Technical compounder and recycler Luxus has been awarded a European Union grant to enable it to put its Hycolene polypropylene (PP) product on the market.
The Lincolnshire-based company intends to target the European automotive interior trim market with the product that contains up to 60 per cent recycled content.
Luxus will be collaborating with twin screw manufacturer Coperion to help with complex processing, tier 1 moulding supplier IAC for materials trials and Jaguar Land Rover.
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The automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover will provide end user guidance on the project to ensure the technical requirements are met.
Luxus managing director Peter Atterby said: “We’re pleased that the commercial potential of our Hycolene range has been recognised by the EU. This investment will enable us to effectively make a fundamental step change in our technology as we aim to replace our filled compounds with next generation reinforcing additives.
“These additives offer excellent tensile properties that don’t detract from the appearance of the moulded compound, yet their adoption reduces weight by up to 12 per cent per part and significantly improves scratch resistance to meet industry standards.
“The new grades will also offer a lower density than is currently provided, while still delivering up to 60 per cent recycled PP. The result of this is that tier 1 moulding suppliers will be able to produce more parts per tonne of the mineral as they will benefit from a much faster cycle time. This will offset the slightly higher price these new advanced grades will require.”
