BASF Innovations at Fakuma 2014

BASF is one of the first plastics manufacturers to expand its PBT
(polybutylene terephthalate) product line by a new special grade
optimized for the production of air-tight coffee capsules that retain
the aroma. This engineering plastic goes by the name Ultradur® B1520 FC
(FC: food contact) and it combines excellent barrier properties against
moisture and oxygen, while above all, containing the aromas, without a
need for any additional complex coatings. This distinguishes these
Ultradur capsules from other injection-molded capsules, which are
usually packaged individually, as well as from multilayered thermoset
capsules. Injection molding is the adequate processing technique for the
production of upscale coffee capsules with their exacting design.

With its food-contact certification, this new grade is suitable not only
for coffee capsules but also for thin-walled injection-molded packaging
for cosmetics and food products. The first coffee capsule prototypes
made of the new material by CCS GmbH, an independent Munich-based
supplier (www.cc-s.eu), are being
showcased at the Fakuma plastics trade fair in October of 2014. The new
Ultradur B1520 FC is now available in commercial quantities. It can be
colored using suitable masterbatches created by BASF Color Solutions.

Stand chairs: Surface polyamides for the furniture industry

Visitors to the BASF stand at Fakuma will sit on the “A-Chair” from the
Brunner company. It is made of Ultramid® B3EG10 SI (SI: surface
improved), one of the four representatives of the new surface polyamide
family from BASF for the needs of the furniture industry. First
introduced at the K 2013 plastics trade fair in Düsseldorf, this product
family combines a high surface quality with the outstanding mechanical
and chemical properties of the plastic class, in one case including
special flame-resistant characteristics. BASF experts assisted the
manufacturer in the design of the office chair with their simulation
tool Ultrasim™.

Masterbatch preparations

BASF Color Solutions is once again represented at the BASF stand this
year and will be presenting a wide spectrum of masterbatch applications
for coloring and stabilizing plastics, also in cooperation with other
BASF units.

One focus is the coloring of engineering polymers. With processing
temperatures of up to 350°C, temperature-resistance is an especially
crucial factor. The masterbatches of the Sicoversal®X series, which were
optimized for the Ultradur® plastics from BASF (polybutylene
terephthalate), are present in the displayed fiber-optics cables and the
newly developed coffee capsules at the coffee bar. Special types
approved for medical applications are also available. The displayed
lightweight and yet robust airplane trolley made of Ultrason®
(polyarylsulfones) is an example of the use of Sicoversal®X masterbatch
in the transport sector.

Read More: Coffee Capsule