Engineering Plastics Business
LCP Utilizing Key Monomers Derived from Biomass
In recent years, there has been an ever-increasing need to convert products to biomass. In FY2021, we began manufacturing bG-POM utilizing biomass-derived materials, and this year we are introducing LCP as our second product utilizing biomass-derived materials.
Biomass-derived Material for One of Key Monomers
LCP is widely used in ultra-compact precision connectors for the latest IT devices, such as tablets and smartphones, which are becoming smaller and smaller. We can now switch one of the key monomers used as raw material for LCP to a biomass-derived material. This is because the Group company that manufactures it has acquired sustainability certification for recyclable raw materials. In the future, we plan to sell LCP made from sustainable raw materials, including biomass-derived raw materials.
Contribution to a Recycling-oriented Society
The use of biomass-derived materials effectively reduces the increase of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, because the CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere by plants and the CO2 emitted when the products are disposed of cancel out. The active use of biomass-derived materials contributes greatly to the attainment of a recycling-oriented society.
We also plan to introduce equipment that will further contribute to energy conservation in the LCP manufacturing process, aiming to make LCP more environmentally friendly in terms of carbon footprint.
Even more sustainable
In recent years, the use of LCP has been expanding as a substrate material supporting next-generation high-speed, large-capacity communications such as 5G. In addition to meeting these future needs, we will also bring together the capabilities of the Daicel Group to use biomass-derived monomers, with the aim of selling 100% biomass-derived LAPEROS® LCP.
As a leading engineering plastics company, we will make not only LCP but also all of our engineering plastics environmentally friendly (in terms of GHG reduction during manufacturing, biomass conversion, recyclability, etc.), and provide comprehensive environmental solutions that promote the attainment of a sustainable society.
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Elastomer-less PPS
PPS has excellent heat and chemical resistance, and is used for applications such as around automobile engines, electrical components of PHEV/EVs, and smartphones. In recent years, the method of integrally molding plastic and metal has become the mainstream in order to meet the demand for downsizing and weight reduction of parts. In
this molding process, the plastic may crack when temperature changes, due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the metal and plastic portions. Therefore, plastics are required to have high heat shock resistance (referred to as “HS resistance”) to prevent that.
Conventionally, elastomers have been added to PPS as additives to provide HS resistance. However, the gas generated by elastomers during plastic molding causes various defects such as poor filling, molded product burning, and mold deposits*.
To solve these problems, our new PPS grade (1140HS6) has succeeded in achieving HS resistance without the use of elastomers. This reduces the generation of elastomer-derived gases during molding, reducing mold deposits and molding defects.
*Deposits adhering to mold surfaces, gaps, parting lines, etc. during injection molding.
With resins that contain elastomers, gas may be generated again when they are remolded through recycling, but with 1140HS6, there is no need to worry about gas being generated when remolding. This eliminates concerns about the moldability and quality of recycled resins, making it easier for customers to recycle them within their processes. This is expected to further reduce environmental impact.
The development of elastomer-less resins is a revolutionary engineering-plastics solution to meet the ever-increasing recycling needs of our customers.
We will continue to develop high value-added plastics that combine functionality and environment-friendliness.
Medical POM DURACON® PM Series Supports
Further Medical Development
The medical and healthcare markets require high-quality materials from reliable suppliers. We have been providing high-purity TOPAS® COC materials to the medical and healthcare markets for many years, and since FY2023, we have newly commercialized POM for medical use (DURACON® PM
series), thereby establishing a structure that can more widely meet the needs for engineering plastics in the medical industry.
Since POM has excellent sliding performance, springiness, and chemical resistance, the PM series can also be used for insulin pen dials, inhalers, and medical clips, taking advantage of its characteristics.
The use of POM in such medical materials makes mass production easier and reduces costs compared to conventional materials such as glass and metal, so it is believed that it can contribute to resolving recent social issues such as the increase in diabetes patients in the modern era and the increase in respiratory diseases such as COVID-19.
Medical POM requires stricter supply conditions than regular POM, such as not making changes to the process and continuous stable supply. In addition, we are required to meet the strict quality requirement standards of the industry as well as comply with the laws and regulations of each country, which requires quality control far beyond our
previous grades. Therefore, the Quality Assurance, R&D, production, sales, and corporate supporting divisions, as well as the Kuantan Plant in Malaysia which is our manufacturing base, have come together to establish a production and supply system that can meet the requirements.
In particular, at the Kuantan Plant, in FY2016, we prepared work standards and management criteria to produce the PM series and set up a production system that meets customer requirements. We have also strengthened measures to prevent foreign objects from contaminating our products in a series of manufacturing processes and implemented
thorough pest control, including in our warehouses. As a result, the PM series complies with the major regulations required by medical device manufacturers in Europe and the United States, where quality standards are considered to be among the strictest in the world. In addition to medication devices, we will steadily expand the
applications of medical POM, such as catheters and surgical instrument parts, to further contribute to the global medical community and support healthy and affluent lives of people.
