Press Release:

Aptiform Launches Self-Reinforced PET Mouldings
PARIS, France (03 April 2007)

Aptiform, the business launched last year to mould products from self-reinforced plastics, has significantly enhanced its capability by adding self-reinforced PET to its portfolio.

Self-reinforced plastics are a family of materials where the matrix is reinforced by a fibre of the same material, such as polypropylene reinforced with polypropylene. These materials bridge the gap between isotropic polymers and fibre-reinforced composites, with stiffness and strength values typically 5 times those of conventional unreinforced plastics.

Previously, most self-reinforced plastics were based on polyolefins, but PET offers additional advantages. Self-reinforced PET is particularly applicable to large, low-volume parts and is easily painted and bonded, offering significant weight savings compared to GRP mouldings. Applications are anticipated in areas where GRP is currently used but where weight savings are beneficial, such as in mass transit, specialist and construction vehicles.
 
Because these materials are not contaminated with dissimilar reinforcing materials like glass fibres they can be more easily recycled, whist offering comparable strength and stiffness properties and the advantage of reduced weight.

Aptiform’s proprietary forming process has been developed over several years in collaboration with leading industrial companies and universities, enabling them to successfully mould complex shapes in these relatively new materials. This allows OEMs in these sectors to benefit from the light weight, recyclability, high impact performance and low cost offered by self-reinforced PET.

Aptiform’s capabilities also include finishing, joining, painting and recycling of self-reinforced plastics, allowing the complete supply of finished, assembled components.

Aptiform showed how OEM’s can benefit from the light weight, recyclability, high impact performance and low cost of self-reinforced PET at their launch at the JEC Composites Show in Paris. On show were a variety of moulded self-reinforced PET and polypropylene products ranging from painted automotive body panels to medical orthoses, demonstrating the uses of moulded self-reinforced plastic products in the automotive, medical, protective equipment and construction sectors.

Aptiform has been created from the applied research work undertaken at NetComposites, the applied R&D, consultancy and information organisation.

About Aptiform
 

Aptiform is a moulding business that has been founded specifically to manufacture components from self-reinforced plastics, based on the results of extensive development work undertaken by NetComposites in collaboration with leading industrial companies and universities.

We work with our customers’ purchasing and technical departments by offering prototyping, product development & project planning to facilitate smooth changes in the supply chain. Our expertise also includes finishing, joining, painting and recycling of self-reinforced plastics, allowing the complete supply of finished, assembled components.

www.aptiform.com

About Self-Reinforced Plastics

The impact, weight, temperature and recycling characteristics of self reinforced plastics means that they are ideally suited to a wide range of applications in almost all industrial sectors. Moulded self-reinforced plastic technology is already used by leading companies in the following sectors:

  Construction - Shuttering and Formwork
  Sports and Leisure - Luggage; Loudspeaker Cones
  Automotive - Parcel Shelves; Exterior Panels; Liners
  Marine – Personal Watercraft
  Off-Road Vehicles – High-Impact Exterior Panels
  Protective Equipment –Helmets; Ballistic and Injury Protection
  Medical – Orthoses; Temporary Supports

Compared to incumbent materials such as GMT, GRP or ABS, self reinforced plastic mouldings typically offer significant performance advantages at similar or reduced costs.

About NetComposites

NetComposites was created at the end of 2000 with the specific objective of developing and exploiting new composite materials technologies. The company is active in applied research, development and consultancy, and also has a strong presence in web-based information, all in the field of composite materials. NetComposites is also well-known for its insight into emerging technologies in composites.

www.netcomposites.com

Media Contact: Gordon Bishop
gordon.bishop@aptiform.com
Tel: +44 1246 541918
Mob: +44 7884 187678