Enhanced RCF thermoplastic compounding opportunities grow composites recycling breadth

Source | Vartega

EasyFeed Bundles are Vartega’s (Denver, Colo., U.S.) answer for oversize and chopped carbon fiber made for thermoplastic compounding, for use in injection molded parts and additive manufacturing (AM). Traditionally, chopped carbon fiber for these uses is made from virgin carbon fiber on spools. Vartega, however, has endeavored to develop processes to recreate this product offering using recycled carbon fiber (rCF) — discontinuous scrap that’s not on spools.

Vartega has expanded its EasyFeed Bundle product lines to provide a wider array of rCF solutions for thermoplastic compounding. Standard modulus carbon fiber has been the company’s mainstay (its feedstock is primarily in loose tow, short spool and fabric scrap formats.). New offerings are now available at scale that are built from high-strength and intermediate modulus carbon fiber feedstocks. Three offerings of sizing chemistry are also available, enabling high structural performance compounding in a wide range of resins including nylons, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyketone, ABS, PPA and even higher-temperature resins like PEEK and PEKK.

Mainstay EasyFeed Bundle product line now includes:

EFB120 (standard modulus rCF)
EFB320 (high-strength rCF)
EFB520 (intermediate modulus rCF).

A new value offering has also been released — EFB110, made from dry fabric scrap that contains trace amounts of polyester stitching (up to 3.5%). As-compounded mechanical performance in PA6 shows equal mechanical performance at an additional 20% cost savings from EFB120, Vartega’s mainstream standard modulus product.

Vartega’s in-house thermoplastic compounding line has also been fully recommissioned in its new 82,000-square-foot facility, enabling compound co-development and small batch white-label compounding for customers for end uses including injection molding and AM. Vartega is using this compounding line for joint new product development programs with industry partners, and to serve as a small white-label compounding provider for specialty compounds (as long as they include carbon fiber).

Chemical recycling, or solvolysis, remains a core technical foundation for its strategy to advance solving difficult recycling challenges. Vartega’s latest scale-up stage is built on a 700-L reactor, currently being used for running R&D trials with suppliers of new-generation recyclable thermoset resins (to enable recycling of cured thermoset composites).