Bayer MaterialScience At PU Latin America 2005
Only Polyurethane Manufacturer with MDI Production in Latin America
Pittsburgh, PA - At PU Latin America 2005 in São Paulo from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, 2005, Bayer MaterialScience AG will be showcasing its broad portfolio of polyurethane raw materials and its extensive expertise in polyurethanes technology. One of the key focuses will be on the products manufactured by Bayer MaterialScience, the only producer of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) in South America. Isocyanates, monomers and polymers from the Desmodur® range, polyols from the Desmophen® and Arcol® lines and polyurethane systems such as Baymer®, Baytherm®, Bayflex® and Bayfit® are produced at the Belford Roxo site near Rio de Janeiro. Bayer MaterialScience will appear at the trade fair under the motto "VisionWorks." This slogan underlines the company's objective of turning its customers' visions into reality.
Polyurethane spray system for large-format molded parts
The workshops held by Bayer MaterialScience alongside the product seminars will demonstrate what this actually means in practice. Two new polyurethane systems for composites will be unveiled, with a particular focus on automotive and commercial vehicle applications. However, these systems can also be used for other applications where state-of-the-art design and high functionality are important. Multitec® Short Fiber Spraying consists of a sprayable polyurethane multi-component system with or without glass fiber reinforcement. This system was developed as a styrene-free and cost-effective alternative to the conventional method used to process unsaturated polyesters and epoxy resins. "Multitec Short Fiber Spraying does not contain any styrene and is therefore kinder to the environment. The system is also highly cost effective as a result of the short cycle and demold time," said Dr. Marc Schütze, polyurethanes expert at Bayer MaterialScience.
Current applications extend from bath tubs to small and average-sized components for the automotive and commercial vehicle industry and large components for the construction sector. In contrast, Baypreg® is used for components reinforced with natural or glass fiber mats that are molded into their final form under pressure. It can be used to produce both thin-walled components and sandwich composites which combine low weight with high stiffness.
Efficient foaming for discontinuous applications
The spectrum of polyurethane processing methods for discontinuous applications has expanded significantly in recent years. The challenge in terms of process development has always been to increase productivity by reducing weight and shortening demold times. There are also frequent calls for improvements in foam quality. "We will be unveiling technologies for discontinuous production of metal panels and district heating pipes, including the latest results from the new mixing head draw-through method that is playing an increasingly important role in insulating heating pipes," said Dr. Gerhard Heilig, heat insulation expert at Bayer MaterialScience.
The second part of the workshop will provide an overview of current manufacturing methods for refrigerating appliances. The topic will be rounded off with a discussion of new CAE 3D mold filling simulations based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). This enables improvements in mold design and optimization of the foaming process.
SOURCE: Bayer MaterialScience