TAGS: Polymer Reinforcement
A European tooling producer expands its production line with an ultralight composite printing cylinder by introducing to its epoxy compound a TUBALL™ MATRIX pre-dispersed concentrate of graphene nanotubes, produced by OCSiAl.
Graphene nanotubes add value in the new product by providing superior electrical conductivity to the base material, while retaining and even enhancing mechanical properties, and otherwise minimally affecting the host matrix.
Electrical Conductivity Improves Performance
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The obtained electrical conductivity of <106 Ω·cm independent of humidity improves the performance of the new sleeves by dissipating accumulated static electricity," said Andrew Dubrovskiy, technical sales manager for coating & thermoplastics for EMEA, OCSiAl Group
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"Weight reduction was achieved due to the overall optimization of the technological process, the coating method, and replacing 20 wt.% of carbon black with approximately 0.01–0.05 wt.% of graphene nanotubes,” added Dubrovskiy.
The new technology for sleeve production allows a higher working speed of rotation and flexibility in adjusting product dimensions, such as length, thickness, and outer diameter.
Another European producer achieved the target static conductivity by reaching a volume resistance of <107 Ω·cm using 0.015 wt.% of graphene nanotubes. No changes of the mechanical properties and very high efficiency were observed in the resulting material, in contrast to carbon black and most other additives.
This makes it possible to maintain high hardness and no deformation. Moreover, the easy-to-handle nanotube concentrate form doesn’t require changes in the standard production process.
The tiny quantity of nanotubes avoids carbon black’s negative graying effect on the color, making it possible to expand the range of colors of conductive sleeves. Finally, using sustainable graphene nanotubes makes it possible to make production clean and cost-efficient.
OCSiAl's TUBALL™ Range
Source: OCSiAl