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Radiation Crosslinking and Fields of Application
Radiation crosslinking gives inexpensive commodity plastics and technical plastics the mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of high-performance plastics. This “upgrading” enables these plastics to be used under conditions which they would not withstand otherwise. The energy-rich beta or gamma rays trigger chemical reactions in the plastic parts and thus result in a crosslinking of molecules – comparable to the vulcanization of rubbers that has been used for a long time. Since the finished plastic product is modified in this way, it is even possible to vary the level of crosslinking and/or the crosslinking process within the component by protecting parts of the product from radiation. Thus, BGS helps you to optimize the material properties of plastics and opens up new areas of application.
The process takes place at room temperature and under normal pressure.
Combines the advantages of thermoplastics and thermosetting plasticsIrradiation takes place after the moulding process. In this way, the processing advantages of thermoplastics are combined with the properties of thermosetting plastics.
Flexible parametersParameters can be flexibly adapted to individual requirements in each case.
Substantial cost savingsThe use of relatively inexpensive commodity and/or engineering plastics leads to substantial cost savings. Generally, this makes the acquisition of new injection moulding tools no longer necessary.
Free of crosslinking chemicalsThe admixture of crosslinking chemicals such as peroxides is no longer necessary. This provides advantages with regard to material costs, reproducibility and processing. For example, without the in-line crosslinking, higher extrusion speeds for PE pipes can be achieved that are three to four times faster.
No impact on processing speedCrosslinking is carried out after production as an outsourced processing step at BGS. This enables the manufacturing of your product at an optimal speed. Another advantage is that plastic production waste (for example, injection moulding residues) can simply be returned to the production process.
Possible material combinationsRadiation crosslinking is also suitable for material combinations – even metal parts are able to be irradiated in combination with polymer materials.
Many polymer materials are suitable for radiation crosslinking. In general, all plastics which are capable of being crosslinked with radical initiators such as peroxides can be optimized through radiation crosslinking. However, unlike chemical crosslinking methods, radiation crosslinking takes place at low temperatures. The plastics most often processed are those with the broadest range of applications: Polyethylene (PE) and its co-polymers, polyamide (PA), polyesters such as PBT and polyvinylchloride (PVC). For some materials with low reactivity, a special crosslinking accelerator is required. These additives may either be added directly before the moulding process, together with the raw granulate as a masterbatch, or used directly as a finished compound.