Vyncolit introduces the next generation of mouldable carbon fibre composites

Vyncolit N.V., a market leader in engineering phenolics, has announced the development of Vyntec, a phenolic-based carbon fibre reinforced composite that sets a new industry standard for material performance in metal replacement applications.

Vyntec represents the next step in composite advancement breaking old boundaries and establishing a new generation of materials that can outperform metals and specialty engineering thermoplastics. Developed to provide an easily mouldable, cost efficient, lightweight material for demanding applications in aggressive environments, Vyntec short-carbon fibre reinforced composite delivers an unmatched balance of mechanical and tribological properties.

Currently being trialled in a number of applications, Vyntec carbon fibre composite will be launched commercially at K 2004, Dusseldorf, 20-27 October 2004, and will be a highlighted feature of Vyncolit’s materials presentation on Stand G39, Hall 05.

According to Mr. Wim Lossy, Marketing Manager Europe, Vyncolit: “Vyntec is an exciting and important composite development that brings improved cost control to applications previously dominated by more expensive materials. Key is that unlike some alternative materials (such as PEI and PEEK) Vyntec can deliver cost savings without any reduction in performance. In fact, tests show that Vyntec performance can not only match that of high cost materials but in many instances is superior to them.”

Vyntec is characterized by its unsurpassed combination of properties. Through the use of lightweight carbon fibres, Vyntec exhibits low density, between 1.35-1.55 g/cm3, giving it a high stiffness/density ratio. Moreover, optimum impregnation of carbon fibres endows the material with high thermo-mechanical properties and chemical resistance, even at elevated temperatures.

Underpinning its performance profile are Vyntec’s outstanding tribological properties, which provide it with a very high level of resistance to wear, together with a low coefficient of friction at high temperatures. This gives the material an excellent fit in applications where one or more interconnected parts are in motion, and particular value in applications where the lubrication of moving parts is either precluded or undesirable. This characteristic opens the way for Vyntec to fulfil the operating criteria of applications such as rotors and propellers in vacuum and fluid pumps, various types of bearings, as well as seals in brake and engine systems.

Furthermore, because Vyntec consistently maintains its surface properties and mechanical performance at a continuous in-use temperature of 150°C, a level at which the performance values of many engineering thermoplastics are reduced or fail, its potential use extends to a broad range of harsh environment automotive and industrial applications for which long-term, robust performance is demanded.

To ascertain performance benchmarks for Vyntec composite, a complete array of tests was carried out. To obtain comparative data, these tests were simultaneously conducted on carbon fibre reinforced grades of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), generally considered one of the highest performing engineering thermoplastic polymers. In each of the tests, which included exposure to high temperatures and aging in automotive fuel and oil and Block on Ring (BOR) tribological testing, mechanical and wear performances were measured and results showed Vyntec performance paralleled or significantly exceed that of PEEK thermoplastic.

“At a time when the physical demands on materials and cost pressures are increasing in tandem, we believe that Vyntec can enable manufacturers to balance these often contradictory demands in a positive way and without any compromises,” says Wim Lossy. “Importantly, although Vyntec is ideally positioned as a replacement material, its performance profile also puts it in the front rank of choice for future applications, which will probably be more demanding in all respects.”

Reader enquiries

Vyncolit N.V.
Nieuwevaart 51
B-9000 Gent
Belgium
Tel.: +32 (0)9 265.27.77
Fax: +32 (0)9 265.28.81

E-mail: vyncolit@sumitomobakelite.com
Web: www.vyncolit.com

Sumitomo Bakelite North America, Inc.
46820 Magellan Drive, Suite C
Novi, MI 48377
USA
Tel: +1 248 313 7000
Fax: +1 248 313 7027

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Notes for editors

Vyncolit is a specialist in the field of thermoset composites. Based on phenolic resins and a variety of reinforcement fillers, Vyncolit materials are characterized by their heat resistance, dimensional stability and load bearing performance, and by their ease of moulding into high tolerance, complex parts. This profile enables their specification for a complete range of applications in the automotive, electrical and gas industries, among others.

Complementing its broad product line, Vyncolit provides a full suite of technical services to customers. This support, which spans the complete product development cycle from initial design through to prototyping and testing, is delivered by the company’s two Technical Market Development Centres, located in Gent, Belgium and Farmington Hills, USA.

Vyncolit is the principal company in the Perstorp Group’s Engineering Materials Division and in 2003 had global sales in excess of US$ 75 million. The Sweden-based Perstorp Group is a world-class specialty chemicals and performance resins company, with production centres in eight countries, in Europe, Asia and North America, employing some 2,100 personnel. In the last financial year the Group had sales of approximately SEK 7 billion (US$750 million).

•Vyntec has been developed with financial support granted by the Flemish Institute for Science and Technology (IWT-Vlaanderen).