Haptic surfaces, additive masterbatch and Plexiglas molding
Grafe Advanced Polymers GmbH

Grafe will showcase high-quality looks for haptic surfaces, additive masterbatch to save energy in the production process, and customized solutions with Plexiglas molding compounds.

According to the designers at Grafe, textile surface haptics are fully in line with the trend among plastics processors. Expressive color combinations of particles, flakes and natural fibers – combined with stylish textures – were the inspiration for visually and haptically high-quality design effects. These effect combinations are presented in three variants made of polypropylene. Injection-molded sample sheets in dark and light gray with black and white fiber combinations and light gray with white and pink fibers are available as inspiration. The effect can be transferred to different polymer types and is therefore not only applicable in PP. Other processing methods are also currently being tested, which means that profile extrusion, in addition to injection molding, can already be confirmed as a further process. The multitude of possible applications knows no bounds.

With the highly effective additive masterbatch from Grafe, the specially developed processing aids result in significant energy-saving potential in series production and contribute to more efficient

plastics production. The masterbatch influences the flow behavior of polymers in such a way that, depending on the application and component geometry, different increases in efficiency can be achieved at a lower cost than special plastics. The processing aids for cycle-optimized injection can be used with the right masterbatch carrier for a wide range of high-performance polymers and engineering plastics, including ABS, PA, PBT, PET, PPA, PSU, POM, EPS, PPE, PPS and PSU. The additive masterbatches are also available in the form of combi-batches with color content.

In addition to better melt flow and reduced cycle times, users of the additive masterbatches benefit from optimized mechanical properties and a more stable processing window of PPA. Compared with an unmodified base polymer, improved surface quality, more uniform crystallization and a faster process on the injection-molding machine can also be implemented. This makes the processing aid from Grafe universally applicable when it comes to solving special processing problems.

Invisible integration of operating elements in the housing is currently a major trend, driven above all by applications in automotive engineering. Classic knobs, levers and conventional rotary controls and switches disappear behind the surface. The so-called black panel effect plays an important role here: information is shown in precise colors on a display that is only visible when the device is switched on and is otherwise perceived as a dark, high-gloss cover. The gray coloring of the display covers merges with the housing to form a uniform black unit. The installed LEDs are only activated when touched and then depict the display or operating elements in strong colors. Grafe combines these color properties with the entire range of Plexiglas molding compounds.

Grafe produces and distributes the small-volume business of the colored Plexiglas molding compounds of Röhm GmbH, Darmstadt, for the German market.

Booth: 3453

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