New developments in polyurethane processing and carbon recycling

• High-pressure mixing heads, vacuum-based foaming technology & Estrim RTM process
• New developments of Cannon at UTECH Asia / PU China 2014
• Chinese PU growth exceeds that of its GDP

From continuous foaming laminators to CRESIM (Carbon Recycling by Epoxy Special Impregnation): Cannon will present several new developments at the UTECH Asia / PU China 2014, the International trade fair for polyurethanes, which will take place on 3 – 5 September 2014 in Shanghai. This international exhibition is the largest gathering of Polyurethane professionals in the region.

Cannon will present equipment for the production of insulated sea-going containers (also known as reefers), equipment for the spray distribution of rigid foams in Baypreg applications and production systems dedicated to the automotive and transportation industries, in particular for flexible seats, sound deadening elements, steering wheels, door panels and other car interior parts.

There will be a special focus on following technologies:

• High-pressure mixing heads: for general purpose foams up to specialised applications such as filled and reinforced formulations, multi-component and multi-hardness foaming, high-output, cavity filling, industrial spray, clear coating. Six new or completely redesigned mixing heads will be illustrated.

  

  The Cannon JL 32 mixing head, designed for high-output applications with rigid foams, provides laminar flow and good mixing performances with all modern blowing agents (source: Cannon)
  

  • Vacuum-based foaming technology: V.A.I. (Vacuum Assisted Injection) for the production of domestic refrigerators and sandwich panels, used in combination with the Pascal PUR chemical technology developed by The Dow Chemical Company. The first three Cannon V.A.I. refrigerator-foaming plants are operated in China by two of the world largest producers of white appliances, Haier and Meiling. Cannon will also present a V.A.I. conversion kit for the conversion of existing polymerisation presses for the discontinuous foaming of sandwich panels using DOW’s Pascal PRO formulations.
  • Estrim: a complete moulding solution for fast RTM process designed for the production of automotive, leisure and sport parts. In addition to dedicated preformers, polymerisation clamps and moulds, the company offers the E-System, high-pressure metering and mixing equipment that allows short demoulding times and good distribution of the resin across the entire mould surface.

  

  A dedicated Cannon dosing unit has been designed for the application of Clear Coating formulations in automotive interior applications (source: Cannon)
  

  • CRESIM (Carbon Recycling by Epoxy Special Impregnation): the first industrial results of the CRESIM project, finally aimed at the development of a manufacturing process which will potentially reuse up to 100% of the Carbon fibre waste and scraps from different industrial sectors.
  • Continuous foaming laminators: for sandwich panels, designed for increased productivity, energy efficiency and easy operation.

  The Chinese PU market is one of the largest in the world and its PU growth exceeds that of its GDP. The main driver of the Chinese market is an expanding middle class creating increased demand for construction, automotive, furniture, bedding and domestic appliances.

  Main Picture: sandwich panels for the insulation of roofs and walls can be obtained with the rigid foam continuous laminators built by Cannon Ergos in Italy (source: Cannon)