CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY
X2F and Covestro | September 27, 2022
X2F announced that it has joined a unique collaboration with Covestro, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials, to develop a thermally conductive automotive heat-sink with in-mold electronics using X2F’s transformative controlled viscosity molding technology. Application samples will be displayed at Covestro’s booth (Hall 6/A75-1/A75-2) during the K 2022 exhibition Oct. 19-26, in Düsseldorf, Germany. This new product will be a unique alternative for automotive OEMs and processors who seek a replacement for cast aluminium heat-sinks that is both lighter and more affordable.
The new heat-sink molded of Makrolon® polycarbonate is approximately half as heavy as the typical aluminum part. It is part of an in-mold assembly that can be used to integrate LED modules directly into the headlamp housing – eliminating the weight and labor associated with the installation of brackets, screws, thermal pastes, and adhesives. The X2F technology is production-ready and has been demonstrated in high-volume series manufacturing for other applications.
Covestro continues to pioneer the use of in-mold electronics (IME) coupled with the heat management that Makrolon® TC polycarbonate provides.
“This new program involves using controlled viscosity molding by X2F to attach the LED module directly onto the thermally conductive heat-sink without fundamentally changing the heat-sink adjuster module design. We are pleased with the outcome so far of the X2F project where we have recently seen enhanced thermal management performance compared to traditional injection-molded processes, and look forward to how the automotive industry will adopt the technology.,”
Paul Platte, Senior Marketing Manager, Covestro LLC
X2F’s process enables sensitive electronics to be insert molded, thus providing functional integration, heat management, modularity, and miniaturization.
“This innovative technology enables the manufacture of previously impossible-to-mold thermoplastic parts that provide step-change improvements for our customers. In the case of heat-sinks, it dramatically streamlines production, reduces manufacturing times, eliminates fasteners and pastes, and increases product design flexibility,” said Reza Garaee, senior project manager for X2F. “This can be a game-changer for OEMs, and we’re thrilled to launch this new collaboration with Covestro.”
X2F’s ability to mold thermally conductive materials has applications far beyond heat-sinks. Thermal management is critical for superior performance in batteries, motors, and printed circuit board applications. The X2F controlled viscosity, low-pressure molding approach allows highly filled materials to be molded that are not possible with other manufacturing approaches. The result is 30-200% improvement in performance depending on the application and materials used.
X2F recently added a rotary table which reduces cycle times and opens up higher-volume production for its controlled viscosity molding machine. The rotary table enables X2F to reach production volumes of up to four million parts per year with one unit, depending on the cycle time, for the manufacture of critical components in the electronics, automotive, industrial, and medical industries.
About Covestro
Covestro LLC is part of the global Covestro business, which is among the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, cosmetics and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself.
Makrolon® is a registered trademark of Covestro Group.
The company is committed to becoming fully circular and aims to become climate neutral by 2035 (scope 1 and 2). Covestro generated sales of around EUR 15.9 billion in fiscal 2021. At the end of 2021, the company had 50 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,900 people.
About X2F
X2F, based in Loveland, Colo., is commercializing a new category of molding technology that leverages controlled viscosity and a patented pulse-packing approach to create high-value components for a variety of industries. X2F’s process uses advanced materials previously thought impossible to mold and achieves complex product geometries with improved operational efficiencies. The technology creates entirely new paradigms in product design, tooling, and material science for molded parts.
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CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
Eastman | September 26, 2022
Interzero and Eastman announced a long-term supply agreement for Eastman's previously announced molecular recycling facility in Normandy, France. Interzero will provide up to 20,000 metric tonnes per year of hard-to-recycle PET household packaging waste that would otherwise be incinerated.
Interzero Plastics Recycling, as part of Interzero, is an innovation leader in plastics recycling with the largest sorting capacity in Europe and many years of experience. Headquartered in Germany, Interzero is a leading service provider of circular solutions in Europe and is strongly connected to its sister company ALBA Group ASIA both led by Chairman and Shareholder, Dr. Axel Schweitzer.
Eastman's planned molecular recycling facility in France will become the world's largest material-to-material molecular recycling plant. Once complete, the facility will recycle approximately 160,000 tonnes of hard-to-recycle polyester waste annually. The project is expected to be operational in 2025.
"Eastman is a leader in molecular recycling with decades of innovation expertise. Joining forces by combining the leading know how of Eastman and Interzero is the next step in closing the loop with our partners and a step closer towards a world without waste. The world is facing a plastic waste crisis with far too little plastic waste being recycled, either from lack of collection or because it simply cannot be recycled by traditional methods. Eastman's innovative process and this agreement bring a solution to this."
Jacco de Haas, chief commercial officer at Interzero Plastics Recycling
Chemical recycling is a necessary complement to mechanical recycling to keep more raw materials in the loop. Both companies are committed to creating material circularity. Eastman's facility in France will process colored and opaque PET waste that cannot be recycled mechanically to create clear and transparent rPET upon completion.
"Interzero and Eastman are committed to reducing plastic waste and creating circularity through collaboration and innovation," said Brad Lich, Eastman executive vice president and chief commercial officer. "This agreement marks an important milestone towards Eastman's investment in France. We are happy to build a strong collaboration in Europe with Interzero to provide a portion of the feedstock needed to successfully operate our facility. The collaboration reinforces the complementary nature of mechanical and molecular recycling, and the importance of working together to create true circularity."
Eastman's proven polyester renewal technology provides true circularity for hard-to-recycle plastic waste that remains in a linear economy today. This material is typically incinerated because it either cannot be mechanically recycled or must be downcycled using existing technology. Eastman's chemical recycling technology allows this hard-to-recycle waste to be broken down into its molecular building blocks and then reassembled to become first-quality material without any compromise in performance. Eastman's polyester renewal technology enables the potentially infinite value of materials by keeping them in production, lifecycle after lifecycle. With the technology's inherent efficiencies and the renewable energy sources available in France, materials can be produced with significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than traditional methods.
About Interzero
Interzero is an innovation leader in plastics recycling with the largest sorting capacity in Europe and one of the leading environmental service providers in the field of closing product, material, and logistics cycles. Under the guiding principle of "zero waste solutions", the company advises over 20,000 customers throughout Europe on the responsible handling of recyclable materials, thus helping them to improve their own sustainability performance and conserve primary resources. With about 2,000 employees, the company achieves a turnover of over one billion euros (2021). In 2020 alone Interzero saved 1.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gases compared to primary production and at the same time 12.3 million tonnes of primary raw materials through its recycling activities.
About Eastman
Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company's innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2021 revenues of approximately $10.5 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. In Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Eastman employs approximately 2100 and is present in 10 countries. EMEA accounted for 26 percent of Eastman's total sales revenue in 2021.
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CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY
Novoloop | September 23, 2022
Novoloop, an emerging leader in plastic circularity, announced its partnership with the Swiss sports brand On last night at an Elemental Excelerator event, as part of Climate Week in New York City. Novoloop’s thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) – the world’s first chemically upcycled TPU – is featured as the outsole for On’s newest carbon capture consortium shoe, Cloudprime.
The achievement is the result of a two year-long joint development, in which both companies invested in creating a TPU made from an unconventional carbon feedstock originating from plastic waste. Having passed rigorous laboratory and athlete wear testing, Novoloop and On will begin scale-up planning to incorporate the chemically upcycled TPU into future products for mass production.
“Saving the planet is a team sport,” says Caspar Coppetti, Co-Founder and Executive Co-Chairman of On. “We are excited to see what can happen in the future as we unlock the potential of alternative carbon sources with further research and in collaboration with the best partners, such as Novoloop.”
On is committed to move away from petroleum-based materials in its products by accelerating the development of materials that are upcycled, bio-based or derived by carbon capture.
Novoloop was founded by Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao in 2015 with a mission to change the course of plastics for good. The company’s chemically upcycled TPU is created by breaking down post-consumer waste polyethylene – such as plastic bags, bubble wrap, and shampoo bottles – through the company’s patented Accelerated Thermal Oxidative Decomposition (ATOD™) technology. This chemical deconstruction turns trash that is difficult – or even impossible – to mechanically recycle into molecular building blocks which are re-synthesized, or upcycled, into TPU.
The chemically upcycled TPU contains 35% post-consumer content and performs comparably to virgin TPU derived from fossil fuels. As a high-performance thermoplastic, it is recyclable and can be manufactured with less waste than thermoset materials, such as synthetic rubber. Moreover, lifecycle assessments show that the production of Novoloop’s TPU emits significantly less carbon than that of fossil fuel-derived TPU.
On's interest in Novoloop's technology centered on the promise of sustainability, and the sports brand soon learned that performance would not be a compromise. On put Novoloop’s TPU through a dozen rigorous tests to prove its potential as a high performance outsole. In abrasion testing, Novoloop’s TPU outperformed synthetic rubber, losing only 25 cubic millimeters in DIN abrasion. The TPU also exhibited at least 10% better wet grip than synthetic rubber – a difference felt by athletes in on-foot testing.
“Our team is working hard to scale up our breakthrough process so that more footwear customers can realize the benefits of this innovative TPU. We are grateful to be part of creating Cloudprime. Working with On has been an exceptional experience, and we look forward to what we will achieve together in the future.”
Novoloop CEO Miranda Wang
About Novoloop
Novoloop is an emerging leader in plastic circularity, transforming post-consumer plastic waste into performance materials. Headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the venture-backed startup has raised $25M and is building and scaling new technologies to reinvent the chemical value chain. With a vision to end the plastic catastrophe, Novoloop is transforming waste into applications for footwear, sporting goods, and automotive industries.
About On
On was born in the Swiss Alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running by empowering all to run on clouds. Twelve years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel, and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, and all-day activities. Fueled by customer recommendation, On’s award-winning CloudTec® innovation, purposeful design, and groundbreaking strides in sportswear’s circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base inspiring humans to explore, discover and dream on.
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