With its five business units: Customised Polymer Materials (CPM), Masterbatches & Additives, Composite Materials, LUVOMAXX and Magnesia, the LEHVOSS Group will present the sustainability and performance of its materials at K 2022.
The Blobber bike saddle with air cushioning
The LEHVOSS Group and its subsidiary WMK Plastics present sustainable materials from the LUVOTECH eco product line based on LEHVOSS ecX technology.
The materials in the LUVOTECH eco product line are based on raw materials from mechanical recycling and - as a further contribution to sustainability - are manufactured using 100 percent green electricity from a certified energy supplier.
The ecX technology (eco compounding eXperience) stands for know-how in the production of ecologically sustainable materials. This makes it possible to produce materials - from PC/ABS to PEEK-relevant applications - that have an improved CO2 balance sheet and a reduced overall environmental impact.
Characteristics of this recyclate product line are:
- the careful analysis of the different starting materials,
- the extensive knowledge related to adjustments in formulation,
- gentle and material-compatible compounding,
- the decades of experience in recycled materials of the LEHVOSS Group and its subsidiary WMK Plastics,
- long-term contracts with established suppliers.
As a result, all materials in the LUVOTECH eco product line comply with the strict LEHVOSS quality guidelines and also have proven carbon footprints based on the internationally applicable standards and the determination using GaBI Professional software.
The LEHVOSS Group is meeting the growing demand for sustainable materials in 3D printing with the LUVOCOM 3F eco PET product line. The material consists of 90 percent recycled PET - the highest recycling rate currently known on the market.
LUVOCOM 3F eco PET can be used in both the FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) and FGF (Fused Granulate Fabrication) processes. The areas of application include the production of functional prototypes and series parts in numerous industries. In addition to mechanical and automotive engineering, these also include medical technology.
Numerous other compounds are currently under development and will round off the product range in the short term.
The LEHVOSS Group presents a range of high-performance plastics as a metal alternative for the entire value chain in the field of bicycle components.
These plastics include:
- high-strength materials with glass fibre and carbon fibre reinforcement for structural and add-on parts,
- ultralight construction materials and high-performance materials for consistent lightweight construction with maximum strength,
- tribologically optimised materials for minimising wear and friction or for dry running, and
- technical recyclates to further reduce the environmental footprint.
All materials offer a metal alternative in terms of technical performance, component appearance and design freedom, as well as in terms of total cost and carbon footprint. They enable designers to exploit potentials - in terms of optimised component development, strength and weight - that were previously undiscovered or technologically unfeasible.
A series of end products will make the material advantages tangible at the LEHVOSS K 2022 trade show booth:
The FESCHD smartphone holder based on a plastic recyclate
As part of a production demonstration at the trade show booth, the LEHVOSS Group and FESCHD, a manufacturer of cell phone holders for bicycles from Gießen, Germany, will present the production of a smartphone holder. The holder is manufactured out of LEHVOSS recycled material LUVOTECH eco PA666-GF50-HS-BK.
A bicycle pedal crank manufactured based on the 3D skeleton wrapping technique (3DSW)
As part of the research project "Extreme Lightweight Design through Holistic Engineering of 3D Skeleton Wrapping Technology" (ELeGanz-3D), conducted jointly with the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT), the LEHVOSS Group is presenting a pedal crank for bicycles whose additively manufactured core consists of LUVOCOM 3F PAHT CF 9742 BK. The pedal crank demonstrator illustrates the potential of 3DSW in the context of lightweight applications requiring complex interactions of tensile, compressive and torsional loads.
The Klickfix bicycle accessories
The bicycle accessories of the Solingen-based manufacturer Rixen&Kaul have a consistent sustainability concept: This is based on the use of LUVOTECH eco materials - technical LEHVOSS recycling materials with optimised CO2 balance - and on the sourcing of materials from the LEHVOSS production site, which is also located in Solingen.
The Blobber bike saddle with air cushioning
This is completely produced in Austria. Up to 1.2 bar inflatable bicycle saddle with air damping has a printed core made of LUVOSINT TPU. The saddle is manufactured on the basis of two production processes: In the first step, the insert, which acts as a damping element, is sintered; in the second, polyurethane moulding technology is used.
Long-fibre-reinforced thermoplastics
Both in structural components and in the area of metal replacement, the new LFT compounds are said to be pushing forward into areas that were previously technologically unfeasible. The modifications presented at the trade show impress with their further optimised performance parameters, such as impact strength, colourability and surface properties. The trade show exhibits include:
- The Elaflex aircraft refueling nozzle with optimised handle
The handle made of the mechanically highly stressable, impact-resistant material LUVOCOM LFT PA66-GF30 is based on a long-fibre-reinforced polyamide.
- The Masterbatches & Additives division presents new high-performance additive masterbatches
The development of lightweight yet resistant plastics is an important topic for the future. After all, less weight means savings in energy, materials and transport costs. To achieve this goal, LUVOBATCH has developed physiologically safe, endothermic (azodicarbonamide (ADC)-free) blowing agent masterbatches for use in injection moulding and extrusion. These masterbatches can also be used in food applications and achieve results in reducing weight and sink marks and optimising processing parameters even at a low dosage - from 0.1 percent. In the automotive sector, for example, a weight reduction of 24 percent was achieved with a one percent masterbatch addition.