Wacker Presents Product Innovations at K 2016 International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber

At K 2016, the Munich-based chemical company Wacker is presenting itself as an innovation driver for the plastics and rubber processing industry. In Hall 6, Booth A10, the company is showcasing more than a dozen new products and two technology innovations for key industries in the automotive, electronics, lighting and healthcare sectors. Highlights include textile sensors made from thin silicone films, high-modulus silicone rubber grades, crystal clear silicone encapsulants for LEDs and optical lenses as well as additives for manufacturing wood-plastic composites. Wacker is also presenting a world’s first: the first industrial-scale 3D printer for silicones. The hightech device will be producing silicone parts during the trade show. K 2016 takes place from
October 19 through 26 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

At this year’s K, we will once again be able to demonstrate our leading position as one of the most innovative silicone and polymer suppliers in the world“, says Robert Gnann, head of Wacker’s silicones business division, with regard to the trade fair. With € 5.3 billion in sales and R&D expenditures of € 175 million, Wacker is among the most research intensive companies in the chemical industry. Last year, the group generated € 1.9 billion, i.e. 37 percent of its sales with silicones.

“Silicones are increasingly being used in several sectors such as the automotive, health-care, lighting and electronics industries. There are two reasons for this: on the one hand, material requirements are rising steadily. On the other, standard materials are reaching their limits. In order to develop and produce innovative products, the industry needs high-performance materials such as silicones,” emphasizes Gnann. “Due to their unique physical and chemical properties which can be combined in several ways, and their excellent processability, silicones have become indispensable in many industries.“

Wacker is presenting the unique performance of silicones at this year’s K show. At its 300-square-meter booth, the company is showcasing solid and liquid silicone rubber grades, silicone encapsulants, additives for manufacturing wood-plastic composites, adhesion promoters, electrically conductive silicone rubber dispersions, and pigment pastes designed for the fluorescent marking of additioncuring silicone rubber. The company will also present new VINNEX additives for bioplastic compounds from its Wacker Polymers business division.

Trailblazing Textile Sensors and 3D Printing with Silicones Wacker’s offering of 20 product novelties is complemented by the
presentation of two trailblazing technologies: textile sensors based on extremely thin silicone films, enabling a virtual reality display of body movements, as well as the first industrial-scale 3D printer for silicones. Both technologies will be presented live at the WACKER booth.

“So far, it is not possible to print silicone parts with existing industrial 3D technologies“, says Gnann. The 3D process developed by WACKER and marketed under the ACEO brand since this year, is therefore considered a milestone in additive manufacturing. “With our ACEO technology, it is possible for the first time to manufacture silicone parts and assemblies with complex geometries.“

The 3D printing device that will debut at the K tradeshow represents the first industrial-scale printer generation. It is based on a drop-ondemand method developed by WACKER. The printer head deposits tiny silicone droplets on a substrate. In this way, the workpiece is built up layer by layer. The silicone is formulated so that the droplets flow together before the curing process begins, which is activated by UV light. The droplets and layers thus produce a homogeneous workpiece, which does not differ much from injection-molded parts. With the aid of water-soluble support materials, it is also possible to create overhang materials and internal lattices.

At the moment, additive manufacturing is growing rapidly in medical applications. Biomodeling and customized geometries are particularly promising. In these types of applications, silicones can display their favorable properties particularly well. Silicones are heat resistant, flexible at low temperatures, transparent and biocompatible. They can furthermore be pigmented in any color and have good damping properties.

Three years ago, at the last K show, Wacker introduced ELASTOSIL Film for the first time. This year, the company is presenting
specific applications with a particular focus on novel textile sensors. This application exploits the electroactive properties of silicone. The ultrathin high-precision film is embedded between two conductive electrodes made of carbon-black-filled silicones. Together, the layers form a flexible capacitor that can store electric charge. If the silicone capacitor is mechanically deformed – for example due to a tensile or compressive movement – its capacitance also changes. The subtle nuances of these changes can be measured and thus used for sensory purposes, for example to make body movements visible.

ELASTOSIL Film is made under cleanroom conditions without the use of solvents. WACKER’s patented production process creates extremely thin and faultless silicone films in thicknesses of between 20 and 400 micrometers. The film thickness across the entire width and length of the film web deviates from specification by ±5 percent at most. The silicone film enables the development and realization of innovative sensors and actuators for segments such as robotics, medical technology, and lifestyle products. The range of applications extends from pumps, switches, electrical relays and membranes through to movement sensors in textiles.