JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #110 - January/February 2017 - 35

A new generation of aesthetic composites based on styrenic copolymers

the entire visible surface to enable the polymer to fill all the micro-cavities between
the fibres and accurately reproduce the
mould surface.
- A high surface temperature (150 to
200°C) should be maintained in the critical visible areas of the mould to allow the
polymer to "close" the surface prior to
cooling down and "freezing" the polymer.
A Variotherm® process is recommended
to optimize the cycle time and achieve the
best quality results.
- The part design and thickness distribution should facilitate the draping process
and prevent stress concentration in the
thermoplastic composite sheet. This is
particularly critical in a deep-shape design
in order to avoid the risk of "fibre locking"
("locking" means that the maximum angle of the fibres is reached, thus blocking
the fabric draping and resulting in a high
shear stress and surface defects).

Another opportunity for deployment of the
new material is recognized in electronics. The
material's robustness allows for new miniaturization efforts resulting in tablets, notebooks,
mobile phones and other mobile devices
being lighter and thinner while remaining as
stable and robust as before.
In the medical industry, prostheses and ortheses may benefit from this light and robust
material. StyLight* may also be considered
for relatively straightforward applications
such as shoe inserts. There are also multiple
opportunities to take advantage of its capabilities in the areas of toys, sports and leisure.

Ski helmets, bicycle parts such as bicycle
seats, and drones are just a small selection
of applications where the combination of
robustness and aesthetics would allow for
the construction of new ideas.
Conclusion
For the first time, INEOS Styrolution developed a new type of thermoplastic composite based on an amorphous styrenic
matrix. The material, named StyLight*,
is available with different types of textiles
based on woven and non-woven glass or
carbon fibres designed for aesthetic or
structural applications. Thanks to its very
high stiffness and strength, combined with
a high surface quality, it offers unique mechanical properties suitable for structural
applications. It will potentially extend the
scope of thermoplastic composite applications to visible or decorated parts in
automotive interiors or in any high-performance aesthetic applications.
With a significant thickness reduction versus injection-moulded parts resulting in
significant weight reductions, such a composite solution will only be economically
viable if it can integrate different functions
and components into a single reinforced
modular design. This integration will result
in a reduced number of parts, the substitution of metal reinforcements, and enable
new lightweight design concepts based on
a new generation of aesthetic composites
based on styrenic copolymers.
More information:
www.ineos-styrolution.com

Fig. 6: Demonstrator with decorated insert

No110 January - February 2017

/ jec composites magazine

Feature Automotive

In the central part of the demonstrator, a foil
decorated and vacuum-formed by Leonhard
Kurz is used to decorate the reinforced fibre
composite directly inside the mould during
the compression phase. To achieve the best
quality of the decorated surface, the following conditions should be fulfilled:
- During the compression phase, the pressure should be evenly distributed on
the decorative foil (note that the mould
thickness should be adapted to compensate possible thickness variations of the
foil resulting from the vacuum forming
process).
- The temperature of the StyLight* sheet
during the compression phase should be
high enough to allow a good surface quality behind the decorative foil, while not
damaging it. For this purpose, the foil was
made of a high-heat ABS film with a Vicat
temperature of 108°C. It is important not
to bring it in contact with the StyLight*
sheet, which is heated up to 180°C, to prevent any foil degradation before mould
closing.
- Precise positioning of the insert in the
mould is essential to prevent the insert
from sliding during the draping phase.
The draping simulation is useful for this
purpose as well.

Industrial applications
of the new material
The development and launch of this new material is mostly driven by the growing demand
for lightweight solutions in the automotive
industry to contribute to fuel efficiency. So
far, the applications of composite thermoplastics in automotive have been focussing on
structural parts without particular aesthetical
value. INEOS Styrolution is convinced that
there is more potential for thermoplastic
composites in automotive interiors to reduce
weight in a whole new range of applications
requiring superior surface quality. StyLight*
enables automotive manufacturers to address
the demand to cut on weight also in areas
where aesthetics matters, such as seat structures, door modules, centre consoles, body
panels (automotive, trucks, and motorcycles), and other interior trim parts. Exterior
and interior decorative parts with visible
carbon fibres are another option provided by
StyLight*.

http://www.ineos-styrolution.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #110 - January/February 2017