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2007-06-19 News Release
Bayer MaterialScience showcasing
at plastics expo
Numerous innovations in products, applications and process engineering,
at largest plastics trade show, from Bayer MaterialScience.
From October 24 to 31, 2007, Bayer Material Science will be presenting
a large number of innovative developments at the world’s biggest
plastics exhibition, K 2007, in Düsseldorf. Covering over 1,000 square
meters in Hall 6, the stand will feature numerous exhibits from the automotive
engineering, electrical/electronics, construction, wood and furniture,
sports and leisure and medical engineering industries, to name but a few.
"We will be showcasing not only marketable products and applications
but also examples of the many different innovations we have in the pipeline,
true to our motto: ‘Vision Works - Today and Tomorrow’, said
Chairman of the Board Patrick Thomas at an international press conference
attended by some 100 journalists in Dusseldorf. "As before, this
exhibition will be a demonstration of the wide-ranging achievements of
our business units: Polyurethanes, Polycarbonates, Thermoplastic Polyurethanes,
and Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants - units that all have leading market
positions in their respective disciplines."
Focus on forward integration and improved customer service
"Our corporate strategy will continue to be based on three pillars:
innovation, growth and efficiency. Our main focus at K 2007 will of course
be on innovation," said Thomas. However, he defines this term far
more widely than is customary in the description of exhibits: "Innovation
must be an integrated component of all corporate activities and must go
clearly beyond the development of new products and applications."
It includes, for instance, the latest structural activities which are
summed up as forward integration at Bayer Material Science. "By setting
up largely independent; highly specialized business entities, we can ensure
a powerful customer focus while at the same time maintaining a high level
of flexibility in our business decisions," says Thomas. One current
example is LYTTRON Technology
GmbH, a start-up company established by Bayer Material Science in
February 2006. Not long ago LYTTRON started to produce electroluminescent
three-dimensionally formable sheets. Another example of a customer-focused
business model is the worldwide network of polyurethane systems houses
under the brand name BaySystems*, which is currently being expanded by
Bayer Material Science. This is also the background to the planned acquisition
of the Ure-Tech Group, the leading East Asian supplier of thermoplastic
polyurethanes (TPUs).
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Lightweight roof modules
with high functionality - Bayer MaterialScience new concepts
with polycarbonates and polyurethanes. Click
Here for High resolution image. photo: Bayer
MaterialScience |
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Innovative developments from the Concept Car to a mega data carrier
Ian Paterson, the Board member of Bayer Material Science with responsibility
for marketing and innovation, presented a wide-ranging program of products
and applications at the press conference, a program that will also be
relevant at the company’s trade fair presentation for K 2007. "Modern
roof module concepts based on polycarbonate and polyurethane products
from our company make an important contribution to climate protection.
The roof module for the new Smart fortwo, for instance, with its surface
of 1.2 square meters, is so far the biggest component of its kind that
has been developed for a series production vehicle using polycarbonates.
Compared with a similar construction made from glass, it saves about 40
percent in weight and therefore quite a lot of fuel," Paterson explained.
It is produced in two steps by Webasto. In the first step, the high-quality
outer surface is formed from transparent polycarbonate Makrolon AG2677.
In the second step, the large surface area frame is formed from the polycarbonate
ABS blend Bayblend DP T95 MF. It is thanks to these two products that
the roof module can be manufactured with only very little internal stress
and minimal warpage. Another development for roof modules is based on
thermoplastic sheets backed by the glass-fiber reinforced polyurethane
foam system Baydur* STR. This technology also allows the integration of
further functions, including boxes for additional storage space, such
as in the panoramic roof, shown at right, of the Opel
Zafira and aerial systems such as the roof module of the new R-class.
The futuristic concept cars eXasis, zaZen
and Senso were developed
by the Swiss automotive pioneer Frank M. Rinderknecht in close collaboration
with car experts at Bayer Material Science. These creative designs are
full of products from Leverkusen: lightweight body parts that make full
use of the wide-ranging design freedom provided by the transparent polycarbonate
Makrolon, comfortable padding for head restraints and arm rests made from
the polyurethane gel Technogel*, cable covers from the flexible, abrasion-proof
and medium-resistant thermoplastic polyurethane Desmopan* and soft-feel
coatings for the interior, based on aqueous coating raw materials in the
Bayhydrol* and Bayhydur* product ranges.
Increased commitment to climate protection
"While being very much committed to the further improvement of customer
relations, the expansion of our market position and increasing growth,
environmental care is nevertheless a major priority for us. This applies
particularly to climate protection," said Ian Paterson. "Numerous
products from Bayer Material Science make a significant contribution to
energy savings and offer impressive potential for a lasting reduction
in carbon dioxide emissions. The latest examples are weight-reduced vehicles
such as the eXasis concept car and
thermal insulation for buildings and refrigerating appliances using rigid
polyurethane foam." The Bayer Group has recently created an extensive
project: the Bayer Climate Challenge Program is designed to show how the
Group can provide even more powerful solutions aimed at climate protection
and suitable for dealing with the impact of climate change.
This is also the background to gas phase phosgenation, an innovative
technology developed by Bayer for the production of toluene diisocyanate
(TDI), which is used for the production of flexible polyurethane foam.
The new technology saves about 80 percent in solvents during the last
stage of the TDI synthesis reaction and then 40-60 percent in energy in
the subsequent distillation process. Compared with a conventional system
of the same capacity, it saves approx. 20 percent in investment costs.
After its very positive experience with a pilot system at the Dormagen
site, Bayer Material Science has decided to install this new world-scale
system at the integrated Shanghai site which has an annual capacity of
300,000 metric tonnes.
Tradition in innovation
Innovation has a long tradition at Bayer. Audio CDs first appeared on
the market 25 years ago, and the history of optical data storage media
is far from over. With its high-tech plastic Makrolon, Bayer has been
a major player from the very beginning and is also actively involved in
the most recent developments. Since then HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs have
become marketable, yet the demand for storage is still on the rise. The
buzzword for the next generation may well be near field recording which
will apparently boost storage capacities to 100 gigabytes and more per
data medium. And totally new horizons will be opened up by holographic
data storage whereby entire data packages are stored within the volume
of a data medium. "This means that storage can be taken all the way
into the terabyte range, and we will see a clear acceleration of read/write
routines," said Ian Paterson. Working in a joint venture with the
US start-up company In-Phase Technologies, Bayer Material Science has
developed a special material for such data media.
Tiny particles with enormous impact
A number of unique qualities can be realized with carbon nanotubes under
the Baytubes* brand name,
not only in sports apparatus, but also in car manufacturing and in wind
power plants. The nano-scale parts display an excellent level of mechanical
stability and good thermal and electrical conductivity. A new synthesis
process has been developed by Bayer, allowing high-purity industry-scale
production of these nanotubes. "In addition to a pilot plant that
is already up and running, we are planning to construct a large-scale
technical production facility with a capacity of 3,000 metric tonnes per
year," explained Ian Paterson. Recently, the TPU Demospan was used
for the first time in sail battens at the famous sporting event, the 32nd
America’s Cup. The special feature of this technology is that sailors
can accurately control the shape of a foresail via the air pressure in
the inflatable battens.
The planning and realization of research and development projects, conducted
by teams from the business units at Bayer Material Science and also by
the New Business Department, are supported by a growing global network
of Innovation Centers, Competence Centers and Technology Centers. The
Centers have excellent standards of expertise, customer focus and synergy
effects and are in a position to offer customers the latest know-how through
fast and flexible dialog. New Innovation Centers are currently being planned
for Russia, Korea, India and Taiwan.
* Demospan, Makrolon, Bayhydrol, Bayhydur, Technogel, Baytubes, Baydur
and BaySystems are registered trademarks of Bayer MaterialScience, a Bayer
Group company.
Read a recent press release about - Bayer MaterialScience to build a world
scale polymers plant for polymer polyols
with a new technology that will deliver optimized products and lower energy
costs.
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