This year, 11 companies and their partners will receive an awards at JEC Europe - Composites Show and Conferences (March 12-14, 2013) for their composites innovations. The jury has selected the best composite breakthroughs, based on their technical interest, market potential, partnerships, financial & environmental impact and originality. The decision to give prominence to these projects was based on their atypical nature and various noteworthy aspects.
In 2013, the winners were selected from the following categories: Raw materials, Thermoplastics, Multifunctional materials, Machining & Tool, Building & Construction, Aeronautics, Automotive, Wind Energy, Sports & Leisure and a Special prize.
The JEC Innovation Awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday March 12 at 5:00 pm on the JEC Show (at the Agora) and will be open to all exhibitors and visitors.The ceremony is sponsored by CYTEC, JEC Composites Magazine, Aviation Week and Innovation & Industrie.
Category: Raw materials
Winner: BAC2 Limited (UK)
Name of Product or Process: A new family of latent acid catalysts to make pre-polymeric mixes easier to store, transport, handle and process.
Description:The development of the CSR family of latent acid catalysts was driven by the desire to make pre-polymeric mixes easier to store, transport, handle and process during product manufacturing. Without a latent catalyst to control polymerization, the storage life of pre-polymeric mixes may be anything from a few seconds to a few minutes. Other catalysts that extend storage life are available. However, they typically require temperatures above 200°C for activation, something that is both energy-hungry and impractical with many of the materials involved in manufacturing processes that utilise resins. Bac2 developed the CSR family of latent acid catalysts to address the above issues. The key innovation was to develop a family of products that activate between 50°C and 120°C, depending on the application and the speed of cure required, enabling them to be used with many materials and processes. Critically, the catalysts do not have a detrimental effect on the mould flow or other characteristics of the resins with which they are used. Originally developed for use with Bac2's electrically conductive ElectroPhen polymer resin, the CSR family of catalysts has since been expanded to include formulations that retard and control the curing of phenol-formaldehyde resoles, furan resins, urea and melamine formaldehyde resins.
Using CSR catalysts, the storage life of pre-polymeric mixes has been extended to over 3 months, simplifying storage, transportation and materials handling. Process efficiency improvements of 130% have been demonstrated in pultrusion. In SMC and BMC processes, room-temperature storage life is extended to several months. CSR catalysts also enable the manufacture of inherently flame-retardant mouldings by facilitating the production of stable phenolic and furan-based pre-polymeric mixes.
Bac2 estimates the potential global market for its latent acid catalysts to be at least 100 million. The company has identified 3 primary sectors where the innovation offers the greatest benefits:
1. During the manufacture of wood products such as MDF, particle board and plywood, high temperatures are used to cure the resin used for bonding the materials and to drive out moisture. Using CSR reduces the cure time, reducing the time during which the high temperatures need to be maintained. This in turn reduces the energy consumption and cost.
2. In abrasives manufacture, the overall temperature of the manufacturing process is reduced, saving energy and cost.
3. In the manufacture of sheet or bulk moulded composites, for which there are applications in everything from interior fittings in transportation to seating for stadiums, CSR can be used to produce inherently flame-retardant products at lower temperatures than previously possible.
