Abstract:

As a renewable resource, natural (lignocellulosic) fibers have advantages for use as reinforcements or fillers in thermoplastic composites. Because natural fibers are both biodegradable and carbon-neutral upon combustion, they provide superior environmental benefits over other fillers or fibers such as glass and minerals. These benefits are further realized, as manufacturers are increasingly being required to manage complete lifecycles of their products. In addition, due to lower specific gravity, natural fibers offer opportunities for weight reduction, a key opportunity in competitive applications such as automotive components. Traditionally, natural and wood fibers have been used in applications such as: compression-molded automotive parts, extruded wood-plastic decking, or low-strength commodity injection molded parts. The barriers to wider automotive and industrial products adoption of natural fiber composites have included technical challenges in the manufacturing of such materials, sourcing global and reliable supply of natural fibers, and cost. We have commercialized next-generation, high-performance, injection-moldable natural fiber composites, which overcome such barriers. Our novel NCellT materials have mechanical properties equivalent to glass-reinforced thermoplastics. Due to density differences between our compounds and glass or mineral filled thermoplastics, there are part weight savings opportunities of up to 20%. In addition, our materials offer process benefits including reduction in cycle times, energy savings through lower molding temperatures, and reduced wear on tooling.

This presentation will discuss the unique material properties and applications of these novel thermoplastic biocomposites. Advanced imaging techniques such as X-Ray Micro-CT were utilized to visualize fiber dispersion and morphology, two key parameters that were determined to be critical for improved mechanical performance. We will present case studies including product and process data developed through automotive and industrial part molding trials with manufacturers. Additionally, flow simulation software was utilized both to predict molding performance and to quantify cost savings through changes in process parameters.

Intended audience: Injection Molders or Extrusion Processors, Product Design Engineers, Industrial Designers, Automotive plastics engineers.

About the Speaker:
Vince Yan, Director Engineering & Product Development, GreenCore Composites Inc.
Vince Yan was a member of GreenCore's founding team, originally responsible for engineering and scale-up of GreenCore's unique manufacturing process. He presently oversees both manufacturing and applications engineering, with a focus on commercializing novel injection molded products utilizing GreenCore NCell™ materials. Vince has significant experience with molding and tooling design specific to biocomposites, including flow simulation and use of natural fiber composites in advanced injection molding processes. Vince holds a BASc in Materials Science Engineering from the University of Toronto, and is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario.