IKV.impulses The online event series on current plastics technology topics

Capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is considered an indispensable technology for significantly reducing CO_₂ emissions from industrial processes and energy generation. Various materials are used along the entire process chain, from capture and transport to storage/utilisation. Plastics in particular, with their special properties such as chemical resistance, resistance to environmental influences and high production and installation efficiency, contribute significantly to making CCUS technologies technically feasible and economically viable.

There are many different areas of application: polymer membranes for CO_₂ capture, corrosion-resistant plastic linings for pipelines, and fibre-reinforced composites for tanks. CO_₂ also opens up new perspectives in terms of its use, for example as a raw material in plastics production or in the synthesis of chemicals. Hydrogen serves as an example of how CCUS processes can be embedded in existing and future energy systems.

The event will provide practical examples of where plastics are indispensable in CCUS technologies today and offer an outlook on the potential this class of materials offers for a climate-neutral industry and circular economy.

• Key technologies for CO_₂ capture and the role of polymer membranes & coatings
• Plastics in CO_₂ transport and safe storage
• Use of CO_₂ as a raw material for new plastics and chemical products
• CCUS in the context of other future technologies, e.g. hydrogen

Moderator:

Jonathan Alms, M.Sc. | IKV

Presentations:

• Carbon capture, utilisation & storage: How plastics enable key technologies
  Marie Hadenfeldt, M.Sc. | IKV
• Accelerating direct air capture materials development with high-throughput testing | Salar Asoobar, Avantium

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Laser transmission welding is an established welding process that is used in various industrial sectors. It is characterised by high precision, short process times and high-quality weld seams. The process is often used for joining injection-moulded plastic parts. Similar to the injection moulding process, which involves high cooling rates, the material is also subjected to high heating and cooling rates during laser transmission welding. There is a direct correlation between the speed of heating and the resulting properties within the weld seam, in particular the joint strength.

However, the current state of the art does not take this dependency into account, either in industrial practice or in the simulative description of the welding process. In order to better understand the laser welding process and to be able to predict it more accurately, it is therefore necessary to include the heating rate dependency in order to reliably describe the melt formation within the weld seam.

In addition to classic applications, the process is becoming increasingly important in the packaging industry, especially in connection with sustainable solutions. When using monomaterials, laser transmission welding offers the possibility of producing recyclable packaging with high density and stability. This opens up new fields of application that meet both ecological and economic requirements.

The IKV will present the results already achieved in the field of material characterisation for laser transmission welding. From an industry perspective, the presentations will be supplemented by exciting insights into possible fields of application.

Key topics:

• Laser transmission welding
• Flash DSC
• Thermal simulation

Moderator:

Dr Hakan Çelik | IKV

Presentations:

• Opportunities and challenges in monoblotter production | Matthias Markus, Bayer AG
• Thermal simulation for the laser transmission welding process as a function of high heating rates | Patricia Fatherazi, IKV

Deposits on cooling rolls are a well-known problem in flat film extrusion: they impair film quality, lead to rejects and reduce productivity. Deposits form on both virgin materials such as PET and, in particular, on recycled materials. The IKV has therefore developed an optical inspection system that detects coating formation in-line and can be integrated into existing plants at low cost. With the aid of a camera and intelligent image processing, changes in the gloss of the roll surface are analysed and objectively quantified. This allows the formation of coatings to be tracked in terms of time and space and correlated with process parameters and material properties.

In the webinar, the IKV will present the system development and current research results. From an industry perspective, the presentations will be supplemented by exciting insights into the cleaning of the accumulated deposits.

Moderator:

Dr.-Ing. Lisa Leuchtenberger, Head of the Extrusion and Rubber Technology Department at IKV

Keynote speeches:

• Detect before Defect – Development of a test environment for inline detection of roller deposits in flat film extrusion
  Dr.-Ing. Lukas Seifert, Deputy Head of the Extrusion and Rubber Technology Department at IKV
• Cleaning of smoothing rolls in flat film extrusion
  Nora Subel, Product Manager Service & Modifications at Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating GmbH & Co. KG

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Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) open up various possibilities in modern product development. By foaming the TPE used, the range of applications can be further extended and material can be saved at the same time. The possible applications are diverse and range from sealing technology to visual applications in automotive engineering. In addition, TPE can be remelted and also offers considerable advantages over established materials in terms of the circular economy.

Recyclable soft-touch components in automotive engineering thanks to foamed TPE

By combining a polypropylene carrier flooded with a highly foamed TPE, mechanically recyclable soft-touch components can be produced. The properties of the components can be precisely controlled via the process control and specifically adapted to the application. However, the process control differs considerably from other applications and high degrees of foaming can only be achieved with specially optimized materials. The component design also plays a special role due to the narrow process window

Lectures:

• Thermoplastic elastomers foam for a wider range of applications
  Alexander Heinze, ALLOD Werkstoff GmbH & Co. KG
• Recyclable soft-touch components thanks to the use of foamed thermoplastic elastomers
  Jan Wolters, IKV

In the production of polyurethane components in molds, release agents are conventionally used for non-destructive demolding. These are currently still an integral part of the process and pose various challenges. In addition to the extended cycle time due to the application into the cavity, the downstream cleaning of the mold and component also represents a time and financial expense. Precautions must also be taken for environmental and personal protection. In order to address this topic, the Impulse presentations will deal with dry demolding, i.e. the replacement of internal and external release agents with permanent, release-friendly tool coatings. The first lecture will present the concept of a measuring cell with which it will be possible to investigate the combination of material system and tool coating for a number of pieces in series production.

Long-term investigation of permanent interfaces

The possibility of release agent-free demolding of PUR systems has already been successfully demonstrated in previous IKV research projects. This means that it is already possible to produce suitable tool coatings for compact and foaming polyurethanes. However, the application of the coating is currently still a cost-intensive process that is only financially viable for large quantities. There are currently no reliable findings on the durability of the coating over several thousand demoldings. The first presentation will deal with the development of a measuring cell that will enable automated testing over the service life of the interface. Component production and demolding are to be automated. Meanwhile, measured values of the environment, the process and information about the demolding behavior are recorded over time. The collected values are stored in a database and make it possible to recognize changes in production and demoulding.

In his presentation, Hendrik Beiersdorf (ACMOS Chemie) will provide in-depth insights into modern release agent technologies for various PU application areas. In a clear and practical manner, he demonstrates the special features of cold foam and integral foam applications and compares two different separation processes in terms of their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Further information and the exact title of the lecture will follow shortly.

Main topics:

• Polyurethane processing
• Digitalisation
• Interface layers

Moderation:

Jonathan Alms, IKV

Lectures:

• Development of a measuring cell for automated testing of the fatigue strength of permanent release coatings (Lucas Rau, IKV)
• Release agent-related influencing variables in cold flexible and integral foam production (Hendrik Beiersdorf, ACMOS CHEMIE KG)

We are expanding the originally announced session “Simulative process analysis in injection molding” thematically: On June 24, we will not only present the latest research approaches to simulation in injection molding, but also introduce the new technology network KI4KI – Artificial Intelligence for the Plastics Industry.

Why?
Because AI marks the next stage of digitalization – and can already be used today in the injection moulding process, in material development and in production.

🔍 What you can expect:

AI methods in material development
Lukas Seifert, M.Sc., IKV Aachen
How machine learning supports compounding and shortens development times.

Intelligent material card adaptation for precise deformation simulation of injection molded components
Sebastian Schwan, M.Sc., IKV Aachen
How material data is recorded under real conditions and simulatively optimized – for realistic results.

AI in application: Efficient injection molding in series production
Felix Müller, plus10 GmbH
How AI-supported assistance systems reduce waste and speed up set-up processes.

Valid material data, precise simulation, higher-level analyses
Michael Bosse, Simpatec
Practical impulses from industrial applications.

Introduction: KI4KI – Why now is the right time to invest in AI
Insights into the new IKV technology network

Moderation:

Dr.-Ing. Christoph Zimmermann, IKV
Dipl.-Ing. Mauritius Schmitz

Technical plastic components are usually exposed to high mechanical, thermal and chemical requirements. In the automotive industry, for example, these requirements include high temperature and media resistance. Thermosets are among the plastics that are able to meet these requirements due to their high cross-linking density. However, their high cross-linking density means that thermosets, unlike thermoplastics, cannot be joined by welding. Accordingly, the screw connection, in particular the direct screw connection, represents a promising possibility for realizing an economical and detachable connection of thermoset components. In contrast to thermoplastics, however, there are no guidelines for the design of a direct screw connection for thermosets. This knowledge gap is to be closed as part of the cooperation between the IKV and the KTP in the “Duroplast Direktverschraubung II” project. To this end, design guidelines for direct bolting are to be developed for both short and long-term stresses.

As part of the lecture, IKV will present the results already achieved in the field of short-term loading of thermoset direct screw connections. In addition, the intended investigations into the long-term dynamic loading of thermoset direct bolted joints are outlined and discussed.

Main topics:

• Thermoset injection molding
• Direct screwing of plastics
• Mechanical testing

Moderation:

Dr.-Ing. Christoph Zimmermann, IKV

Lectures:

• aiXtight – 100% detection of the head support for direct screw connections
  (Dr.-Ing. Rainer Peters, aiXtrusion GmbH)
• Derivation of design and application recommendations for the direct screwing of thermosets
  (Guilherme Labanca Bachiega, IKV)

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) open up a wide range of possibilities in modern product development – from flexible connecting elements to complex functional components. However, due to the special properties of TPE, developers are faced with new challenges when designing TPE components.

Special requirements for the design of TPE components

When designing TPE molded parts, designers are faced with a number of special requirements: Melt properties such as flowability and recovery behavior must be precisely taken into account. In addition, aging resistance or the often complex anisotropic mechanical properties play a decisive role in the simulative mapping of deformation behavior. Only those who understand these factors in depth and integrate them into the design process can successfully develop durable and functional components.

Key topics:

• Design rules for TPE components
• Anisotropic modeling of TPE

Moderation:

Noah Mentges, IKV

Lectures:

• First-hand practical design advice – from material selection and component design to optimization for series production and function (Lukas Kling, ALLOD Werkstoff GmbH & Co. KG)
• New simulation method for describing the direction-dependent mechanical properties of TPE – a perspective for use in product development (Noah Mentges, IKV):