance. Further- more, CNF has superior material re - cyclability compared to glass fibers. The company will also present its comprehensive solutions for estab- lishing a sustainable life cycle for PA66. In the field of chemical re - cycling for polyamide 66, the com - pany works together with Japa - nese partner company Microwave Chemical. The process utilizes mi - crowaves to depolymerize automo - tive airbags and other PA66 parts and directly obtain the monomers hexamethylenediamine (HMD) and adipic acid (ADA), which is expect - ed to be accomplished at high yield with low energy consumption. The monomers obtained can then be used to manufacture new PA66. In parallel, Asahi Kasei will intro - duce its development of a new sol- vent-based recycling process for the first time in Europe. By applying this dissolution recycling, high quality PA66 can be obtained from process scraps and used PCR materials, like airbags. Asahi Kasei Corporation https://fakuma.asahi-kasei.eu/ Fakuma: Booth B5-5319 Asahi Kasei booth at Fakuma