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

2819Household & office goods

Screw boxesBeverage boxes

Trashboxes

Packages & cases 2819

• 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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