Product design for productivity and innovation with engineering thermoplastics and their blends in the nineties

Abstract

AbstractCompanies must constantly improve their technologies to survive the competitive battle in the nineteen nineties and beyond. This now holds more than ever for producers of engineering thermoplastics, who traditionally have enjoyed significantly higher margins than the commodity plastic producers. In today's competitive environment it is vital to be the high quality, low cost producer. At the same time products and processes need to become “greener”. The drivers call for specific R&D approaches focused at cost and ecological improvements of processes and products. Examples are:(i) novel catalysis with fewer process steps, higher yields and selectivity for the production of monomers and polymers.(ii) solvent‐free polymerisation processes, resulting in lower investment cost, lower operating cost and the lack of solvent traces in the final product(iii) design of polymer modifications, e.g. higher flow and/or higher heat co‐polymers such that products can be produced in existing equipment resulting in acceptable Return‐on‐Investment (ROI).Higher flow products are specifically needed for thin‐wall designs to allow optimum use of the high mechanical properties of engineering thermoplastics, making shorter processing cycles possible during moulding and bringing less material in the environment.This paper reviews various routes to high flow technology, such as improving processing window, molecular engineering and blends. The pull for these technology developments come from optical data storage, thin wall bumper and super thin note bloc computer applications. The need for greener products is addressed through improved flame and fire retardant product design.