Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) and Nanodax Co. (Tokyo, Japan) have signed an agreement on the development of innovative polycarbonate composites reinforced with glass wool. Nanodax has developed a special process for the manufacture of these products. Conventionally, glass fibers are used for reinforcing thermoplastics such as polycarbonate. However, the new technology developed by Nanodax and their know-how enabled the use of glass wool as reinforcing filler for plastics. It has a small diameter and is more flexible than glass fibers. Covestro is a leading global supplier of polycarbonates and has comprehensive expertise in their processing and application. Both companies see good prospects for future use of the reinforced plastics in automotive, IT and electronics applications.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with NANODAX to advance such an exciting compound technology,” says Michael Schmidt, head of Business Development for Polycarbonates Asia Pacific at Covestro. “Our development cooperation is targeting diverse application areas for polycarbonates reinforced with glass wool, and will open up new prospects for both companies. In particular, we are aiming at advantages in surface appearance and material processing. Cost reductions for customers are expected through an optimized injection molding manufacturing process.”
The joint development work will be performed primarily at Covestro´s Polymer Research & Development Center (PRDC) in Shanghai, China.