Application
Application AutomotiveNews 3D Printed PLA Motorbike Belgian based electric superbike manufacturer Saroléa (Brussels) has joined forces with Polymaker (headquartered in Shanghai) under a technical partnership. Saroléa is a revived motorcycle brand that now focuses solely on electric superbikes. Their bikes are built from the ground up and they have been utilizing 3D printing in every stage of production. Sarolea has integrated 3D printing using a wide range of Polymaker materials, including PolyMax PLA, PolyMAX PETG and PolyMide CoPA, into every stage of their production cycle, utilizing many different materials and their unique properties in the design, production and ultimately for the manufacture of parts that operate on the road and race bikes. They sought to gain a closer relationship with Polymaker by using their application engineer’s expertise in tuning and printing of parts. This has proven to be valuable for Saroléa as they explore the printing of (among other grades) biobased materials such as Polymaker PolyMax PLA for prototyping of the the entire bodywork of their model Manx 7. “We use the Polymaker filaments during the design process to check components and assemblies. We also use printing as rapid tooling to create moulds for carbon fibre components and thanks to the incredible high quality of Polymaker filament and the expertise of their engineers, certain components on our racing and production bikes are accurately printed. Components that are inhibitively complex and onerous to make with traditional production processes.” says Rob Mitchell of Saroléa. The technical partnership between the two companies allows Saroléa to push the boundaries of vehicle electrification. AT www.sarolea.com | www.polymaker.com/ By: Jacek Leciński, Andrea Siebert-Raths Daniela Jahn and Jessica Rutz Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hannover, Germany (Photo Saroléa) Häppy Bowl Greenbox, Bremen, Germany, presents the Häppy Bowl, among other reusable products for the food service sector marketed under the repEAT brand. The manufacturer of the bowl is Plantaplast, also from Bremen, focussing on the production of sustainable articles by injection molding. Thinking ahead, “As far as packaging is concerned, the trend in the to-go business is towards the use of reusable items,” says Frederik Feuerhahn Development Manager at Plantaplast. When selecting the materials, the focus is not only on the intended use of the article to be produced but also on the idea of sustainability. The bowl is manufactured from DuraSense, a compound by Stora Enso Biocomposites that combines the requirement of a high biobased content with the product-specific requirements in contact with food and cleaning in a dishwasher after use. DuraSense Eco is a material based on biobased polyethylene filled with 40 % wood fibers which are produced from spruce and pine from sustainably managed and certified Swedish forests. The use of wood fibre reduces the plastic content and fully meets the requirements of the product. The comound comes from Stora Enso’s Hylte Mill in Sweden “We, at Stora Enso Biocomposites, want to show what a tree can do. We are working hard to replace fossil-based products with renewable solutions and do good for the people and for our planet” says Barbara Cutugno- Krause Sales Manager Biocomposites Germany Austria and Switzerland. DuraSense Biocomposites enables combining wood fibres with recycled or biobased polymers. In Plantaplast´s new Häppy Bowl, wood fibre is blended with sugarcane-based Polyethylene resulting in 98 % biobased material. Depending on the product, the Biocomposites may reduce the carbon footprint of the product by up to 80 % in comparison with virgin plastics. “It is extremely important to us to leave the smallest possible CO 2 footprint. Modern production facilities and short transport routes help to keep emissions low,” says Robert Czichos Managing Director of Plantaplast. AT www.plantaplast.com | www.storaenso.com Microwavable steam bags Futamura’s NatureFlex NVO is the first certified compostable, heat-sealable film to market, which offers the heat resistance required for conventional and microwave ovens. The new film offers a host of benefits including heat sealability on both sides, semi-permeability to moisture, a good barrier to oxygen and mineral oils, grease and oil resistance, superb dead-fold, and is inherently anti-static. The steam bags can be used to steam cook vegetables, meat and fish in the microwave in minutes. Simply bag, seal and cook. Each bag can hold up to four servings and each pack contains 15 bags. Caroline Kavanagh, Managing Director at Planit Products said; “Our journey to find a compostable product that technically performed began two years ago. We worked closely with Futamura to get the product that we needed and were delighted when the ovenable film was approved for launch in 2019. Robert Dyas quickly added our product to their range and we are thrilled to have now launched in Morrison’s.” MT www.futamuragroup.com 28 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/20] Vol. 15
Application Automotive News Sustainable boat design - The FLAX 27 Greenboat, the Bremen, Germany, based boatbuilder has been processing innovative natural fibre composites for more than a decade, expertly crafting a range of marine and industrial products with a mission to use 100 % renewable and sustainable raw materials in sandwich composite structures. The Flax 27 is the most complete natural fibre composite project realised by Greenboats to date and will be displayed at the postponed JEC World 2020 trade fair in Paris, France. The Flax 27 is an 8.2m classically styled daysailer designed by renowned naval architects Judel/Vrolijk & Co (Bremerhafen, Germany). It uses Greenboats specialized lightweight sandwich structures made from natural and/or recycled raw materials. Flax fibers, replacing the conventionally used fiberglass, also shows better properties for bending when it comes to deformation or load bearing in terms of density. They further use the partially biobased GreenPoxy ® InfuGreen 810 epoxy resin, by France based Sicomin (more on p. 31), for the hull, deck and internal laminate structure of the vessel, where a large part of the oil base is replaced by linseed oil. The foam core of the so-called sandwich construction is in this case made from recycled PET, but Greenboats also uses cork for such applications as it is light, flexible and can adapt to almost any shape. Cork also has additional advantages due to its waterrepellent properties. Cork is used on the deck of the Flax 27. Around 80 % of the raw materials used are regrowing, requiring only 20 % of the energy, compared to conventional glass fibre composites (GRP). Greenboats long term goal is to create products made entirely of renewable and/or recycled materials without sacrificing performance or durability. Greenboats has won several German awards for their environmentally friendly initiatives over the years. AT www.sicomin.com/news/infugreen-810-and-greenboats-flax27 | https://green-boats.de Fully biobased bicycle bottle International compounding group HEXPOL TPE (Lichtenfels,Germany) developed a customised biobased thermoplastic elastomer from the Dryflex Green series for VAUDE. The material is used for the bicycle bottle mouthpiece by the outdoor equipment manufacturer based in Tettnang, Germany. With the Bike Bottle Organic, Vaude has produced their first bicycle bottle developed entirely from biobased plastics. The manufacturer of high-quality outdoor clothing and equipment has long taken its responsibility for people and planet seriously and is pleased to add the bottle to their Green Shape portfolio of functional, eco-friendly products made from sustainable materials. The idea was to create a bicycle bottle that is not fossil-based to support a biobased circular economy and improve the ecological footprint of an article that all frequent bikers need to have. The main challenge for Hexpol TPE was to develop a suitable compound that meets the mechanical properties and processability requirements for the soft valve of the bottle. The custom-made compound is based on more than 34 % biobased materials, it can be processed as a drop-in solution without the need for tool modification. The raw materials used meet requirements for food contact according to EU 10/2011 and FDA. The TPE can be coloured, it adheres to PP and PE and is fully recyclable, as well as being dimensionally stable and UVresistant. These material properties in combination with the quick and easy cooperation with Hexpol TPE, were ultimately the decisive factors for Vaude. AT www.hexpoltpe.com | www.vaude.com bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/20] Vol. 15 29
