Machine forms strong LFT from glass fibres & polypropylene resin

The system will be marketed with an eye on promoting its adoption in applications, especially for creating items to supercede conventional metal parts in order, for instance, to achieve lighter vehicles. The D-LFT System integrates a variety of hardware innovations - a dedicated screw, automatic resin and glass fibre feed mechanisms, with technology that controls the glass fibre feed according to the amount of melted resin and a control system that disperses the glass fibres into the melted resin with outstanding uniformity.

Together, these innovations enable injection moulding in which resin and glass fibres are introduced into the system in their material state, resulting in LFT moulded products of high strength and rigidity. Compared to injection moulding that requires the purchase of compound material, the D-LFT System can be expected to trim material costs by roughly 25%. Simultaneously, the integration of the kneading and injection moulding processes translates to a more compact production line.

User support will be enhanced through the introduction of a service whereby users will be provided with material mixing recipes for use with glass fibres manufactured by Nippon Electric Glass, a company that co-operated in developing the D-LFT System.

Today, as the automotive industry actively pursues lighter vehicle chassis in a quest for higher fuel performance, demand is expanding for plastic parts to replace conventional metal components. However, because outstanding strength and rigidity are necessary, particularly in the case of large parts and exterior components, interest is rising toward technology that enables the creation of large LFT moulded items featuring fibres of the maximum possible length.

For these reasons, development of the D-LFT System at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Plastic Technology was accorded highest priority in a quest for ability to manufacture LFT products moulded from glass and PP at low cost - products for which demand is most clearly in evidence. Going forward, the system will be proactively marketed, not only to the automotive industry, but also to manufacturing industries such as makers of large home appliances and of building interior and exterior materials. In addition to pursuing new applications and developing new application technologies, efforts will focus on expanding the application range of the D-LFT System to areas such as glass-reinforced polyamide resin (nylon) moulded products and carbon fibre reinforced plastics.