AUTOMOTIVE HIGHLIGHT EXAMPLE

Superior performance and physical durability make our styrenics attractive for manufacturers along the entire automotive value chain. In addition, their low density compared to other engineering plastics makes them a sustainable solution for lightweight parts – helping minimize vehicle weight, and in turn increasing fuel efficiency. Combined with outstanding aesthetics due to low shrinkage and warpage, this explains why styrenics are the material of choice for many applications from rearview mirror housings and instrument panel trims to front grills and rear light housings.

StyLight® – a brand new development area addressing the need for high-performance, lightweight structures


In comparison to conventional materials, continuous fiber-reinforced plastics offer not only a high weight reduction potential, but also a variety of functional advantages. Based on SAN and a proprietary, patented process technol­ogy, INEOS Styrolution developed StyLight – a new generation of high-performance thermoplastic composite, combining mechanical strength with high aesthetic value.

Thermoplastic composite sheets from INEOS Styrolution can be thermoformed, back-injection-molded and decorated in just one processing step. In addition, StyLight features very high stiffness and high dimensional stability allowing thin wall design, resulting in weight reduction.

The lower shrinkage during the cooling step of the styrenic copolymer matrix, based on a modified SAN, reduces the surface rough­ness or waviness significantly, offering superior surface quality. The surface quality allows various aesthetic surface effects, such as film decoration, easy painting and printing. This composite sheet not only ensures aesthetics, structural strength and performance, but also addresses megatrends of our time, such as energy and resource efficiency in the automotive industry. According to recent studies in automotive engineering, such glass-fiber-reinforced plastics enable a weight reduction of up to 50% versus standard solutions reinforced with metal or made of SMC. Compared to injection-molded parts, the new material offers a thickness reduction of 50–70% resulting in a weight reduction of 40–50%.

Because of its characteristics, StyLight is specifically targeting semi-structural applications for automotive interiors and exteriors. It is also an attractive solution for electronics as well as high-performance sport equipment.

Click here to view the StyLight video.

CONSTRUCTION HIGHLIGHT EXAMPLE

Luran® S – a sustainable product line

The INEOS Styrolution Luran S, an acrylonitrile styrene acrylate copolymer (ASA), combines powerful and versatile properties, such as excellent processablity, high-impact resistance and chemical resistance, as well as superior long-term performance under UV and heat exposure. Those advanced properties allow a durable, high-quality surface appearance and make this material ideal for unpainted exterior applications. On the global market, ASA often competes with other impact resistant polymers based on butadiene rubbers, such as ABS. Competitive products, however, can never reach the same heat and UV aging resistance as ASA. Due to its chemical nature, ABS starts to become yellowish and brittle when constantly exposed to heat and UV radiation. An additional painting step helps to protect ABS against UV irradiation. This measure, however, leads to an increase in energy consumption and emission of volatile compounds within the production chain. Aside from that, the coating layer cannot fully prevent the ABS from heat aging, resulting in increased brittleness over time. The accelerated heat aging test performed (see infographic on the following page) measures the impact resistance of samples after exposure to heat at 90 centi­grades. Test results show that PC/ ABS, for instance, starts at a higher level of impact toughness than ASA but also suffers from a significant drop of impact strength after a couple of weeks. ASA loses impact resistance over time as well, however, in a much flatter progression. Assuming that the functionality of the technical solution requires at least 50% of ASA’s initial impact strength, the test results indicate that, in spite of very demanding conditions, parts made of ASA allow a lifetime of 70 versus 25 weeks, which is 2.8 times higher than the life time of PC/ ABS parts. This material choice reduces the need for an early replacement and saves according to this example resources and energy of 64%.

HEALTHCARE HIGHLIGHT EXAMPLE

Novodur® HD – a superior product that meets both technical and regulatory demands

INEOS Styrolution recently introduced the new developed Novodur HD M203FC G3 – a glass-fiber-filled medical polymer grade for IV transfer spikes. As the first such ABS product on the market, it is offered with the full comple­ment of healthcare compliance documents worldwide, being already used in medical accessories by the global medical device manufacturer Fleima-Plastic.

The challenge was to create a material with the required dimensional stability and stiffness while still being regula­tory compliant. Thanks to these special glass fibers, this ABS material has an exceptionally high E-modulus and a significantly improved compression, bending, tensile and impact strength. Such characteristics as well as high surface quality, superior flowability and processability mean that it can even be used to produce complex geometrics. In addition, the glass fiber reinforcement and the ABS material comply with the requirements of USP Class VI, selected ISO 10993 biocompatibility standards and various food contact regulations. Due to its unique properties and regulatory compliance, Novodur® HD M203FC G3 has the potential to become the first choice material for demanding healthcare applications, such as medical spikes, as well as for medical applications requiring structural stability and high flowability.

HOUSEHOLD HIGHLIGHT EXAMPLE

Improved environmental stress-crack-resistant (ESCR) ABS compatible with new sustainable blowing agen

Refrigerators around the globe have a thermally isolating layer made of polyurethane (PU) that are foamed with the aid of blowing agents. The foamed PU is in direct contact with the fridges’ inner and door liner made of ABS or HIPS. Recently, a new and more sustainable liquid-blowing agent entered the market, providing significantly lower global warming potential, no flammability, lower end-of-life management costs and better insulation properties compared to common blowing agents. However, common ABS and HIPS grades are not stress-crack-resistant (ESCR) against this new type of blowing agent.

This was the starting point for us to invest in the development of an improved ABS grade that supports the use of this new blowing agent as well as ensures the requested fridge performance and quality consistency over its lifetime. This resulting new ABS grade is called ESCRima and is based on a proprietary patented INEOS Styrolution technology. ESCRima is a high-impact ABS grade with an improved environmental stress-cracking resistance compared to conventional high-impact polystyrene. It also features excellent thermoformability and very low permeability to aromas and gases. ESCRima has therefore become the optimal solution for refrigerator inliners. Since its launch at Chinaplas 2016, the largest plastics and rubber trade fair in Asia, we are able to support our customers with this improved product – particularly in the Asian market – to produce a more sustainable fridge series for home applications.

ELECTRONICS HIGHLIGHT EXAMPLE

NAS® in the spotlight


Lights have a multitude of functions in the electronics industry, such as signaling, decoration and night design. INEOS Styrolution’s transparent styrenics have emerged as enablers of innovation in this field. For example, our styrene acrylic copolymer (NAS) offers a high degree of light transmission and optical clarity, as well as excellent processability and easy flow compared to PMMA or PC. Since NAS has lower density and does not need pre-drying, it is a resource-efficient solution, too.

PACKAGING HIGHLIGHT EXAMPLE

Energy-efficient cups made of Styrolution PS 486N


Polystyrene cups exhibit high mechanical strength at low weight, do not require pre-drying and consume less process energy compared to other plastic materials. In fact, the production of polystyrene requires approximately 60% less energy than polypropylene, and 40% less energy than PET.