Covestro Deutschland AG

• Covestro develops material solutions for infrastructure and smartphones
• Cooperation with Deutsche Telekom and Umeå Institute of Design
   
  
  5G is the latest generation of mobile communications and was developed to respond to private demand and the economic environment of 2020 and beyond. 5G will become the basis for a fully mobile and networked society; it is a key technology for the digitalization of all areas of life and the economy. The new technology enables close networking of devices such as cell phones, tablets, vehicles, household appliances, industrial plants and many others to form an Internet of Things (IoT). 
  
  With the installation of 5G, the demand for base stations, active antenna units (AAU) and other equipment will increase dramatically. Covestro is developing innovative and sustainable material solutions and contributing to a smart infrastructure, including sensor technologies and a digital communication environment. The company is cooperating closely with Deutschen Telekom and the Umeå Institute of Design. Covestro will present some prototypes at K 2019. The project is part of the company´s comprehensive digitalization strategy. Together with its partners, the company is committed to achieving Goals 9 (Innovation and Infrastructure) and 11 (Sustainable Cities) of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. 
  
  New telecommunications infrastructure
  Polycarbonates and their blends have proven themselves in a wide range of electrical and electronic applications and, thanks to their outstanding properties, should also be the materials of choice for 5G technology: "They are mechanically robust, lightweight, transparent to radio frequencies and suitable for injection molding," explains Fabian Grote, who is a core member of the global 5G team at Covestro. Some grades also show good weather resistance or thermal conductivity or are suitable for two-component injection molding and laser direct structuring (LDS). 
  
  To increase public acceptance of an expanded network of antennas and base stations, Covestro is working with students from the renowned Umeå Institute of Design and Deutsche Telekom to seamlessly integrate these technical facilities into the cities of the future. The project includes the development of attractive base stations, their color matching and surface structuring. Düsseldorf served as a reference city for the project.
  
  Flexibility in antenna design
  In this project Covestro will enter this market in a hypothetical scenario with its own product range. The actual product is the outer sheath of a third-party antenna, which is designed to adapt to specific environments by either fitting in or protruding from it, depending on the environment and population density. This is where the best potential can be exploited with products that deliver the technical requirements and either integrate or reinforce the character of a city with a 5G network. "At K 2019, we will be showing a series of technical and design prototypes for small cells in the frequency range of 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz," says Grote.
  
  When 5G technology progresses to higher frequency, e.g. the millimeter wave band, signal transmittance could become a design challenge. “We can help our customers to enjoy more design freedom while ensuring the 5G data transmittance performance with state-of-art  testing capabilities in a broad frequency range of up to 50 GHz under a variety of environmental conditions, all in our Asia Pacific Innovation Center in Shanghai,” says Nan Hu, Global Head of Electronics at the Polycarbonates Segment of Covestro.
  
  New film solution for 5G smartphones
  5G technology, with its high transfer rates, will also have a significant impact on smartphone design. The antennas for 5G technology require more space. That is just one reason why metal solutions used to date for the back of devices will in future be replaced by ceramics, glass or plastics. 
  
  A Makrofol® SR multilayer film solution with acrylic top layer combined with a new manufacturing process results in mobile phone back covers that look like glass but are not fragile. "The film laminate can be formed in three dimensions, and the film solution also meets the requirements for transmission at high radio frequencies with wavelengths in the millimeter range," explains Echol Zhao, Head of Specialty Films Greater China at Covestro. 
  
  This crystal clear, 3D formable and 5G compatible film material is specifically engineered for optimal design freedom for mobile phone brands to create fashionable mobile phones using decoration technologies such as UV patterning and non-conductive vacuum metallization (NCVM). More than 50 percent of the mobile phone market in China is currently switching to such multi-layer PC/PMMA film solutions – a sign of a promising future for the coming 5G era.
  
  

• In focus: added value for customers
• More efficient processes through computer simulation
• New formula finder for viscoelastic foams
   
  
  Digitalization is one of the most important drivers of growth in the chemical and plastics industry. Covestro hopes to take advantage of resulting opportunities with a comprehensive strategic program. The central focus of the program is the goal of providing customers with added value and setting new standards in customer collaboration. To accomplish this, the company is incorporating digital technologies and processes into production, the supply chain, research & development, at all customer contact points and in new business model development. 
  
  A current emphasis of the new business models is the digitalization and optimization of process flows. By simulating process steps, development times at customers and along value chains can be reduced considerably, and process flows can be designed more efficiently. At the K 2019, for example, Covestro is presenting a new formula finder for viscoelastic foams, which are used primarily in pillows and mattresses – also in the medical and care field.
  
  Calculating properties and formulas on the computer
  “With an easy-to-use web-based calculation tool, customers can enter the desired physical properties of the foam and wait for the matching formulas to be calculated based on our raw materials,” explains Dr. Lutz Brassat, an expert for polyurethane flexible foam at Covestro. “It can also do the reverse and determine the properties of a finished foam for a predefined formula. In any case, it saves time and materials and also costs.” The company is also increasing the processing power in a research project and is investing in advanced hardware.
  
  To develop the digital tool, an interdisciplinary team at Covestro first manufactured various viscoelastic foams with the aid of predefined formulas and identified their properties. Based on these data sets, the team then generated an algorithm, which uses the properties of these foams to calculate other foam densities, hardness levels and viscoelastic behaviors. 
  
  More comfort in bed
  Viscoelastic foam provides a high level of comfort and is therefore enjoying increasing popularity among consumers. For older or bed-ridden patients, it effectively prevents dreaded bed sores. Under the influence of its own weight and heat, a body lying on the foam sinks slowly into it, but is also supported by it. A special feature of a viscoelastic foam is its shape memory: as soon as a person changes position or gets up, the foam slowly regains its original shape. 
  
  Comprehensive program for digitalization
  Covestro bundles its global digitalization activities in the comprehensive program “Digital@Covestro,” which is based on three pillars. The first relies on digital operating processes in production. Its aim is to make the construction, operation and maintenance of global production facilities more efficient and transparent. This also includes evaluating real time data with the help of end devices, in order to optimize plant maintenance. 
  
  Another pillar of the digitalization strategy is a digital trading platform for chemicals, which was developed according to the needs of customers and is currently being tested. Here, customers can buy standard products efficiently online at current market prices. Since April 2018, Covestro has also been selling products via a flagship store on 1688.com. This online platform of the Internet giant Alibaba is currently China's largest marketplace for business customers. 
  
  The third pillar involves new business models, primarily digital technical services. They are important for developing efficient production processes at customers and, above all, for digitalizing entire value chains. Covestro offers a comprehensive range of services here, which extends from chemical synthesis, to developing formulas, to processing and the subsequent handling of plastic products.
  
  

• Covestro and RWTH Aachen University develop industrial process
• Reduction in use of crude oil and contribution to the circular economy
• Further milestone in the use of CO2 as an alternative raw material
  
   
  Dress with CO2: Two research projects have succeeded in making elastic textile fibers based on CO2 and so partly replacing crude oil as a raw material. Covestro and its partners, foremost the Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University and various textile manufacturers, are developing the production process on an industrial scale and aim to make the innovative fibers ready for the market. They can be used for stockings and medical textiles, for example, and might replace conventional elastic fibers based on crude oil. 
  
  The elastic fibers are made with a chemical component that consists in part of CO2 instead of oil. This precursor called cardyon® is already used for foam in mattresses and sports floorings. And now it is being applied to the textile industry.
  
  “That’s a further, highly promising approach to enable ever broader use of carbon dioxide as an alternative raw material in the chemical industry and expand the raw materials base,” says Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro. “Our goal is to use CO2 in more and more applications in a circular economy process and save crude oil.” 
  
  Sustainable production process
  The fibers are made from CO2-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) using a technique called melt spinning, in which the TPU is melted, pressed into very fine threads and finally processed into a yarn of endless fibers. Unlike dry spinning, which is used to produce conventional elastic synthetic fibers such as Elastane or Spandex, melt spinning eliminates the need for environmentally harmful solvents. A new chemical method enables carbon dioxide to be incorporated in the base material, which also has a better CO2 footprint than traditional elastic fibers. 
  
  “The CO2-based material could be a sustainable alternative to conventional elastic fibers in the near future,” states Professor Thomas Gries, Director of the Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University. “Thanks to our expertise in industrial development and processing, we can jointly drive establishment of a new raw materials base for the textile industry.” 
  
  Development of the method of producing fibers from CO2-based thermoplastic polyurethane has been funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). It will now be optimized as part of the “CO2Tex” project, which is to be funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) so as to enable industrial production in the future. “CO2Tex” is part of “BioTex Future,” a project initiative of RWTH Aachen University. The initiative is devoted to developing production and processing technologies to facilitate the future market launch of textile systems from bio-based polymeric materials.
  
  Development partners display interest
  What makes the CO2-based TPU fibers so special is their properties: They are elastic and tear-proof and so can be used in textile fabrics. Initial companies from the textile and medical engineering sectors have already tested the CO2-based fibers and processed them into yarns, socks, compression tubes and tapes. 
  
  The aim of launching CO2-based textiles on the market is to promote a material cycle in the textile and clothing industry based on sustainable resources.
  
   
  
   
  
  

• Efficient manufacture of rotor blades with polyurethanes
• Covestro delivers first commercial order of raw materials to China
• Efficient Pasquick® coating technology provides protection
   
  
  Power generation from renewable sources is a key part of the sustainability concept of Covestro and underlines its commitment to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular goal number 7 for renewable energy (UN-SDG 7). This applies above all to wind power, which is one of the most promising renewable energy sources due to its global availability and the technical progress already made. 
  
  This is also reflected in the development of wind power capacity, which is seeing double-digit annual growth across the globe. China is the world’s largest wind power market with 221 GW of installed capacity at the end of 2018, according to the World Wind Energy Association.[1]
  
  Concept for cost-efficient production of rotor blades
  However, cost-efficient processes for manufacturing wind power plants are in greater demand than ever to enable further expansion and for competing with traditional energy resources. Once in operation, the aim is for turbines to be used over a lengthy period with the lowest possible maintenance requirements.
  
  In order to meet this challenge, Covestro has joined forces with partners and developed a polyurethane (PU) resin and a manufacturing technology, which – in conjunction with glass fiber mats and an efficient production process – enables shorter cycle times. “This is a clear cost advantage for manufacturers,” says Dirk Soontjens, who coordinates the global wind power activities of Covestro. “Its advantage over epoxy resins used so far is that it flows more easily and ensures better wetting of the glass fiber mats used for reinforcement.” The resin also exhibits very good mechanical properties and meets many regulatory and industry performance standards. 

Progress in China and Europe
Only recently, Covestro has processed the first commercial order for utilization of the PU resin for production of eighteen wind rotor blades with a length of 59.5 meters each, together with the respective spar caps and shear webs, all manufactured by Zhuzhou Times New Material Technology (TMT), one of the largest wind blade manufacturers in China. The blades were delivered to Envision, a leading global wind turbine technology company, and are scheduled to be installed in a wind farm in Eastern China in July 2019. 

Also in Europe, Covestro collaborates with leading players of the wind power industry and intends to commercialize its technology shortly. Besides that, Covestro operates a new wind power laboratory in Leverkusen, which expands its global lab capacities in Asia and Europe to support customers and innovation.

High performance coatings with higher productivity
Covestro has also developed coating solutions with higher cost efficiency. For instance, protective coatings based on Pasquick® technology for steel towers as well as gel coatings for blades of wind power plants significantly increase productivity and ensure a long lasting performance with significantly reduced maintenance. This is due to the fact that the use of Pasquick® requires one layers less than conventional corrosion protection and that the coatings have a lower curing time. 

Besides that, waterborne topcoats based on Bayhydur® and Bayhydrol® provide long-lasting performance with low solvent emissions. Last but not least, Covestro also offers leading edge protection for rotor blades based on products of the Desmodur® line, providing long lasting protection against abrasion.


[1] https://wwindea.org/blog/2019/02/25/wind-power-capacity-worldwide-reaches-600-gw-539-gw-added-in-2018/

• Sustainable solution with polyurethane resin
• High productivity through continuous production
• Simple assembly, superior crash performance
   
  
  The manufacture of vehicle parts made of composite materials instead of steel is a lightweight and therefore sustainable solution that reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. This also applies to commercial vehicles such as trucks, which are used heavily on a daily basis. Carbon Truck & Trailer GmbH (CarbonTT) designs truck chassis from carbon fiber-reinforced composites and has the know-how and various IP rights to manufacture and assemble them.
  
  The lightweight components also enable commercial vehicle manufacturers to meet the increasingly rigorous European Union limit values,” explains Gerret Kalkoffen, Chairman of the Board of CarbonTT. “Logistics companies can use the vehicle to transport larger loads and thus operate more efficiently. In electric mobility, the lightweight chassis compensates for the weight of the battery and at the same time features simpler assembly and superior crash performance.”
  
  Continuous production from polyurethane resin
  At the K 2019 plastics trade from October 16 to 23 in Düsseldorf , Covestro will showcase such a composite component. It can be produced continuously by pultrusion with a Baydur® PUL polyurethane (PU) matrix system. “With this system, we are pushing boundaries by providing a number of advantages over conventional materials,” says Benedikt Kilian, Project Manager for Process Development in the Polyurethanes segment at Covestro. “The material properties of the end part also meet stringent OEM specifications while enabling a lighter structure. Within seconds, the Baydur® PUL low-viscosity system penetrates millions of carbon fibers perfectly and enables CarbonTT to achieve significant productivity gains.”
  
  The profile design of the composite part was developed and optimized by CarbonTT to meet the mechanical requirements, achieve maximum weight reduction and minimize costs. Covestro supports CarbonTT with its Baydur® PUL system and with its expertise in optimal pultrusion processing. Pultrusion runs have been successfully performed to demonstrate the benefits of the PU system and are being expanded. 
  
  The pultrusion process is a continuous process that can be automated to a high degree and is currently in the process of achieving industrial application. This makes it possible to produce differentiated and complex composite parts extremely efficiently, especially if a suitable polyurethane resin is used.
  
  Beneficial process properties
  Compared with other resin systems used for pultrusion, Baydur® PUL has superior component and processing qualities. The superior mechanical properties of parts with a PU matrix enable customers to develop thin profiles and, where possible, use less complex fiber reinforcement. The viscosity of the system is also very low with high reactivity, which allows customers to produce very efficiently at high throughput rates.
  
  

• Covestro develops polyurethane system for faster demolding
• Processing on existing plants
• No compromises in quality and energy efficiency
   
  
  In the highly competitive market for refrigeration equipment, OEMs want to maximize the utilization of their systems to remain competitive. They need to improve manufacturing productivity and shorten cycle times. One important production step is foaming the housing with rigid polyurethane foam. Faster demolding is essential to accelerate this process.
  
  At the K 2019 plastics trade fair, Covestro will be presenting new polyurethane systems at Booth A75 in Hall 6, which enable up to 20 percent faster demolding of refrigerators with standard wall thicknesses. The new systems based on optimized polyols, isocyanates and catalysts not only accelerate production, but also enhance the good insulating efficiency of existing rigid polyurethane (PU) foams. 
  
  "With the development of this polyurethane system, we are helping the appliance industry master one of its most important challenges," explains Reinhard Albers, an expert for refrigerator insulation at Covestro. "Manufacturers can process the system on their production lines without having to compromise on quality features such as energy consumption or housing geometry," explains Albers.
  
  Sustainable preservation of food products
  About 20 percent of the energy consumed by buildings is spent on the operation of cooling appliances. Rigid polyurethane foam offers very good insulation – so it has been used for many years to efficiently insulate almost all refrigerators worldwide. Continuous improvement of the insulation performance means that appliances of the highest energy efficiency class A+++ can now be manufactured. They make a special contribution to reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions and conserve fossil resources. Efficiently insulated refrigerators reliably protect food from spoilage and contribute to a sustainable diet for the populace. 
  
  The expansion of the foam after demolding is a fundamental feature of PU rigid foam, which influences both the processing and insulating performance. The new PU system results in significantly reduced post-expansion and enables very good process productivity compared to foams of the previous generation. The system has excellent flowability during manufacture and ensures homogeneous density distribution of the foam in the refrigerator housing. This enables the production of energy-efficient refrigerators at low cost using established foam processing technologies.
  
  

• Digital formulation aid
• CO2 as raw material
• Improved recyclability
• Today’s mattresses: more comfortable and environmentally compatible than ever before
   
  
  People spend a considerable portion of their lives in bed. Therefore, sleep comfort, convenience and health aspects such as “back friendliness” are important criteria that make mattresses made of flexible polyurethane (PU) foams attractive for customers. Aspects such as environmental compatibility and low emissions also play a key role now. At the K 2019, polyurethane pioneer Covestro explains how rapidly this material has changed in recent decades thanks to continuous innovations developed in its own laboratories, in order to satisfy the ever changing requirements – and what plans the company has for flexible foams of tomorrow.
  
  “The mattresses of today have little in common with the first polyurethane-based, flexible-foam mattresses of the early 1960s. It is like comparing today’s sports cars with the classic cars of that era,” says Dr. Lutz Brassat, a flexible polyurethane foam expert at Covestro. Soon after the discovery and development of the first flexible PU foams by the chemist and capable mechanical engineer Dr. Otto Bayer in Leverkusen, people came to recognize how well-suited it was as a mattress. “From today’s perspective, its comfort qualities were miserable. In addition, due to the additive used during its production, it had to be sufficiently aired out before use,” says Brassat. 
  
  Polyurethane developers have done a great deal of work in order to gradually transform the first flexible PU foams into the high-end product that we know today. This is illustrated by an installation at Covestro’s trade fair stand (A 75 in Hall 6), which demonstrates the differences between early flexible foams and today’s top of the range products. And on the displays, the development looks ahead: the furniture of the future will be not only comfortable, but also recyclable and made partly from alternative raw materials. 
  
  New raw materials for ever changing market demands
  Examples of previous “milestones” in the ongoing evolution of the flexible foams sector at Covestro are optimized raw materials, procedures for manufacturing highly elastic cold foam mattresses and the introduction of polyols for the production of viscoelastic foams, which further improve the distribution of forces exerted by a sleeping body. 
  
  “Other developments were probably less spectacular, but not any less important,” says Brassat. “The use of water-based adhesives, for example, which allow mattresses made of different foams and of different thicknesses to be joined together to create particularly high-quality orthopedic multi-zone mattresses, without adversely affecting the results of emission measurements.” 
  
  Other innovations succeeded in extending the lifetime of polyurethane mattresses and maintaining their good qualities over an ever longer period of time. Due to the current “bed in a box” technology, transporting mattresses has also become more efficient – mattresses are rolled up at the manufacturer; then, at the customer, they quickly unfold to their original size without any subsequent comfort loss, thanks to the minimized compression set of newer, lighter high-end foams. 
  
  “The evolution is far from over”
  The latest highlights for manufacturing exceptionally smart flexible foam mattresses include a “digital product finder,” which enables foam manufacturers to find the ideal raw materials for their products, and cardyon® polyols, which are partly based on CO2 as a raw material. 
  
  Also in focus are PU raw materials and manufacturing processes, which solve some of the technical challenges of popular viscoelastic mattresses. Foams with increased air circulation provide a particularly pleasant sleep climate; in addition, their viscoelastic qualities are less temperature sensitive than their predecessors. Other features include further reduced emissions due to reactive catalysts, which are integrated into the polymer chains of the foams.
  
  “All of these improvements – from the first, short-lived flexible foam mattress to the current high-performance product with polyols, such as the Softel® VE-1800 – have been implemented over the years in small, but important steps. What most of them have in common is that they were, and will continue to be, driven by innovation at Covestro. “And we are working hard to help consumers sleep even better in the coming years. The evolution of the mattress is far from over.”