BioSMC

Use of Bio-Based and Renewable Raw Materials in SMC

Within this research project, both fillers and resin systems were replaced by bio-based counterparts.

In the research project BioSMC, new fields of applications were opened up by using bio-based and renewable raw materials in SMC semi-finished products. Conventional glass fiber reinforced SMC semi-finished products usually consist of approx. 15–25 wt.-% of unsaturated polyester resin including anti-shrinkage additives, approx. 7 wt.-% of application specific additives, approx. 40 wt.-% of mineral fillers (e.g. calcium carbonate) and approx. 20–35 wt.-% of reinforcement fibers with a length of 25.4 mm. By replacing resin, fillers and reinforcement fibers with bio-based components, the aim was to develop new SMC semi-finished products, which are processible under conventional SMC manufacturing and processing parameters, also show significantly reduced density compared to conventional SMC and provide the same absolute mechanical properties.

By using basalt fibers as reinforcing fibers, the share of bio-based components were increased up to 74 wt.-%. These semifinished products show a density which is up to 20% lower than conventional SMC semi-finished products and provide absolute achievable mechanical properties comparable to those of conventional materials.

Field of competence

Industry sectors

Project status

  • Archived

Contacts

Dr.-Ing.

Florian Gortner

Postdoc Molding & Joining Technologies

Telephone: +49 631 2017 439

florian.gortner@leibniz-ivw.de

Funding

The project “BioSMC – Development of a density-reduced Sheet Molding Compound (SMC)based on renewable raw materials (BioSMC) that can be processed under conventional processing parameters; development of recipes, processes and semi-finished products for Novel Bio-Based SMC” is funded by the ZIM program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) (funding reference ZF4052322EB8).