Covestro is considering expanding its polycarbonate business - what material is pc lens

Covestro (Covestro AG) is considering expanding its polycarbonate business, choosing to increase production in China, and may add a large amount of production capacity to unspecified factories in the next four years.　　 Philipp Polenz, head of the North American polycarbonate business unit of Covestro, said that these investments are aimed at meeting the growth in demand for major growth end markets (mobile tools, electrical and electronic (Eu0026E), medical and consumer products, etc.).　　 At the Caojing plant in China, Covestro is considering an increase in production by 50,000 tons per year (ktpa) from 2020 to 2022, increasing the plant's total production capacity to 150,000 tons per year. Polenz said in an interview before the German Plastics Industry Trade Fair (Fakuma): 'In addition, we plan to increase production capacity by 130,000 tons by 2022, and the factory to increase production is still to be determined.' According to Polenz, these expansions are Based on the development trend of polycarbonate demand, Covestro estimates that the compound annual growth rate of polycarbonate demand in the next five years will be 4%.　　 For Covestro, a chemical supplier headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany, global trends such as population growth, urbanization, climate change, energy demand, liquidity growth, and digitalization are key growth drivers.　　 Polenz pointed out that trends such as electric vehicles (EV) and autonomous vehicles (AV) may accelerate demand growth.　　According to Covestro’s official statement, polycarbonate functional plastic solutions play a “vital role” in the new EV/AV trend by ensuring economy, safety and individual integration. This includes some futuristic ideas, such as new wrap-around glass windows, dome-like roofs that provide passengers with 360-degree unobstructed views, or seamless car front-end modules that integrate sensors and antennas into autonomous driving In the body parts of cars.　　 Another theme of future mobile tools is the integration of lithium-ion battery cells. In order to accurately place a large number of battery cells in a small space, the battery holder, battery frame, and housing assembly must have very large dimensional stability and mechanical robustness.　　 In order to achieve this goal, the company has developed various polycarbonate blends that not only meet these requirements, but also have strong impact resistance in a wide temperature range, especially at sub-zero temperatures.　　At the German Plastics Industry Trade Fair (Fakuma), the company showcased various Covestro material solutions for battery modules, battery holders, crash absorbers and other products.　　 However, this new automotive concept will require new regulations, for example, new standards in the use of technology, craftsmanship, or materials.　　 Polenz said, for autonomous driving, it is necessary to clarify how the communication between autonomous vehicles and pedestrians should be implemented. The Covestro executive said: “People will wait on the crosswalk because they don’t know if they can cross the road safely.” 　　 However, as far as polycarbonate is concerned, Covestro offers its customers and automotive original equipment manufacturing The supplier guarantees that with this material, many boundaries can be broken.　　 In addition to polycarbonate, the demand for Covestro’s recently upgraded continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite (CFRTP) technology has also increased.　　This demand is largely driven by the global lightweight solution trend. CFRTP composite materials provide strong and lightweight materials. Polenz explained: 'At the production site in Markt Bibart in southern Germany, we use continuous carbon or glass fibers based on polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) or other thermoplastic resins impregnated to make unidirectional reinforced tapes and sheets. '　　 Strong, light and beautiful materials can be combined into various products, providing designers with new creative space.　　 Three years ago, Covestro acquired TCG, a start-up composite manufacturer in Markt Bibart in southeastern Germany, thereby enhancing its CFRTP business. Since then, the company has expanded the production scale of continuously reinforced composite materials to an undisclosed commercial level.　　 The company launched the thermoplastic composite brand Maezio in August, saying it aims to 'accelerate the popularization of composite materials.' Polenz pointed out: 'Thermoplastics can be thermoformed by using existing thermoplastic tools with high yield and low cycle time, so they are suitable for mass production.' Polenz said, due to differences in electronics, automobiles, medical and sports, etc. The field has strong interest in the application of this material, and the company is 'full of confidence' in the future of this material.　　He said: “The range of applications is very wide, and the ways in which our products can reach consumers’ lives are also very broad.” 　　 Another field that has been discovered in recent years is the digital field.　　 Covestro launched the integrated digital Digital@Covestro project last year, which mainly involves three themes of digital operation, digital customer experience and digital business model.　　In the field of digital operation, the cost efficiency of the company's own technical processes has been improved, mainly in production.　　Digital customer experience has opened up new digital channels for contacting customers, and the goal of digital business models is new business models, such as online trading platforms for standard products. 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