TPT January 2007

Technology Update

Research and simulation tools for shorter testing times

New electro-pneumatic valve family

Borealis, a provider of plastics solutions, has developed new material testing methods and software systems in co-operation with the University of Leoben and the Polymer Competence Centre Leoben (PCCL) in Austria. As a result, the automotive, infrastructure and advanced packaging sectors will benefit from accelerated time taken to bring products onto the market. As part of the ongoing partnership, a four- year material characterisation and software development programme commenced in June 2006, to characterise the mechanical behaviour of heterogeneous polypropylene (PP) compounds used in automotive applications. The software tool was based on extensive mechanical testing performed by the team at the University of Leoben and the PCCL to characterise constituents. The tool allows for the simulation of thermal expansion and mechanical material response when certain components or characteristics of a PP compound are changed. By generating more precise material data, Borealis will be able to achieve a faster and more competitive approach to material development.

In July 2006, a specific project entitled ‘A novel qualification concept for lifetime and safety assessment of polyethylene (PE) pressure pipes for arbitrary installation conditions’ was launched. The goal of this research was to help material producers, manufacturers and installation companies in the pipe industry to improve their effectiveness in supplying value added solutions to the market. testing procedures taking several months are required to create pipe lifetime predictions over a 50 to 100 year period. The project features a three year programme aimed at developing a concept for the simulation of pipe lifetimes, and the material characterisation and software model resulting from this research will be used to develop methodology that can support and accelerate the development of materials with improved performance characteristics. Currently, time-consuming

Festo, UK, has recently launched its new VTSA electro-pneumatic valve family, designed to facilitate the creation of automation systems around a configurable manifold – allowing the functionality of a control cabinet to be replaced with a stand- alone, point-of-use system. Ease of configuration and access are fundamental to the design of the VTSA to suit users creating machines for demanding application environments such as continuous processes. Here, the advantages of a terminal with industry- standard dimension valves (compliant with ISO 15407-2) are complemented by intrinsic modularity that allows systems to be built with different pressure zones, gas zones and electrical power isolation. VTSA’s high degree of versatility means that it can support ‘hot swap’ valve changeovers, enabling valve bodies to be exchanged without turning off the air supply to the manifold, for reduced downtime and disruption. It is also possible to make all air connections face the same direction,

Borealis AG – Austria Fax : +43 122 400 333

Email : info@borealisgroup.com Website : www.borealisgroup.com

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J ANUARY /F EBRUARY 2007