DEVELOPMENT ANDCHARACTERISATION OF ECO-FRIENDLY THERMOPLASTICS
E! 2819FACTORY ECOPLAST
Karl Kuzman, Andrej Glojek, Uroš Žnidarič, Iztok Švab
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, SloveniaTECOS – Slovenian Tool and Die Development Centre, Celje, Slovenia
ISOKON – Slovenske Konjice, Slovenia
October 1-3, 2008 – Kassandra – Chalkjdjkj, Greece
http://www.eureka.be/inaction/successStory.do 2819
1. INTRODUCTION2. INJECTION MOULDING TECHNOLOGY3. INJECTION MOULDING OF WOOD-PLASTICS
COMPOSITE (WPC)4. INJECTION MOULDING OF INDUSTRIAL
PRODUCTS5. CONCLUSION
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1. INTRODUCTION
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Project consortium
Project coordinator• ISOKON / ISOSPORT GmbH - Slovenia
Project partners
• TECOS, Slovenian Tool and Die Development Centre, Slovenia• FS, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia• PIEP, Department for Innovation in Polymer Engineering, University of
Guimaraes, Portugal• FSB, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Arhitecture, University
of Zagreb, Croatia• TVK:, Tiszai Vegyi kombinat Rt, Hungary• BUTE: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary• RS – Rettenmaier & Soehne GmbH + co, Germany• INTELASTICO Industrias Tecnical de Plasticos, SA, Portugal
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Challanges or reality forthe new milleaneum
• The oil supply is getting smaller every day and thepressure to become more independent from oil derivatesis at the all time high, therefore there are multiplereasons to maximize the usage of renewable resources.
• On the other hand we have enough natural resourceslike wood, flax, hemp, jute…
• One of the very interesting areas of research in this fieldis in combining natural fibers with thermoplastics.
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Price is not the only reasonfor wood plastic composites
• Environmental impact– Kyoto CO2 emissions– Emission trading between countries– Waste directives in EU– Increased taxes– Recycling
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Biopolymers
• Polymers which include some type of natural material instucture
• One of the biggest new areas of research• Synergism between the components results in a new
material that is better than the individual components• Becoming more independent from oil derivatives
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Natural fibres
• Advantages of using natural fibres in polymers– Lower density– Lower abrasion– High fill rates are possible < 85 %– Easy to recycle– Lower cost
• Type of natural fillers– Wood fibre, powder– Jute– Flax– Hamp– Rice, coconut ….
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Composite growth indemand since the early 1990s...
Demand for W&NF Polymer CompositesN. America & Europe--1998 to 2002
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Mar
ket D
eman
d, 0
00 to
nnes
Wood Composites Natural fiber Composites
• European market in 2002: 32 mio €• Very new market except in automotive• Rapidly growing is the building secto
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Short term growthwill be 20% a year
Forecast Demand for N&WF Polymer CompositesN. America & Europe--2001 to 2010
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Fore
cast
Mar
ket D
eman
d
OtherPP/NaturalPE/NaturalPP/WoodPVC/WoodPE/Wood
20% CAG
14% CAG
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2819Household & office goods
• Office goods• Screw boxes• Laudspeakers cases
2819To select suitable products
Loudspeaker boxes
Enhanced acousticproperties > PS
Project group selection
Low High
VOLUME
narrow
broad
CUSTOMERBASE
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Wood is known for its acoustic properties andusage in musical instruments.
• A lot of speaker boxes aremanufactured from injectionmoulded polymers, weassume that wood PPcomposite should have betterproperties.
• Acoustic properties of amaterial are very simplifieddefined by:
• Sound radiation damping• Sound wave resistance• Internal losses (friction)
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The aim of the project
– increased rigidity– reduced wear of machine equipment in processing final products– reduced weight as compared to the mineral fillers– wood-like character of the product (easily sawn, drilled, ground)– advantageous price– acoustic properties
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To research rheological properties, compatibilitybetween natural fibers and thermoplastics, injection mouldingparameters and possible applications of the compound.
Product selection has to be based on core competenciesof wood-polymer compounds:
2. INJECTION MOULDINGTECHNOLOGY
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• Wood and polymer are the main but not the onlycomponents in wood-plastic composite. Other additivesare also added, such as coupling agents for wood andpolymers, lubricants, colorants, UV-stabilizatiors, flameretardants…
• Wasted wood has special advantages compared toother fillers: cheap in renewable source, guaranteedsupply, unique look, low specific density and it is lessabrasive than other fillers (i.e. glass).
• Usually 40-60 % of wood is used in the composite, therest are matrix polymer and additives. The size of woodparticles is usually from 0,50 to 1,0 mm. The morecomplex the product is the smaller the particles must be.
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Injection Molding MachineProduct Raw Material
(Find out optimal proces parametrs)
E! goal: From new materialsto new final products
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3. INJECTION MOULDING OFWOOD-PLASTICS
COMPOSITE (WPC)
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Mold with spiral
Lenght of flow
Flow lenght = 20 cm
Flow lenght = 33 cm
Injection temp. 190 °CMax. Pressure 1300 bar
PP+40% wood
PP only
Sample for “Flow pattern” 2819
TVK AKU 8 (40% of wood)
1000 bar 1500 bar
2819Experimental determinationof process parameters
Proces parameters
OKAYTemperature Process Window
170°C 180°C 190°C 200°C BURNINGCRISTALLISATION
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PP + 40% wood
Mold with tensile epruvete ISO 527-1
Samples for tensile tests 2819
1273 1199
17081566
1729
1355 1450 15081721
0200400600800
100012001400160018002000
TVKAKU4(40%wood)
TVKAKU4
(no dry,40%
wood)
TVKAKU8(40%wood)
IF LIPAKU7(40%wood)
IF LIPAKU8(40%wood)
TVKAKU1(50%wood)
TVKAKU5(50%wood)
TVKAKU2(60%wood)
TVKAKU6(60%wood)
Composite
Max
imum
forc
e [N
]
Mechanical properties
Maximum force vs Composite
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Linear shrinkage standardtest specimen ISO 294-4
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Mechanical properties of WPC: 61 % PP,37 % wood fibres, 2 % MAPP coupling agent
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Validation of transferoperations from real to virtual
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3D-computer aided process simulation
2819Transfer from realto virtual world
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4. INJECTION MOULDINGOF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS
Appropriate moulds in industryused for pre-testing
Mould for screw boxes
Screw box made fromPP-wood composite
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Appropriate moulds in industryused for pre-testing
Coffie handle
Mold for handleTolerance
Dimension Shrinkage:part: Wood/PP 0.5%
PP 100% 1.6%Coffiehandle
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Injection molding ofvacuum cleaner hub
Relatively complexpart, large thinwalls, largesurfaces,complicated details.
Shrinkage isdifferent, has ananisotrophiccharacter250 mm
155mm
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E! Eco-friendly “golf tie”? 2819thousands are lost, natural disintegration possible
Test production of a golf tie
Golf tie
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5. CONCLUSION
• Wood-plastics composites are definitely materials of thefuture.
• Mechanical properties are increased almost linearly withaddition of natural fibres.
• Choosing the right coupling agent is of the mostimportance, since it can improve performance up to 30 -40 % in comparison to poorly chosen one.
• Also one important quality is gained: the touch andwarmth of wood, which is especially important for floordecking, laminates, garden furniture etc.
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