Trelleborg Expands its Capabilities in Engineered Polymer Solutions
TrelleborgSealing Solutions expands its unique capabilities in engineered performancepolymer solutions, through its investment in the High-PerformanceThermoplastics Technology and Development Center, located in Denver, Colorado,US. The center delivers custom value-added capabilities for sealing,cushioning, and protection, using thermoplastics to replace metal components.This reduces mass and weight, eliminates corrosion, improves reliability andlowers maintenance requirements.
BrianRichards, Director of Global R&D Business Development, says: “Our uniqueportfolio and knowledge of diverse markets and solutions enables us to maximizethe value we create for our customers. They need a partner that has the rightpeople, resources, and passion for solutions in a complex world. Trelleborg'sHigh-Performance Thermoplastics Technology and Development Center partners withcustomers globally on their complex challenges to simplify them and add realvalue. With such a wide variety of material options, choosing an experiencedpartner like Trelleborg is essential, with our expertise and resources reducingtime-to-market when developing new products and keeping pace with acceleratinginnovation cycles.”
Previouslyexpensive to produce, advances in manufacturing, part simulation, and materialdevelopment make thermoplastic composites viable for an increasing number ofapplications, offering greater design flexibility than thermoset composites andmetals. This makes it easier to meet application requirements, while optimizingstrength-to-weight ratios and physical properties.
Trelleborg'sHigh-Performance Thermoplastics Technology and Development Center offers customthermoplastic materials, compounds, and geometries to meet specific applicationrequirements. This includes products with enhanced corrosion and fireresistance, and specialized compounds that can withstand challenging or nicheenvironments for longer periods of time. Innovative manufacturing processes atthe center enable production of smaller and more complex shapes, leading toreduced-size components or multiple functions combined into one solution.
Inaddition, the center provides customers with access to Trelleborg's extensiveR&D resources, including simulation (mold flow and stress/strain),tribology testing, material analysis including DSC (Digital ScanningCalorimetry), TGA (Thermal Gravimetric Analysis), DMA (Dynamic MechanicalAnalysis), microscopy, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), and compositionalanalysis and operational testing.
Richards,adds: “Our thermoplastic composites offer customers products that aremultifunctional, add or enhance properties or consolidate parts. Thermoplasticcomposites are significantly lighter, with half the density of aluminum and asixth of steel yet are strong with high impact resistance allowing them toreplace structural elements.
“Globally,the High-Performance Thermoplastics Technology and Development Center combinesdesign and manufacturing capabilities with our deep application expertise toaddress the challenges our customers face.”