Bayer MaterialScience at Fakuma 2014

Bayer MaterialScience will showcase material solutions for key trends at the Fakuma trade fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from Oct. 14- 18, 2014. Visitors to Stand 2406 in Hall B4 will be able to find out about the latest developments in the automotive and LED lighting sectors and about new production processes. The company’s program will be rounded out by speedtalks from experts – short, concise presentations about key themes.

“Our innovative materials and solutions improve people’s lives and create value,” explains Rainer Rettig, head of commercial operations for polycarbonates at Bayer MaterialScience in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. “However, we also want our developments to provide the answers to major challenges such as climate change and population growth. In this way, we aim to contribute to conserving resources and minimizing the impact on people and the environment. All of this is part of Bayer MaterialScience’s comprehensive sustainability concept.”

A current example is the LED lighting technology, which has excellent growth potential worldwide. Primarily due to their low energy consumption and long service life, LED lights are considered to be the climate- and resource-friendly light source of the future. This opens up opportunities for the use of polycarbonate and semi-finished films and sheets manufactured from this polymer.

Another key focus will be developments for automotive applications. A growing number of drivers see a customized and harmonious environment as a priority. With traffic congestion an everyday occurrence, some people spend far more time in their cars than they would like. This is another reason why they want to feel at home in their cars. Bayer MaterialScience has developed a complete material concept for car interiors that facilitates the realization of this dream while meeting the automotive industry’s requirement for greater cost-effectiveness in manufacturing.

A kaleidoscope of design variations will be on show at Fakuma, ranging from matt, textured and high-gloss structures, coated and metalized surfaces, and attractive colors to the design of displays with three-dimensional surfaces. The DirectCoating / DirectSkinning technology co-developed by Bayer MaterialScience enables the manufacture of decorated components in a single step. Another production concept originates from Gerhardi Kunststofftechnik in Lüdenscheid, Germany. This uses just one master mold to create a whole range of decoration variants with Bayer polycarbonates, which facilitates customized design for small-volume production.

With the development of the customized TPU material Desmosint for selective laser sintering, Bayer MaterialScience is making a contribution to establishing this process for rapid prototyping and small-volume production. Layer for layer, laser sintering can even produce complex parts with cavities and undercuts that were previously impossible to manufacture using injection molding. Working with cooperation partner Lehmann & Voss, initial successes have been achieved, which confirm the excellent potential that Bayer MaterialScience sees in this development.