Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Bayer MaterialScience to present ‘VisionWorks award at K2007

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Abstract:
A wealth of new ideas, technologies, products and applications / Enhanced commitment to climate protection / First presentation of the "VisionWorks" award

Bayer MaterialScience to present ‘VisionWorks award at K2007

Dusseldorf, Germany | Posted on October 25th, 2007

Under the motto "VisionWorks - Today and Tomorrow", Bayer MaterialScience will be showcasing a host of innovative developments at the 17th International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber, K 2007, from October 24 to 31, 2007. The company's stand in Hall 6 occupies more than 1,000 square meters and will play host to over 120 exhibits from the automotive, electrical engineering, electronics, communication, construction, timber, furniture, sports, leisure and medical technology sectors and many others. The extensive and varied developments will cover products and applications from the Polyurethanes, Polycarbonates, Thermoplastic Polyurethanes, and Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants Business Units and the New Business section. "True to the motto of our trade fair presentation ‘VisionWorks - Today and Tomorrow', we will be showing market-ready developments and examples from our extensive innovations portfolio that will play their part in boosting our corporate success in the future," explains Dr. Ulrich Liman, overall stand manager at Bayer MaterialScience. Examples of the "VisionWorks Today" and "VisionWorks Tomorrow" categories are presented below.

Tailor-made solutions for today's markets…

The Shadow easy chair by the leading Italian designer Gaetano Pesce owes its styling and comfort to the Bayfit® polyurethane foam system. Instead of manufacturing the seat upholstery in a fixed shape in the usual way, the chair's textile covering is filled directly with the liquid polyurethane mixture. The furniture is given its individual shape by filling out the seat surface with a life-size doll. In doing so, the flexible polyurethane foam encases the silhouette of the dummy, thus forming the seat of the easy chair and creating the "Shadow". Each chair is therefore unique.

LCD flatscreens have become increasingly popular in IT and consumer electronics over recent years. The polycarbonate (PC)/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymer blend Bayblend® is ideal for these and other high-quality applications. Bayer has been marketing this plastic blend for over 30 years and over two million tons of it have already been produced. Product grades used for monitor housings feature state-of-the-art halogen-free flame retardants and satisfy the requirements of eco-labels such as "Blue Angel" and "TCO". The material is a proven success story, with Bayer MaterialScience recently receiving the "Excellent Supplier Award" from Sony.

Kitesurfers are equally at home in both air and water. In addition to stunt kites, kiteboards in particular attract large crowds of onlookers. Swedish company Tablas uses films made from Bayer MaterialScience's thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) Desmopan® to decorate these boards. The films can be printed in brilliant colors and do not turn yellow even when exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods. The trendy designs maintain their fresh colors for long periods. The films are also the material of choice for the decorative surfaces of skis and snowboards.

"The possibilities opened up by high-performance plastics are also clearly demonstrated on our stand by our ´Cubes´. These oversized objects made from the high-tech plastic Makrolon® are an exhibit and an exhibit stand in one and offer space for discussions and for the display of innovative exhibits, e.g. from the electrical/electronic and nanotechnology sectors," says Dr. Liman.

… and tomorrow's

As well as high functionality and design freedom, lightweight construction of automotive body parts is becoming increasingly important in the face of rising gasoline prices and ever greater concerns with regard to climate protection. With an area of 1.2 square meters, the roof module of the new smart fortwo is the world's largest polycarbonate component of its kind ever developed for a series-production vehicle. The high-quality exterior surface is made from the transparent polycarbonate Makrolon® AG2677. Weight can be reduced by around 40 percent compared with comparable designs using glass. Bayer MaterialScience is confident that its high-tech plastic Makrolon® has great potential in the design of roof modules, lamellar roofs and other transparent components.

The Durflex® track system from the German Frenzel-Bau Group could revolutionize future railroad track construction. It boasts exceptional noise dampening properties and a long service life. With this innovative system, the gaps between the ballast stones are completely filled with a polyurethane foam. Movement of the ballast stones that typically results when trains pass over them is prevented, as is the abrasion that occurs as the stones move. This innovative application was developed in a close cooperation with Bayer MaterialScience and Hennecke GmbH.

Demand for media for the storage of ever greater quantities of digital data is growing worldwide. In television technology, the introduction of high-definition formats in particular is stoking this demand. U.S. startup InPhase Technologies Inc. is using holographic data storage systems for permanent archiving. As part of a joint development agreement, Bayer MaterialScience, working in conjunction with InPhase, has developed materials that enable the permanent storage of holographic information. Data carriers with a capacity of 300 gigabytes are due to enter series production and be launched onto the market soon.

Tiny particles with a huge impact

Interest in carbon nanotubes (CNT) is increasing worldwide, but only a few leading producers can offer consistent quality in commercially relevant production volumes on a sustained basis. To be successful on the international market, it is vital to provide cost-effective, reproducible quality. By developing a new, revolutionary production technology, Bayer MaterialScience has secured key competitive advantages. Since the official opening of a second production facility at the start of September, it has been one of the three leading suppliers throughout the world, with an annual capacity of 60 tons. Furthermore, an industrial-scale production plant with an annual capacity of 3,000 tons is planned in the medium term. According to market research estimates, the market potential for CNT in the next few years will be several thousand tons a year. The tiny cylinders can be used, for example, to produce extremely strong plastics - an advantage that can be used in sports equipment and elsewhere.

Visible commitment to climate protection

"In the Bayer Group we attach special importance to environmental issues and particularly to climate protection. Visitors to K 2007 can see this for themselves at the Bayer MaterialScience stand," says Liman. "Through the use e.g. of our polyurethane products, far more greenhouse gas emissions can be avoided than are actually produced during their manufacture. Climate protection therefore goes very much hand in hand with the economic success of our company." In the eXasis concept car, for example, transparent bodywork parts made from Makrolon® polycarbonate make a substantial contribution to weight saving. This results in reduced fuel consumption and thus cuts carbon dioxide emissions produced during the combustion process. Rigid polyurethane foam, used for insulating refrigeration appliances and buildings, makes a significant contribution to saving energy and cutting emissions.

Emissions could also be reduced by the use of polyurethane raw materials based on sustainable raw materials such as vegetable oils, which Bayer MaterialScience has developed for use in rigid and viscoelastic polyurethane foams. Accounting for up to 70 percent by weight, they enable natural resources to be used as a supplement to fossil raw materials. Polyol products have been developed to such a level using Bayer MaterialScience's extensive know-how that the foams formulated using them achieve performance levels on a par with conventional products or even superior to them.

Another example is the new Bomatherm® solar air collector roof insulation system from Puren GmbH. It is fitted instead of roofing tiles and performs five functions, acting as a vapor barrier, thermal insulator, rainproof roof substructure, cladding and solar collector. Its key benefit is its outstanding energy efficiency. Air from the eaves flows into hollow multiwall sheets made from Makrolon®, warms up, rises upwards, and is collected at the roof ridge. The warm air can be used for room heating or for heating domestic water by means of a heat exchanger, or it can be fed into a heat pump or a geothermal energy store. Moreover, the insulation, which is based on rigid polyurethane foam, prevents thermal bridges and also ensures that only a small amount of heat energy is lost through the roof.

To enable trade fair visitors to directly access products and applications with particular climate protection potential, these types of Bayer MaterialScience exhibits are labeled with a "climate+" symbol.

Award-winning designs

During K 2007, Bayer MaterialScience will be presenting the VisionWorks "People in Motion" award for the first time. With this slogan in mind, budding designers were asked to use the company's products to develop new applications that would make people's future lives more mobile at work, rest and play. A total of 70 students at five selected European universities and colleges took part in the competition. The results can be seen on the Bayer MaterialScience stand. "The development of new materials does not just begin with the actual inquiry. True to our ‘VisionWorks' mission statement, we promote networked thinking worldwide and make it a motor for driving innovative and sustainable solutions," explains Liman. The three winners from the Köln International School of Design and the Hochschule für Bildende Künste (College of Fine Arts) in Hamburg will have their achievements honored on October 30.

Young people experience the world of polymers at first hand

Bayer MaterialScience's policy of supporting young people is well illustrated by its recently opened BayLab® plastics student laboratory in Leverkusen. The primary aim is to encourage young people to take an interest in the world of science and technology, and plastics in particular. In a realistic setting they can try their hand at helping design simple objects such as egg spoons but also more sophisticated products such as cycle goggles. The new laboratory thus forms part of the Bayer Group's many and varied activities in systematically supporting skilled specialists. For this inventor company, a well-trained workforce is key to corporate success. From now on, around 3,000 young people each year will get an insight into the work of a leading plastics production company in the BayLab® plastics laboratory.

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About Bayer MaterialScience
With 2006 sales of EUR 10.2 billion (continuing operations), Bayer MaterialScience is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and sports and leisure industries. Bayer MaterialScience has 30 production sites around the globe and employed approximately 14,900 people at the end of 2006. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.

All journalists are cordially invited to visit the Bayer MaterialScience Press Center on the gallery of the stand in Hall 6, where they will find opportunities to discuss the innovations on display. Interviews with experts from the company can be arranged on request.

News and information about products, applications and services from Bayer MaterialScience AG can be found at http://www.bayermaterialscience.com, and information about the company’s participation in K 2007 at http://www.k2007.bayermaterialscience.com

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Contacts:
Bayer MaterialScience AG
Communications, Building K12
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Allee
51368 Leverkusen
Germany
Phone: +49-(0)214 / 30-1
or 00800-VisionWorks (84746696757)toll free*
Fax:+49-(0)214 / 30-96 38810

* The toll-free 00800 VisionWorks number can be used for calls from Germany and from many other countries. If you are unable to reach VisionWorks, ask your telephone company which international area code you should use instead of the initial 00. For example 000800 VisionWorks from Brazil; 011800 VisionWorks from the United States; 001800 VisionWorks from Hong Kong, etc.

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