Luxus celebrates completion of Hycolene commercialisation project

Technical compounder, Luxus, is celebrating the successful completion of its three-year research project for advanced lightweight thermoplastics for the automotive industry.

The company held a day-long event this week (10th January) to acknowledge the completion of its €1.4m ‘Recyclite’ project, co-funded by the EU’s Eco-Innovation initiative, at the Brackenborough Hotel, Lincolnshire.

The Recyclite project, which will officially conclude at the end of this month, was eastblished to help commercialise its environmentally positive, advanced lightweight and scratch-resistant thermoplastics range for Class ‘A’ auto interiors, known as ‘Hycolene’.

Luxus along with its fellow project partners - Tier 1 moulder, International Automotive Components (IAC), major auto manufacturer, Jaguar Land Rover, and bespoke twin screw manufacturer, Coperion, have helped support the development of the Hycolene thermoplastics range through a series of technical trials – proving the technology’s potential at full commercial scale.

Launched in 2008, the Eco-Innovation initiative was part of the EU’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP), set up to support innovation among SMEs and to improve their competitiveness. It helped to bridge the ‘gap’ between research and the market.

“We’re pleased that the commercial potential for Hycolene was recognised by the EU and our fellow project partners three years ago,” explained Dr. Christel Croft, Luxus Technical Director.

“This crucial investment and the dedicated industry expertise it required, has enabled us to make a fundamental step change in our technology, as we have replaced filled compounds with ‘next generation’ reinforcing additives.”

Croft explained that due to the “excellent tensile properties” of these additives, they do not detract from the appearance of a moulded compound, yet their adoption reduces weight by up to 12 percent per part and also “significantly improves” scratch resistance, satisfying stringent industry standards.

“Hycolene 16818 offers a much lower density than currently provided, while still delivering up to 60 percent recycled content with the option for prime grades too. The result is that the material satisfies the rapid cycle times now set by OEMs and Tier 1 manufacturers whilst having significant Co2 reduction,” she added.

Rob Crow, Materials Innovation Manager, Jaguar Land Rover, commented: “Through our involvement in the Recyclite project, Jaguar Land Rover has demonstrated first hand that Hycolene 16818 can meet our key structural requirements for use in Class ‘A’ interior applications, whilst delivering a significant improvement in scratch performance over conventional talc-filled polypropylenes.”

Looking ahead, Luxus will now be developing additional Hycolene grades, including an even higher impact version with excellent scratch resistance and further colour options.

Its capacity to produce the new compounds will be helped in the future by working in close partnership with both local and global sources to access (PP) recyclate – the same lightweight performance can be achieved too in prime grades.

“This project has enabled us to become a true ‘Eco-innovator’ – Hycolene produces 26 per cent less CO2 per tonne over the life cycle of the vehicle compared to virgin compounds for example,” commented Peter Atterby, Luxus’ Managing Director.

“Beyond its ‘green’ credentials, we have engineered what we believe is the next generation in performance leading polymers. Hycolene has exceeded expectations offering an enhanced surface finish where it matters most – in the auto cockpit and cabin.”

Atterby said that the company’s advanced thermoplastics technology is of benefit to many diverse global markets in addition to the automotive industry, with an extrusion grade in development for the heavy equipment industry.

In addition, the company is investigating Hycolene’s use in cosmetic packaging, particularly black bottles where improved scratch resistance at the point of sale is required.

“We intend to incorporate a near infrared (NIR) detectable version to enable effective post-consumer recycling, as it will contain no carbon black – this is just the beginning of what Hycolene can achieve,” Atterby explained.

“Without the support, however, of this EU initiative and our expert partners, we as an SME wouldn’t have been able to bring to market this innovative new compound.”