Polymer Market Penetration

One of the best methods to fulfill each of the four competitive imperatives is to use polymer materials in the vehicle. Polymers can be considered as catalysts [1] providing for 

These innovations have led to an increase in the use of polymers in automobiles from about 30 kg per vehicle in the 1970s to more than 125 kg today for the North American market [2], This is shown in Table 3.1. The progression of polymer use in the European market by country is shown in Table 3.2 [3], 

We can see that a similar progression for Europe is shown from 1970 to 1990. The distribution of materials in an average size vehicle of 1,300 kg (2,866 lb) is shown in Table 3.4. The polymer percentage has increased to 114 kg today versus the 30 kg or so utilized in the past. The increased polymer usage represents a substantial mass savings. Body structures represent the largest growth opportunity in the future [1], This includes fascias, wheel frames, body panels, and entire roof modules. 

Areas in a vehicle where polymers are used are shown in Table 3.3. The chemist and design engineer in the future will take the opportunity to make improvements 

Source Bechtold, K. Material Testing Product News, 36, 77, 2006. With permission. 

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In the first century of the new millennium we can expect the development and establishment of processing technologies which expand the market penetration of polymers by increasing the complexity of components which can be produced (allowing increased integration of component assemblies), or which generate new applications. 

Successful market penetration depends on an interplay between several critical factors. According to a study made at the University of Stirling, Scotland [78] the three major factors which could boost post consumer polymer waste use in industry are, in order of importance ... 

Polymeric materials are experiencing increased market penetration due to their excellent properties. Compounding has resulted in the development of homogeneous polymer and additives as a mix. Therefore, processability is dependent on the thermal and deformation behaviour of the material. In addition to product development, machinery design, process automation and control have occurred in compounding. Therefore, polymer compounding will be considered in terms of the relationship between processing history and properties of the end products. 

Competitive penetration of polypropylene into other applications has primarily taken place in polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic polyester, nylon-6 or -6/6, and sometimes directly from metals or thermoset polymers like phenolic or reinforced reaction injection molded (RIM) urethane. The reasons for market penetration by PP replacement vary widely with an assortment of material design options chemical resistance, heat resistance, recycleability, processability, economics, and aesthetics. 

In the early 1960s, an industry started to develop around the modification of polymers. This industry originally started as a way to simply modify polymer for improvements of impact resistance, color, or thermal stability. It initially used many tools of the rubber industry to modify polymers for specific end-use applications. Polypropylene with its useful balance of properties has found interesting utility in the automotive industry. This market penetration of PP was primarily due to its good thermal resistance for under-the-hood applications, its ease of colorability for applications on the interior of the car, and its low raw material cost. Today, the modification of PP is a large industry, often associated with the PP production or in some cases completely independent of the polymerization steps itself. 

The bisphenol-onium systems achieved considerable market penetration during the mid-1970s. The normal approach was for the rubber to be supplied with the curative system already incorporated into the polymer and such compounds have been widely used for O-rings and other applications requiring low compression set at elevated temperatures. The development of these systems has been the subject of a review by Hill (1975). 

Market penetration by plastics either will be enabled by acceptance of more thermoset-based composite solutions or by part integration leveraged by advanced adhesive systems. Certainly many hybrid polymer-metal technologies are being considered and will surface in the market by the year 2025. Developing countries will look for lightweight and enviroiunentally friendly cars, and in most cases, this will make plastics and plastic composites as well as bioplastic solutions attractive. 

As market penetration increased, people started to look for ways to reduce the cost of the plastic materials and to extend the property spectrum, which would allow plastics entry into new applications. Fillers were introduced and were readily accepted because they are easy to incorporate into plastics and offer myriad possibilities for product improvement and differentiation. The rather unglamorous term filler does not do justice to the essential role these additives play in tuning processability as well as mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, and other key properties. Therefore, they are referred to as functional fillers. As we shall see, these unassuming additives are a vital addition to the arsenal of the plastics formulator. Each type of filler lends a unique property set to the host polymer. 

Nondegradable polymers are also useful as matrices for ocular implants. This application requires the polymer to be hydrophilic, to minimize local tissue irritation. Need for ocular implants stems from the challenges posed to conventional ocular medicines (i.e., eye drops) such as rapid dilution, tear washout, poor patient compliance, and limited bioavailability. Ocular implants from hydrophilic polymer matrices that provide localized sustained release may overcome the above limitations. The first polymeric sustained release product to reach the market was Ocusert , a pilocarpin sustained release ocular implant developed by Alza. Ocusert has the drug reservoir as a thin disc of pilocarpine-alginate complex sandwiched between two transparent discs of microporous membrane fabricated from ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. The microporous membranes permit the tear fluid to penetrate into the drug reservoir compartment to dissolve pilocarpine from the complex. Pilocarpine molecules are then released at a constant rate of 20 or 40 pg/hr for a four- to seven-day management of glaucoma. 

Industrialbiobased products have enormous potential in the chemical and material industries. The diversity of biomass feedstocks (sugars, oils, protein, lignocellulosics), combined with the numerous biochemical and thermochemical conversion technologies, can provide a wealth of products that can be used in many applications. Targeted markets include the polymer, lubricant, solvent, adhesive, herbicide, and pharmaceutical markets. Industrial bioproducts have already penetrated some of these markets, but improved technologies promise new products that can compete with fossil-based products in both cost and performance. 

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