The 22nd International Plastics and rubber Expo: Wacker will display silicone and polymer products f

On June 21, 2022, Wacker chemical group, headquartered in Munich, introduced the products and exhibition highlights prepared for the 22nd International Plastics and rubber Expo (k exhibition 2022) in Dusseldorf. The silicone products and applications that help the sustainable development solutions in the fields of electric vehicles, energy production, medical technology and plastic processing are the focus of wacker's exhibition. The new products that Wacker will introduce to the majority of professionals for the first time at the exhibition include silicone rubber produced from bio based methanol in a resource-saving way, self-adhesive silicone products for polycarbonate composite parts, and a new silicone resin for the production of high temperature resistant molded parts. In addition, Wacker also demonstrated organosilicon additives and polymer binders that can help improve the processing characteristics of bioplastics and the performance of finished products. K exhibition 2022 will be held in Dusseldorf, Germany from October 19 to 26.
At the press conference held by Dusseldorf exhibition company, Robert Gnann, President of Wacker silicone business department, introduced wacker's participation plan this year and wacker's growth goals to the professional reporters present. In order to meet the growing market demand for silicone, Wacker plans to invest more than 100million euros in the next few years to expand the production capacity of solid and liquid silicone rubber. He stressed: "these investments will mainly flow to high-quality special silicone products urgently needed for the development of innovative products and technologies in the industrial field."
Organosilicon is a kind of high-performance material, which is unique among various synthetic materials because of its unique overall performance. "Organosilicon has a wide range of uses and can be well adjusted according to specific requirements. It can open up new space for developing new solutions and improving the sustainability of many products and technologies." Mr. Gnann said, "by expanding the production capacity of solid and liquid silicone rubber worldwide, we will be able to provide excellent services for key industries that rely on high-quality materials such as silicone, such as energy, automobile manufacturing and medical technology."
The expansion plan of Wacker group has made great progress now. In berghausen production base, a set of liquid silicone rubber production equipment will be completed and put into operation in the second half of this year; Next year, the production scale of liquid silicone rubber in Adrian production base in Michigan will also be expanded, and customers in North America and Central America will first benefit from it. The capacity expansion project of high temperature curing solid silicone rubber is also being implemented. A set of production equipment at the new production base in panagarh, India, will be put into operation this summer; At the beginning of next year, Czechoslovakia Pilsen and Japan Tsukuba can complete production capacity; In 2024, Zhangjiagang project can also be completed. In addition, Wacker is preparing more capacity expansion projects in Europe and the United States, and is also considering expanding the production scale of fumed silica. Wacker is one of the few silicone manufacturers capable of producing solid silicone rubber formula fillers by themselves. Mr. Gnann pointed out, "when our competitors are gradually abandoning this market, we continue to invest in expanding new production capacity. This is because we have a clear goal, that is, to become a leading supplier of high-temperature curing solid silicone rubber."
Thinking beyond -- beyond thinking: Wacker participated in K exhibition 2022
As in previous years, the K exhibition booth of Wacker this year is located in hall 6, booth a10. The theme of this exhibition is "thinking beyond". At that time, many new products will appear, including Bio based methanol based silicone products, self-adhesive liquid silicone rubber for polycarbonate soft and hard composite parts, silicone resin for high temperature molding parts production and silicone additives for Polyethylene Molding. The polymer binder produced by Wacker with the help of renewable acetic acid and resource-saving and climate friendly methods will also be unveiled for the first time.
Wacker booth this year will focus on the two themes of electric transport and sustainable development. Mr. Gnann stressed that "whether it is wind power, solar energy, external wall insulation or electric vehicles, silicone can open up new space for the development of innovative technologies and solutions conducive to emission reduction in many fields." Taking electric transportation as an example, he pointed out that the consumption of silicone materials in new electric vehicles is four times that of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. He said: "thermal conductive silica gel can unhindered evacuate the heat released by batteries and power control units, greatly improving the performance and life of such components. To achieve the Glasgow climate goal, we must significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the next few years, and the only way to achieve this goal is to develop sustainable technologies using high-performance materials such as organic silicon."
Introduction to wacker's new products
ELASTOSIL ® Eco: save resources with bio based methanol
ELASTOSIL ® Eco series silicone rubber is one of the new products exhibited by Wacker at the 2022 K exhibition. They are produced in a resource-saving manner with non fossil bio based methanol as raw material and certified process. From a chemical point of view, bio based methanol and petrochemical methanol can be interchanged, elastosil ® With elastosil ® Eco series products therefore have the same final characteristics and processing methods.
Wacker will provide customers with 8 kinds of eco silicone rubber in the future, including 6 kinds of elastosil with different hardness, which does not need constant temperature curing and is extremely tear resistant ® LR 5040（ELASTOSIL ® Eco LR 5040), and elastosil with one hardness ® R 401（ELASTOSIL ® Eco R 401/40) peroxide crosslinked solid silicone rubber and elastosil ® R plus 4020 （ELASTOSIL ® Eco r plus 4020/40) plus linked solid silicone rubber. In addition, silmix ® In the future, bio based methanol will be added to brand ready to use rubber compounds for customers' choice. Wacker will demonstrate food grade silmix on site with an injection molding machine provided by Engel from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day during the exhibition ® Processing method of eco molding compound (mold supplier: Nexus; part designer: l é Ku é).
VINNEX ® Eco: polymer additives produced from renewable raw materials
Except elastosil ® Besides Eco, Wacker will also launch another eco product series - Homopolymer, copolymer and terpolymer based on polyvinyl acetate at the 2022 K exhibition. The polarity of these products is compatible with biopolyesters, so they are extremely suitable for the modification of biodegradable polymers and starch. VINNEX ® The additives are helpful to improve the processing characteristics, optimize the material properties of biopolyesters, and act as compatibilizers.
VINNEX ® Eco series products are made of renewable raw materials according to the material balance algorithm. Fossil raw materials and renewable raw materials enter the production cycle at the beginning of production, and then the proportion of renewable raw materials in the prepared solid resin is calculated by the material balance algorithm. VINNEX ® Eco products have the same chemical and physical characteristics as standard products, but the carbon dioxide ecological footprint is lower. All products have passed the redcert2 standard certification.
ELASTOSIL ® LR 3078: self adhesive to polycarbonate
ELASTOSIL ® LR 3078 series is another kind of new products presented at k exhibition in 2022. These self-adhesive liquid silicone rubbers are extremely fast in crosslinking and can produce strong adhesion to polycarbonate thermoplastics. The self-adhesive technology used here was newly developed and patented by Wacker, a Munich based chemical group. This technology does not require the use of bisphenol a structured materials - the abandonment of such controversial substances has enabled Wacker to make corresponding contributions to promoting labor safety and consumer protection.
All products of this new series are applicable to the two-component injection molding process. They do not contain substances that may form solid deposits in the mold during processing, which can ensure the uninterrupted operation of the injection molding machine. This series of liquid silicone rubber can greatly shorten the production cycle of injection molding due to its fast cross-linking speed. If the geometric structure of the workpiece is complex, using this kind of silicone rubber can also improve the accuracy of the product without post-processing ® LR 3078 can open up a way for further miniaturization of polycarbonate silicone composite parts and create more space for new product design.
New silicone resin for high temperature resistant molded parts
The industrial sector is increasingly facing a challenging task: to produce plastic parts that can withstand mechanical loads and withstand temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius for a long time. A new material solution specially developed by Wacker for this purpose will also be presented to the public at k exhibition in 2022. With silres ® LR 700 or powersil ® Resin 700 silicone base material and powersil prepared on this basis ® Resin 710 silicone molding material. Molded parts with insulation grade R can be produced by compression molding, pressure gel, and even injection molding processes, and can withstand temperatures as high as 220 degrees Celsius for a long time. These products do not need to be marked with dangerous goods, so they are better than high temperature resistant polymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyether ether ketone (PEEK).
SILRES ® LR 700 and powersil ® Resin 700 methyl phenyl silicone base material contains no solvent and is a thin and clear liquid product. To produce molded parts with excellent mechanical properties, it needs to be matched with appropriate filler combinations. Wacker therefore launched the first optimized formula product powersil specifically for this demand ® Resin 710 gives customers who need to produce high temperature resistant molded parts two options: use silres ® LR 700 or powersil ® Resin 700 is used as a binder to match its own filler or filler mixture, or powersil is directly selected ® Resin 710 is a ready to use formula product with a mixture of powder and fibrous filler.
GENIOPLAST ®： Organosilicon additives for Polyethylene Molding Compounds
GENIOPLAST ® Pe50s08 is a new auxiliary masterbatch for polyethylene mixing. The product helps to reduce the production difficulty of ready to use polyethylene molding compound and improve the surface properties of plastic products. Polyethylene masterbatch is suitable for plastic film extrusion molding, and can make recycled polyethylene easier to process.
In the formula of adding fillers, the organosilicon component contained in the product can improve the uniformity of fillers and the fluidity of polymer melts, which will increase the material throughput of the extruder and reduce the energy consumption in the mixing process. When mixing different types of polyethylene, for example, when processing recycled polyethylene, genioplast is added ® Pe50s08 can make the mixing process more uniform and avoid large torque and temperature fluctuations. Therefore, polyethylene recycling is one of the main application fields of this new additive.
In the blown film extrusion process, manufacturers can add genioplast ® Pe50s08 greatly improves productivity. When the cable sheath, hose and profile are extruded, the use of polyethylene with filler can reduce the deposition of extruded material at the nozzle. In addition, the additive can also improve the surface properties of polyethylene products, reduce the sliding friction coefficient of plastic preparations, make the surface of finished products more wear-resistant and scrub resistant, and make the plastic film easier to unfold. The new additive can also improve the impact toughness of plastics.
Biopolymer: vinnex ® With genioplast ® Efficient combination of pellet additives
Adding additives can improve the processing characteristics of biodegradable polyester and greatly improve the material properties. If the two commonly used additives in the industry are used together, the effect will be even better. Polyester formula if vinnex is used at the same time ® And genioplast ® Pellet, these two additives, can achieve better results than using them alone.
Wacker will introduce the advantages of this combination of additives and how to use the above two additives at the 2022 K exhibition to greatly improve the processing and material properties of biodegradable polyester. This combination has more obvious advantages especially in blown film production. At this time, vinnex ® It can improve the fluidity and strength of molten materials, genioplast ® Pellet can reduce the surface friction, so as to improve the traction and coiling speed.
These two auxiliary systems can open up new application fields for biopolyesters and shorten the gap between biopolyesters and traditional thermoplastics in application due to poor processing and material properties. Add regular vinnex according to different systems ® And genioplast ® The additives will not adversely affect the degradability of polybutylene succinate, polylactic acid, thermoplastic starch or these biodegradable polymer combinations.