Bayer MaterialScience will showcase exciting material solutions for key trends at the Fakuma trade fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from October 14 to 18, 2014. Visitors to Stand 2406 in Hall B4 will be able to find out about the latest developments in the automotive and LED lighting sectors and about new production processes. The company's program will be rounded out by speedtalks from experts – short, concise presentations about key themes."Our innovative materials and solutions improve people's lives and create value," explains Rainer Rettig, Head of Commercial Operations for Polycarbonates at Bayer MaterialScience in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. "However, we also want our developments to provide the answers to major challenges such as climate change and population growth. In this way, we aim to contribute to conserving resources and minimizing the impact on people and the environment. All of this is part of Bayer MaterialScience's comprehensive sustainability concept."
Energy-saving lighting – using Bayer materials
A current example is the LED lighting technology, which has excellent growth potential worldwide. Primarily due to their low energy consumption and long service life, LED lights are considered to be the climate- and resource-friendly light source of the future. This opens up outstanding opportunities for the use of polycarbonate and semi-finished films and sheets manufactured from this polymer.Bayer MaterialScience has developed a broad spectrum of materials for various general lighting and automotive applications. They include products for display and light control technology. Focusing lenses, optical fibers, diffuser and light-directing elements, reflectors and thermally conductive housing components, for example, are manufactured from polycarbonate resins, films and sheets.
Customized design for car interiors – with polycarbonate
Another key focus will be developments for automotive applications. A growing number of drivers see a customized and harmonious environment as a priority. With traffic congestion an everyday occurrence, some people spend far more time in their cars than they would like. This is another reason why they want to feel at home in their cars. Bayer MaterialScience has developed a complete material concept for car interiors that facilitates the realization of this dream while meeting the automotive industry's requirement for greater cost-effectiveness in manufacturing.A kaleidoscope of design variations will be on show at Fakuma, ranging from matt, textured and high-gloss structures, coated and metalized surfaces, and attractive colors to the design of displays with three-dimensional surfaces. The DirectCoating / DirectSkinning technology codeveloped by Bayer MaterialScience enables the manufacture of decorated components in a single step. Another production concept originates from Gerhardi Kunststofftechnik in Lüdenscheid, Germany. This uses just one master mold to create a whole range of decoration variants with Bayer polycarbonates, which facilitates customized design for small-volume production.
