FuturePlas

Future Generation Plastics for Ultimate Sustainability

The FuturePlas project aims to reduce the weight and improve the performance of plastic components by developing of the next generation of lightweight, high strength, recyclable polymers. The polymers will be reinforced with polymer fibres to produce ‘self-reinforced plastics’ with far greater strength, stiffness and impact resistance than traditional plastics and much greater recyclability, lower weight, lower tool wear and safer handling compared to glass fibre-reinforced plastics.

To date, this technology has only been used to make self-reinforced polypropylene sheet for which the applications are limited – polypropylene has relatively low mechanical properties, particularly at elevated temperature, and sheet materials are not readily moulded into complex shapes. FuturePlas will use high performance, commodity polymers to develop self-reinforced plastics with significantly enhanced properties and, for the first time, flowing self-reinforced plastic intermediates which will enable the production of high performance, lightweight complex components by injection moulding and compression moulding. In addition, part performance and weight will be optimised by over-moulding strategically placed, high performance, woven self-reinforced plastic inserts with flowing versions of the same self-reinforced plastic to produce hybrid structures.

The technology will be demonstrated by manufacturing and testing 3 case study components – an automotive door casing, an automotive hybrid front end module and an industrial safety helmet. The project started in November 2006 and will take 30 months to complete. The total value of the project is £700,000.

Website

http://www.futureplas.com

Acknowledgements

The FuturePlas project is part-funded through the DTI Technology Programme within the priority area of Design and Manufacture of Sustainable Products.