Price pressure, volatile raw material costs, uncertain supply chains: with Smart Resourcing, the LEHVOSS Group has introduced a new offering that eases the pressure on its customers where it hurts most – in the costing. LEHVOSS draws on a portfolio of selected, proven compounds that saves plastics processors 10 to 20 percent on material costs. And it does so at the LEHVOSS quality they know. At Fakuma, from October 12 to 16, the offering becomes tangible. Four exhibits at booth B1-1109 show how cost savings and performance gains come together. „Our customers are under cost pressure, not in need of explanations. That is why at Fakuma we are showing components made from materials that add up“, says Dr. Harald Hunke, Commercial Director Europe at LEHVOSS Compounds.
Four exhibits from four industries.Four components where cost and performance improved at the same time.
Agricultural drone
Every detail counts. Stiffer blades, longer flights. Simple math.
Propeller blades have to be stiff. Every bit of flex under load costs energy that should go into thrust. The blades of this autonomous agricultural drone are made of carbon-fiber-reinforced compounds based on LEHVOSS XCF technology – stiffer and stronger than standard CF-reinforced thermoplastics and composites. Less energy per revolution means more flight time, more range, less noise.
· Up to 48 % higher stiffness than standard CF compounds
· Up to 520 MPa flexural strength
· Up to 52 GPa tensile modulus
· Up to 425 MPa tensile strength
LUVOCOM® – High-Performance Compounds
Headlight housing
Every second counts. Shorter cycle, more parts per shift.
Blowing agent masterbatches foam the part inside the mold – improving dimensional stability at the same time. Volume is created on the inside, where no load is applied, with unchanged impact strength and stability. On large injection-molded parts such as door panels or light housings, part weight drops by up to 25 percent. Including the headlight housing shown here. The second effect isn’t in the part. It is found in the costing: cycle time falls and the processing temperature can be lowered. Same machine, more parts per shift, less energy.
· 21 % shorter cycle time
· Up to 25 % less part weight
· €0 machine investment
· Up to 15 % lower cost per volume
LUVOBATCH® – Blowing Agent Masterbatches
Work light
Every cent counts. Deburring and painting are eliminated. And so are the costs.
The housing of this work light used to be an aluminum die casting. It had to be deburred and painted, and it was sourced from Asia. Today it’s an injection-molded part made of thermally conductive plastic, produced in-house. Deburring and painting are gone; the color is in the material. Heat still dissipates, thanks to a thermally conductive compound.
· Up to 14 % lower cost
· Up to 18 W/mK thermal conductivity
· Up to 60 % less carbon footprint compared with virgin material
· 36 % lighter than aluminum die casting
LUVOTECH® eco TC – Thermally Conductive Compounds with an Improved Environmental Footprint
Exoskeleton
Every gram counts. Eight hours a day. Every day. Zero gear maintenance.
An exoskeleton takes the load off the worker – and must not become one itself. In metal, that is hard to achieve. In plastic, it is straightforward: three metal components have been replaced. Struts and a gear housing made of metal-replacement compounds, and a drive gear wheel made of tribologically modified material.
· Up to 1.3 kg lighter to wear
· Zero gear maintenance
· Up to 19 % longer battery runtime
LUVOCOM® – Structural and Tribologically Modified Compounds
Photo: Headlight housing. Reduced weight and higher productivity thanks to LUVOBATCH® – blowing agent masterbatches.