Asahi Kasei Launches New Grade of LASTAN Flame-Retardant Nonwoven Fabric – Enhancing EV Battery Safety With Superior Resistance To Flames And Particle Blasts

The Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei is introducing a new material solution for enhanced EV battery safety. A flame-retardant and highly flexible nonwoven fabric, LASTAN™ is an outstanding alternative to conventional materials for thermal runaway protection. It can be utilized in top covers, busbar protection sleeves, and other applications within the EV battery pack.

Although electric vehicles are becoming more common worldwide, battery safety is still a major concern for many car users. According to the latest “Asahi Kasei Automotive Consumer Survey,” 34% of nonEV owners in China see improved safety as a primary consideration in buying an electric vehicle. Against this background, global OEMs seek to further raise the safety of EV batteries, and the market for materials to prevent thermal runaway is expected to grow by some 15% annually from 2024 onward, with even further expansion of demand in the future (IDTechEX: “Fire Protection Materials for Electric Vehicle Batteries 2024–2034”).

In this context, there is increasing demand for materials in EV battery cover applications having excellent resistance against flames and particle blasts, as well as good electrical insulation properties. While mineral based materials are generally used as protection against thermal runaway at present, such materials tend to be heavy and brittle. Being stiff, these materials are difficult to adapt to complex shapes, making processability an issue for automotive OEMs. LASTAN™ is a non-mineral flame-resistant fabric made by air baking a special acrylic fiber at 200 – 300°C. It is characterized by high flame resistance and good electrical insulation, which are further improved by a special coating process that also augments abrasion resistance. This allows the material to provide effective protection against particle bombardment from venting gas. With these exceptional characteristics, LASTAN™ has been used for many years as an optimal material for failure prevention and safety in various industries. Withstanding 1,300°C flames and impact of 200–500 µm particles
Even when a 1,300°C flame is applied, the temperature on the opposite side of LASTAN™ remains below 400°C. While a “limiting oxygen index” (LOI) value of 27 or higher is generally considered to indicate flame retardance, this material has an LOI value of 50 or higher. In UL94 flame retardance testing, LASTAN™ has obtained the highest rating of 5VA. No holes are formed in LASTAN™ even when it is exposed to a flame of 1,300°C for one minute.

In addition to its high flame resistance, LASTAN™ is resistant to high-pressure impact by particles of 200–500 µm. It also provides electrical insulating capacity of up to 3.5 kV at a thickness of 1 mm. LASTAN™ also features outstanding processability, being highly flexible while maintaining its performance characteristics in sheets as thin as 0.8 mm. This makes it easily processed with ordinary tools, contributing to a simplified manufacturing process. Having integrated production of LASTAN™ currently in Japan, Asahi Kasei is considering production in the United States and other countries in the future. The company will exhibit the new LASTAN™ grade at the North American Battery Show from October 7 to 10, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan. Seite 2 von 2

About Asahi Kasei
The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its founding in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 49,000 employees worldwide, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world’s challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its Material sector, comprised of Environmental Solutions, Mobility & Industrial, and Life Innovation, includes a wide array of products from battery separators and biodegradable textiles to engineering plastics and sound solutions.

visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/

#modernplasticsindia #modernplasticsasia #modernplastics #plasticsnews #plasticsplanet

#modernrecyclingindia #modernplasticsglobal #modernplasticsworld #plasticstalk

#modernplasticsgermany #modernplasticsnetwork #plasticdevelopment

A Rapidly Increasing Demand For Wires, Cables, Tubes And Pipes Wire & Tube China 2024 Open Their Gates From September 25-28 2024 in Shanghai

China is the world’s second-largest economic power behind the USA. Although its economic growth has slowed compared to previous years, China with its 1.4 bn inhabitants remains a huge market where wires, wire products such as cables, fasteners, springs, and ropes as well as tubes and pipes play an important role. Wires and cables, e.g., are essential for the transmission of electric power and electronic data while tubes and pipes are needed for conveying liquids, gases and free-flowing substances or for mechanical structures.

Wires and cables
The market research company BIS Research estimates that the revenue of China’s wire and cable market was more than US$45 bn in 2022 and expects that it will grow at an average annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% to reach nearly US$97 bn by 2032. Many application areas are related to electricity. In 2023, China consumed around 9,220 TWh of electric power, 6.5% more than in the previous year. In the first four months of 2024 the demand grew by 7.4% in the year-over-year comparison. In 2023, China’s power plants generated nearly 9,460 TWh of electric power (Fig. 1). To keep pace with the rising demand, China is pushing ahead the expansion of electricity generation. In the period from January to July 2024 the total installed generation capacity of power plants was increased by 14% to 3.1 TW, mainly by the construction of wind and solar power plants.

As of the end of July 2024, nuclear power plants with a total capacity of around 58 GW were in operation in China. In August 2024, China’s State Council approved five new nuclear power projects with a total of 11 reactors. The electricity transmission grid requires huge amounts of wires and cables. In 2022, China invested nearly US$166 bn in its expansion and maintenance, while all other countries collectively spent for their grids US$118 bn (Fig. 2). In the next six years, an investment of more than US$800 bn is foreseen to overcome strains on the energy system as the country makes a rapid shift to renewable sources. Grid operations also have to become smarter to merge the fluctuating demand with decentralised power generation systems like wind turbines and solar panels.

Another important consumer of wires, cables and other wire products like fasteners and springs is the automobile sector. Cars need cables which supply numerous components with electrical energy, transmit control signals and transfer information. Moreover, all cars also need tubes for the frame, the chassis and the powertrain. As tubes are lighter and stiffer than solid rods, they help reduce the weight of cars and – in the case of electric vehicles (EVs) – to compensate for the weight of heavy batteries. In 2023, more than 26 million passenger cars, almost one third of the world’s passenger cars production, were produced in China by national and foreign manufacturers. It is expected that China’s automobile industry will see another strong growth in 2024.

Tubes and pipes
Tubular products are as important as wires and cables. Tubes and pipes made from different steel grades are used in the oil and gas industry for different applications in upstream operations (as socalled Oil Country Tubular Goods – OCTG), midstream operations such as transmission and distribution of oil, gas, fluids, acids, steam, and slurries, and downstream operations such as refining processes. According to the Baker Institute, China operated in 2023 more than 100 crude oil pipelines with a total length of nearly 26,000 km, refined product pipelines with a total network length of nearly 26,000 km and more than 410 natural gas pipelines with a total length of more than 110,000 km. Increasing investments in the oil, gas, and chemical industries are propelling the growth of the tubes and pipes market as well as spending on infrastructure including water and irrigation infrastructure, water and sewage treatment.

Also worth mentioning are the activities in the field of hydrogen production and use, the construction of buildings, and the replacement of aging pipes. Coal and gas power plants, which continue to play an important role in China’s electricity generation, and nuclear power plants need water piping systems for operation and cooling processes. Because of cost-efficiency, durability, corrosion resistance and a relatively light weight plastic pipes such as PE and, in particular PVC pipes become more and more important. The marketing research company Bonafide Research valued the Chinese plastic pipes market at US$14.2 bn in 2022 and expects that it will grow at CAGR of 4.2% to reach US$19 bn in 2028.

Outlook
To comply with the challenging requirements, Chinese manufacturers of wires, cables and tubular products need cutting-edge processing equipment. The wire China and Tube China trade fairs provide a unique opportunity for production equipment manufacturers to present their products and services while professional visitors get access to information about the latest developments.

www.messe-duesseldorf.de

#modernplasticsindia #modernplasticsasia #modernplastics #plasticsnews #plasticsplanet

#modernrecyclingindia #modernplasticsglobal #modernplasticsworld #plasticstalk

#modernplasticsgermany #modernplasticsnetwork #plasticdevelopment

Allrounder 720 E Golden Electric Slim In Design And Price

• New: Electric Allrounder with 2,800 kN clamping force
• Attractive: Low investment costs, short delivery times, high level of flexibility
• Slimline: New design saves space and increases overall 
Lossburg, 09/09/2024
The new Allrounder 720 E Golden Electric with a clamping force of 2,800 kN extends the product range of the electric series of the same name upwards. Its main advantages in a nutshell? A slim design with a price to match. Following its world premiere at NPE in Orlando, US, and its European premiere at Plastpol in Kielce, Poland, Arburg is now showing this machine for the first time at a trade fair in Germany at Fakuma 2024 (hall A3, stand 3101). It combines electrical precision, process stability and a small installation area with high component quality, low investment costs and short delivery times.

The extension of the electrical machine portfolio helps customers to meet current challenges such as increasing price pressure coupled with rising costs for labour, energy and materials as well as ever-shorter product life cycles and faster product changes. To enable attractive investment costs and a rapid return on investment (ROI), Arburg uses standardised equipment without compromising on quality and performance. So the ne”Golden” combines a high level of precision with a slimline design at a particularly attractive price/performance ratio.

Significantly smaller installation area Arburg has optimised the design so that the new Allrounder 720 E Golden Electric, with a width of just 1,848 millimetres, has a significantly reduced installation area compared to other machines in its class. This has been achieved through features such as a new safety door with recessed handles. At the same time, the door opening has been widened to 1,400 millimetres, making the ejector area more accessible, for example. Due to its smaller installation area, the new Allrounder fits into existing production grids and lines. This is of particular interest when old machine technology needs to be replaced. However, even for new production facilities that are being planned, every achievable space saving is a valuable resource. Thanks to the slim design, more machines can be set up in injection moulding production, resulting in an increased output per square metre.

Reliable, stable machine technology The Allrounder 720 E Golden Electric features high-quality machine technology to ensure stable and reliable plastic parts production. This includes a toggle-type clamping unit and direct drives from Arburg’s subsidiary AMKmotion. With an electric mould height adjustment system, mould installation heights of up to 800 millimetres are possible. The drive components are optimised for a clamping force of 2,800 kN. The proven high-quality Arburg plasticising with the “aXw Control ScrewPilot” ensures reproducible injection and excellent moulded part quality. Optimised mould venting with two-stage mould locking also plays a part in this. For convenient maintenance, the new electric Allrounder has the same easily accessible control cabinet concept as the new hybrid machines. A lubrication unit and an optional pneumatic system are located on the operating side. The parts chute in the machine base has been widened, making it easily accessible.

Flexible automation and application The new electric machine is not limited to a specific product and is quickly available, which is particularly advantageous for short-term replacement purchases and capacity expansions. It is relevant for almost every industry and of particular interest for technical injection moulding. Other typical areas of application include dimensionally stable housings for electromobility, thick-walled closures for household goods, precision components for medical technology, and the construction and leisure industries.
The Allrounder 720 E Golden Electric is equipped with the Selogica ND control system as standard. If required, additional options and functions such as core pulls and heating and cooling circuits can be easily integrated and programmed, enabling a wide range of plastic parts to be produced flexibly, efficiently and reliably.

24 razor covers in 11.5 seconds. The new electric machine can also be automated with linear Multilift robotic systems and six-axis robots from Arburg. The exhibit is equipped with a Multilift V 30. At Fakuma 2024, the Allrounder 720 E Golden Electric with a clamping force of 2,800 kN and a size 800 injection unit will be producing PP razor covers by way of example. A 24-cavity mould from Hack will be used. The cycle time is around 11.5 seconds, with each moulded part weighing 1.2 grams. The 24 finished parts are then ejected in groups of four, clustered by cavity, into six boxes.

“Smart” communication for predictive maintenance
“Smart” communication between the production cell and its centrepiece, the injection mould, using OPC UA is essential for predictive maintenance. For this purpose, the “Moldlife Sense” computer system enables sensor-controlled mould monitoring over the complete life cycle and detects changes to the mould at an early stage. The measured values from various sensors on the mould can be visualised in the machine controller. If these are outside specified tolerances, an event is automatically generated. The same applies to the indicators for the built-in acoustic emission sensors, where the “noise ID” is visualised and checked to see whether it is within the given tolerances. Individual events, such as warnings, alerts and error messages, can also be displayed in the controller and documented. This allows users to identify anomalies in the process quickly and reliably and better assess what needs to be done. In an emergency, the machine stops and issues a corresponding message so that the operator can react correctly.

visit : www.arburg.com

#modernplasticsindia #modernplasticsasia #modernplastics #plasticsnews #plasticsplanet

#modernrecyclingindia #modernplasticsglobal #modernplasticsworld #plasticstalk

#modernplasticsgermany #modernplasticsnetwork #plasticdevelopment