Opening up new areas of application for natural fiber plastics
Until now, coating processes such as electroplating and powder coating have mostly been used on metals. The application on plastics and also on natural fiber plastics (NFRP) has not yet been the focus of research.
On the one hand, the pre-treatment of plastics required for electroplating has so far been very costly, (in some cases) harmful to health and has only been possible on a few special plastics.
On the other hand, the usual temperature load for powder coating when baking the paint is often too high for the natural fibers processed in NFK.
However, the areas of application of NFRP can be extended enormously with suitable coatings. For example, by generating sufficient electrical conductivity, partial integration of metallic substructures or also through optical and haptic improvement. The LaNDER³ research team around IP5 FSP2 has set itself precisely this goal: The development and optimization of coating processes for NFRP and thus the development of further areas of application.
After the researchers fundamentally investigated the feasibility of various coating processes in the IP2 FSP2 sub-project(we reported), the researched processes are now being tested and optimized in different variants. Among other things, the type of powder coating, the layer structure and the curing regime (curing time and temperature) are being varied.
Reducing the latter not only protects the natural fibers in the material, but also saves energy and time.
The optimization of the coating processes powder coating and electroplating on NFRP are therefore the main focus of research in the LaNDER³ sub-project IP5 FSP2.
Both processes have now been applied to SMC-based NFRP for the first time (more information on the SMC process can be found here) and will be further optimized in the coming months. Among other things, work is being carried out with partners to improve the optics and optimum adhesive strength of the applied layers.
LaNDER³ research has made it possible to apply an adhesive coating to NFRP using both powder coating and galvanic metallization.
However, the processes developed in the LaNDER³ sub-project are not only innovative, but also more environmentally friendly and resource-saving:
In addition to the use of powder coatings that cross-link at low temperatures, powder coating, for example, also allows parts that do not end up on the product to be coated for production reasons to be collected and reused. In addition, both processes (electroplating and powder coating) use significantly fewer harmful substances (e.g. organic solvents).
