IKV: Research for Practical Application PUR, Blown Film, Coextrusion: Three IKV Approaches for Practical Application

Whether it’s release-agent-free PUR demolding, fluctuating recycled material quality in film extrusion, or boundary layer instabilities in coextrusion: plastics processing faces complex process challenges. Researchers at IKV Aachen are identifying concrete solutions using new measurement cells, scale-up models, and mold simulations.

Measuring cell for release agent-free PUR mass production

Simplifying the manufacturing process can improve the cost-effectiveness of plastic-based lightweight components and help reduce CO₂ emissions in industries such as automotive, transportation, aviation, shipping, and footwear. One approach is to replace conventional release agents with permanent mold coatings in PUR series production. While conventional release agents enable reliable demolding, they can cause residues on components as well as mold buildup on mold surfaces. This compromises component quality and requires regular cleaning that is costly, time-consuming, energy-intensive, and resource-intensive. Permanent, plasma-polymer mold coatings therefore offer a promising alternative. However, their use represents a sensitive intervention in the production chain, as demolding behavior depends on material chemistry, reaction kinetics, and process conditions. Until now, there has been no practical and reproducible method for evaluating the compatibility of a PUR material system with such a release layer in advance.