Process for producing a glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016279833-A1
Application number	US-201415036319-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 31, 2014
Priority date	Nov 15, 2013
Publication date	Sep 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for producing a glass fibre-reinforced themoplastic polymer composition, comprising subsequent steps of unwinding from a package of a continuous glass multifilament strand and applying a sheath of thermoplastic polymer around said multifilament strand to form a sheathed continuous multifilament strand, wherein at least two continuous glass multifilament strands together are provided within said sheath of themoplastic polymer, wherein said sheath of thermoplastic polymer surrounds said at least two continuous glass multifilament strands in such a way that said at least two continuous glass multifilament strands are in close contact with each other.

First claim

1 . A process for producing a glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composition, comprising the sequential steps of unwinding from a package of at least one continuous glass multifilament strand and applying a sheath of thermoplastic polymer around said multifilament strand to form a sheathed continuous multifilament strand, wherein:
at least two continuous glass multifilament strands together are provided within said sheath of thermoplastic polymer, the thermoplastic polymer of the sheath is polypropylene, said sheath surrounds said at least two continuous glass multifilament strands, and the amount of glass in the composition is from 35 to 75 wt. % on the basis of the total weight of the composition.

2 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of glass is in the range of 50 wt. % to 70 wt. %.

3 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein at least three continuous glass multifilament strands together are provided within said sheath of thermoplastic polymer, wherein said sheath of thermoplastic polymer surrounds said at least three continuous glass multifilament strands.

4 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein an impregnating agent is applied to each of said at least two continuous glass multifilament strands.

5 . The process according to claim 4 , wherein the impregnating agent is applied to each of said at least two continuous glass multifilament strands together or separately before the application of said sheath of thermoplastic polymer around said multifilament strands.

6 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the thermoplastic sheath is at least 0.32 mm.

7 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the continuous glass multifilament strands have of from 500 to 10000 glass filaments per strand glass filaments per strand and wherein the diameter of the glass filaments in said continuous multifilament strand ranges from 5 to 50 microns.

8 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polypropylene is a propylene homopolymer, with a melt flow index, MFI, of 15-100 g/10 min (ISO 1133, 230° C./2.16 kg).

9 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises a step of cutting the sheathed continuous glass multifilament strand into pellets.

10 . The process according to claim 1 wherein a line speed for producing the composition is at least 100 m/min.

11 . The process according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises a step of moulding the glass fibre-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composition into (semi-)finished articles.

12 . The process according to claim 10 , wherein an impregnating agent is applied to each of said at least two continuous glass multifilament strands.

13 . The process according to claim 12 , wherein the impregnating agent is applied to each of said at least two continuous glass multifilament strands together or separately before the application of said sheath of thermoplastic polymer around said multifilament strands.

14 . The according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the thermoplastic sheath is 0.32-0.55 mm, wherein the continuous glass multifilament strands have from 2000 to 5000 glass filaments per strand, and wherein the diameter of the glass filaments in said continuous multifilament strand ranges from 10 to 30 microns.

15 . Process according to claim 14 , wherein the polypropylene is a propylene homopolymer, with a melt flow index, MFI, of 25 to 75 g/10 min (ISO 1133, 230° C./2.16 kg).

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Tufano Carmela
• Biemond Gerard Jan Eduard

Classifications

• B29K2101/12

  Thermoplastic materials · CPC title

• C08J2323/12

  Polypropene · CPC title

• B29K2023/12

  PP, i.e. polypropylene · CPC title

• B29K2309/08

  Glass · CPC title

• B29B9/06

  in the form of filamentary material, e.g. combined with extrusion · CPC title