![\"rPET-core-](\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2020\/10\/rPET-core-HEADER-600x400-2.jpg\")
EconCore’s proprietary ThermHex technology produces honeycombs from a single continuous thermoplastic sheet by a sequence of thermoforming, folding and bonding operations. ThermHex honeycombs have closed skin strips, allowing perfect bonding of skins onto the core. It combines the excellent mechanical properties and the low weight of aerospace honeycomb with the automated production and low production cost of packaging processes.<\/p>\n
The folded honeycomb core materials and their cost-efficient continuous production processes have been developed in cooperation with the University of Leuven, Belgium, in Ph.D. and European research projects with leading industrial partners.<\/p>\n
The range of polymers includes (but is not limited to) polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), polyamide, polycarbonate, ABS, PPS and PEI (polyetherimide).<\/p>\n
Applications include the sidewalls of delivery trucks and trailers, vehicle interiors such as parcel shelves, headliners, boot\/trunk floors and other interior panels. It can also be used for concrete casting molds and fa\u00e7ade panels in the commercial construction and building sector.<\/p>\n
Now, after two years of research and development, designed to optimally process the reusable polymer into continuously produced honeycomb core, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) honeycomb is now commercially available.<\/p>\n
PET is one of the most widely used plastics in the world, particularly with bottles and food packaging. The bottle industry now re-uses transparent bottles, but that leaves an enormous amount of colored waste PET globally. For some products, aesthetics is important, but not so with the inner honeycomb core of sandwich panels.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s rPET honeycomb core is typically made from more than 95% recycled PET from a variety of sources such as bottles and food packaging. The global annual consumption of PET bottles could reach half a trillion by 2021. Recycling efforts cannot keep up and the damage to the ocean and other environments is a concern.<\/p>\n
The benefit is a substantial fall in carbon footprint in many transportation applications, to add to fuel and energy savings from using low weight honeycomb materials. Recycled PET honeycomb cores also have superior temperature resistance and mechanical properties compared to conventional thermoplastic core materials.<\/p>\n
![\"rPET-flakes](\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2020\/10\/rPET-flakes-600x400-1.jpg\")
This is a very attractive cost-effective solution as it does not require much pre-production processing to achieve stable, temperature and strength performance, outperforming PP honeycombs. There are many applications that stand to benefit from using a honeycomb core with better heat and strength properties than a PP honeycomb. These include large volume production outlets, including automotive, general ground transportation, packaging and furniture. Honeycomb cores made from rPET are also set to be used in a project by Eindhoven University of Technology to design and build a road-legal car completely made from waste, recyclable and biodegradable material.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur technology is very flexible and has proven to work with many thermoplastics already,” says Wouter Winant, technical manager at EconCore. “Adapting the technology to successfully use PET and rPET honeycomb is another great step forward. By adjusting the content of additives or fillers, we can optimize the performance characteristics.”<\/p>\n
MEAF designs, develops and builds extrusion machines for the global packaging and plastics processing industry, based in the Netherlands. \u201cOne key aspect of the development journey was the optimization of the processing methodology and adapting the equipment in order to increase the efficiency of the continuous honeycomb production process, Winant added. “We worked closely with our partners at MEAF who developed and adapted the machinery to achieve the results we were looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultrapolymers and DuFor, who have also partnered with EconCore on this project, have extensive knowledge and expertise in processing PET and recycled PET (rPET) polymers. DuFor\u2019s advice was of key importance to find the optimal composition of the PET polymers and chemical additives that benefit the crystallization process, even during fast cooling, and keep the semi-crystalline state stable during and after the manufacturing process.<\/p>\n
ThermHex RPET honeycomb cores are finished with a PET film. This film avoids the resins to ingress into the open cells during converting and in this way assures stable mechanical properties in the finished part. At the same time, the quantity of resin needed for processing is reduced to a minimum. On the top of the PET film is a second surface finish, a PET non-woven material, which enables easy and reliable bonding of various types of skin materials with all common adhesives.<\/p>\n
For the work on recycled PET, EconCore was awarded a grant to fund research over a two-year period from Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO), a government agency that finances strategic and industrial research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"