July 30, 2010 - Pittsfield, MA - Mitsubishi Motors Corporation’s new RVR compact crossover has blasted past the competition with front fenders made from SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Noryl GTX* resin. The RVR is the second fender success for the Mitsubishi/SABIC Innovative Plastics relationship, which first gave consumers the Delica D:5 minivan in 2007, also sporting front fenders molded from Noryl GTX resin. By replacing steel with this high-performance resin, Mitsubishi slashed weight by almost 50 percent and achieved a unique and highly complex geometry to differentiate the new vehicle’s styling and improve pedestrian safety compliance. Noryl GTX resin continues to capture increased attention in automotive body panels, underscoring SABIC Innovative Plastics’ drive to create new cutting-edge automotive solutions.
“The new RVR’s front fenders mark another major milestone for SABIC Innovative Plastics’ award-winning Noryl GTX resin, which is rapidly becoming the material of choice not only in fenders, but in an ever-broadening range of auto body components, as well,” said Gregory A. Adams, vice president, SABIC Innovative Plastics. “This win with Mitsubishi is very significant in that it is the first time an Asian automaker has reprised its use of Noryl GTX resin. Clearly, our work with Mitsubishi reflects the development expertise of both companies and is a tremendous benefit to consumers around the world.”
In developing the RVR as the company’s newest compact crossover, Mitsubishi engineers made every effort to reduce part weight in order to achieve best-in-class fuel efficiency. Noryl GTX resin has made a major contribution by reducing vehicle body weight by 3 kg (6.6lbs). Mitsubishi has already announced that it will introduce this new environmentally responsible vehicle, branded as the Mitsubishi ASX, into the European market later this year, and will follow with expansion into many other regions of the world.
Multiple Benefits from a Single Resin Technology
Noryl GTX resin provides a solution to top challenges facing today’s automakers. It significantly reduces part weight to help cut fuel consumption and emissions, and has been audited by GreenOrder, an environmental strategy firm. According to GreenOrder, because the resin is 50 percent lighter than steel, equipping all cars on the road today in Europe with fenders made from Noryl GTX resin would save 530 million liters (140 million gallons) of fuel and avoid 1.3 million metric tons (1.43 million tons U.S.) of carbon dioxide emissions.
The material also provides greater design freedom than metal. By injection molding Noryl GTX resin, Mitsubishi designers were able to create a complex fender geometry featuring a sharp front edge and a side slot for an indicator lamp. Such a design would have been difficult to fabricate in steel as it would require multiple steps, tools and operations.
The SABIC Innovative Plastics’ resin also enabled Mitsubishi designers and engineers to significantly increase the fender’s flexibility vs. that of steel. This enhanced flexibility is expected to provide excellent head impact absorption in pedestrian incidents, as well as recovery of the fender from minor collisions.
During vehicle production, Noryl GTX resin helps reduce complexity and shorten cycle times. Its high-temperature resistance and intrinsic conductivity allow the fenders to be on-line painted without the need for a conductive primer, and deliver painted aesthetics equivalent to steel. To optimize on-line painting of the plastic fenders along with the steel body, careful part design and processing were essential. SABIC Innovative Plastics assisted Mitsubishi by sharing its expertise in CAE-based parts performance prediction and molding support, as well as supplying the high-performance Noryl GTX resin.
RVR Fenders are Latest Milestone for Noryl GTX Resin
Noryl GTX resin has been used in auto fenders for more than 20 years. Since 1988, more than 20 million vehicles have been manufactured with fenders made from Noryl GTX resin in Europe, the United States, Japan, South America and China. Automakers that have chosen these fenders over the years include GM, Ford, Volkswagen, Renault, PSA Peugeot Citroen, BMW, Audi, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, and Nissan.
The material was honored in 2009 for its key role in helping General Motors (GM) 1987 MY Buick® LeSabre® T-Type fenders win the coveted Hall of Fame Award and the Ford Kuga fenders win the Safety category award for enabling pedestrian safety compliance from the Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®).
For more information on SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Noryl GTX products, please visit the company website at www.sabic-ip.com.
About SABIC Innovative Plastics
SABIC Innovative Plastics is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with a 75-year history of breakthrough solutions that solve its customers’ most pressing challenges. Today, SABIC Innovative Plastics is a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. The company continues to lead the plastics industry with customer collaboration and continued investments in new polymer technologies, global application development, process technologies, and environmentally responsible solutions that serve diverse markets such as automotive, electronics, building & construction, transportation, and healthcare. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. SABIC Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), one of the world’s top six petrochemicals manufacturers.
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July 2010
Recycling CO2 to Make Plastic
July 28, 2010 - A US company developing a novel way to convert carbon dioxide into plastics is one of six firms receiving a total of $106 million (£68 million) in government funding as the US pushes research converting captured waste carbon dioxide into useful products.
Massachusetts-based Novomer has received $18.4 million from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a process for converting carbon dioxide into polycarbonate polymers that could be used to make plastic bottles.
Since its formation 4 years ago, Novomer has been developing a way of reacting traditional epoxide feedstocks with carbon dioxide from industrial waste streams to form plastics that contain between 40 and 50 per cent carbon dioxide by weight. The company uses a catalyst technology developed by Geoff Coates at Cornell University in New York, US, and employs a cobalt catalyst which chief executive Jim Mahoney says is fairly straightforward to synthesise despite being a relatively complex organometallic compound.
Foremost - New Plastic M12 Connector is Cost-Effective Replacement for Metal Types
The Binder 713 series female socket is a reliable, low-cost, direct replacement for metal-bodied versions. Its plastic housing is manufactured from rugged polyamide and has exactly the same dimensions as industry standard metal versions.
Front- and rear-mounted versions are available in 4-, 5- and 8-pole formats with either PG9 or M16 locking threads. Protected to IP67, the 713 series has solder contacts for wires up to 0.25mm² and the housing can accommodate cable sizes from 3.5 to 5mm. Contacts are gold-plated bronze with a current rating of 2 to 4A and solder bucket and dip solder versions are available. The connector has a minimum mating cycle of 100 cycles.
Alan Cook, managing director, Foremost Electronics, said: ”We have a long established relationship with Binder Connectors and we are pleased to be able to offer their new low cost plastic connectors. The new 713 series offers competitive pricing with no reduction in performance or quality.”
Typical applications include industrial controls, drives, sensors and automation equipment, says the company
Amcor's Patented Active HingeTM Technology Slashes Weight and Cost While Delivering Better Performance than Rival Hot Fill Options
Amcor’s new patented Active HingeTM technology is used for 16-oz PET containers for Spartan Beverages Inc., Valencia, Calif., a manufacturer of all-natural protein waters.
Spartan Beverages’ 16-oz PET bottles use 40% less material and cost 20% less than competitive PET containers. The company was able to meet its sustainability commitment by choosing a lightweight, recyclable bottle that significantly reduced freight costs. All of these benefits were realized without sacrificing performance.
Spartan Beverages’ all-natural protein waters contain the purest whey isolate and are free of gluten and soy. The three drinks - Spartos, Spartos Sugar Free, and Goddess - are also free of artificial colors or flavors and naturally sweetened with cane sugar or Stevia, according to Kirk Bardin, CEO of Spartan Beverages. “The attractive, lightweight containers not only offer strong environmental and cost benefits but also deliver a clean look, a nice feel, and attractive shelf appeal,” explained Bardin.
Active Hinge technology incorporates a unique design that elevates hot fill (185° F) bottle options to a new level. Amcor’s innovative technique makes use of horizontal hinges which exhibit vertical movement and absorb the vacuum as the liquid cools. This technology creates an attractive appearance and feel that approaches that of a straight wall container. The active hinges provide high radial stiffness and give the 31.4-g container excellent top load strength – almost 30% better than competitive hot fill bottles. In addition, the bottles are more durable, dent resistant, and exhibit strong stacking capability.
The Active Hinge bottle also significantly enhances aesthetics, according to Bardin. The metallized label fits more securely and eliminates any rippling or crinkling effect. The 38-mm-finish bottle runs on existing filling lines.
Spartos all-natural protein waters are currently sold at natural food and convenience stores on the West Coast and online.
About Spartan Beverages Inc.
Spartan Beverages Inc., Valencia, Calif., was founded in 2008 by Kirk Bardin, a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. He played college football and quickly received an education in nutrition that extended into his business life. Spartos protein waters were created to bring protein, a macronutrient essential for optimum health, to consumers in an exciting, accessible format.
Spartos protein waters redefine the protein beverage genre, offering great taste, smooth consistency, maximum function, and all-natural ingredients. For more information, call (661) 414-8747 or visit www.spartos.com.
About Amcor
Amcor Rigid Plastics is among the world’s largest manufacturers of plastic packaging for the beverage, food, personal and home care, and pharmaceuticals industries with 71 facilities in 12 countries. Amcor Limited is a global leader in responsible packaging solutions, employing more than 35,000 people worldwide, operating in 43 countries across 300 sites. Amcor supplies a broad range of plastic (rigid and flexible), fibre, metal and glass packaging solutions to enhance the products consumers use in everyday life. Amcor also provides packaging-related services that help customers succeed through collaboration and innovation driven by art and science. Amcor is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. For more information, visit www.amcor.com.
For the Plastics and Metal Industries, piINLINE™ Boosts Productivity, Cuts Energy Costs and Improves the Environment
“These industries often have to deal with items that are difficult to handle. With our ejectors, they can be gripped with small vacuum and suction cups instead of using other techniques, such as pneumatic grippers, which are much more expensive,” says Jan Schieche, Global Product Manager Pump & Accessories, Piab.
Another important benefit is that piINLINE™ is a more eco-friendly solution than single-stage ejectors.
The smallest model, the Micro, uses on average 50 % less energy than comparable products, which means significantly less energy consumption and lower carbon emissions. Sound levels are also lower, which creates a better working environment.
piINLINE™ comes in three sizes: Midi, Mini and Micro. Each size is available with a choice of three options to enable optimized performance and capacity for the specific application.
- Xi – Best vacuum flow and efficiency at deep vacuum levels, final vacuum level at approximately 95 %. Works best with smooth materials such as glass and plastic and is especially useful in the metal and plastics industries where components are difficult to pick up. Items can be gripped with small suction cups moving over the surface, thus avoiding more expensive lifting techniques.
- Si – Large flows at low and medium vacuum levels. Recommended for applications where leakage is a significant factor, such as in the packaging industry, and where ejectors are required with large flows to enable reliable gripping, lifting and moving.
- Pi (or Bi in smallest models) – Low feed pressure of 0.18–0.3 MPa and suitable for factories in industries with relatively low or fluctuating air pressure. There may be other pneumatic components in the machines that are sensitive to high pressure.
Under normal use, the medium model in the piINLINE™ range, the Mini, will pay for itself after just three months, thanks to its low energy costs, while the payback time for other models should be less than six months.
“piINLINE™ can be likened to the new energy-efficient light bulbs: a vacuum ejector that has greater power while using less energy,” added Jan Schieche.
The product range is available at all of Piab’s central warehouses in North America, Asia and Europe.
About Piab
Established in 1951, Piab designs innovative vacuum solutions that improve the energy-efficiency, productivity, and working environments of vacuum users around the world. As a reliable partner to many of the world’s largest manufacturers, Piab develops and manufactures a complete line of vacuum pumps, vacuum accessories, vacuum conveyors and suction cups for a variety of automated material handling and factory automation processes. Piab utilizes COAX®, a completely new dimension in vacuum technology, in many of its original products and solutions. COAX® cartridges are smaller, more energy efficient and more reliable than conventional ejectors, and can be integrated directly into machinery. This allows for the design of a flexible, modular vacuum system. Piab is a worldwide organization with subsidiaries and distributors in more than 50 countries. Its headquarters are in Sweden. For more information about Piab vacuum solutions for a diverse range of applications, visit www.piab.com.
