Polyurethane: The material of choice for  the composite industry

Outstanding characteristics such as high design flexibility and productivity enable applications from attractive bath tubs to lightweight trunk floors

Shanghai, 12 September 2007 – Under the theme “Innovation in Composites”, Bayer MaterialScience will showcase its sprayable Polyurethane system and technologies including Baypreg®, Baypreg® F and Multitec® for the composite industry at the 13th China Composite Expo. in Beijing.

“Thanks to many of its advantages - especially high design flexibility and productivity - polyurethanes have become an ideal solution for the needs of the composite industry,” said Dr. Thomas Braig, Asia Pacific Marketing Director for BaySystems Molded Parts & Elastomers of Bayer MaterialScience.

From attractive bath tubs to lightweight and stiff trunk floors, Bayer MaterialScience’s booth will demonstrate that the polyurethanes composite technology has been integrated into almost all aspects of daily life. For domestic manufacturers, Bayer MaterialScience launched Baypreg® - a lightweight, extremely tough and highly flexible cutting-edge material employed in the manufacture of furniture and partition walls to the production of surf and snow boards.  

 “Many leading manufacturers of high-strength molded parts see Baypreg® as a real alternative to traditional epoxy resins as it is not only solvent and styrene-free, but is also suitable for all molding press processes and compatible with a wide range of core materials, such as plastics or aluminum and paper honeycomb structures. In addition, Baypreg® can be processed with a wide range of reinforcing fibrous materials - such as glass, carbon or natural fibers. The spray system ensures that these materials are well moistened and impregnated,” explained Roy Lin, Head of Business Development for BaySystems Molded Parts & Elastomers and Automotive Systems.

Baypreg® is available in two versions: as a resin for sandwich structures spraying and as a resin incorporating a release agent for moulded articles without decorative facings. This material is suitable for all compression moulding processes, compatible with a wide variety of core materials and can be processed with many reinforcing fibre materials. Baypreg® is ideal for automotive applications, particularly when parts cannot be produced on an automated production line.  

To meet the demands of the fast-growing automotive industry in China, Bayer MaterialScience will launch Baypreg® F for spare wheel covers and sunshades. Baypreg® F sandwich composites made of paper honeycombs or glass fibre mats have good mechanical properties and are light-weight and reinforced with natural fibres.“ But what is more important is because Baypreg® is solvent-free and utilises natural fibres, its impact on the environment is minimized. The products also use thermal recycling and produce minimal emission and fogging. This reflects our commitment to sustainability and environment protection,” said Dr. Braig.

In reference to Multitec® technology, Roy Lin said, “Polyurethanes spray systems solve the conflicts between economic and ecological development. A perfect example for that is our Multitec® Short Fiber Spraying technology.” With high flexibility in design and processing capability, high productivity, excellent mechanical properties and environmental friendliness this latest technology is being used in the reinforcement of leading-edge bath tubs, the production of parts of tractors and the manufacture of commercial vehicles. 

This year Bayer MaterialScience set up a spray competency center in Shanghai to further demonstrate and deliver its expertise in polyurethane spray technology – both Baypreg® and Multitec® are featured, reflecting Bayer’s ability to offer a tailor-made service to its customers in the China market. The center is one of three regional facilities established globally by Bayer MaterialScience.

 “China’s annual demands for composite materials have exceeded 10 percent growth per year. Our polyurethane systems offer significant advantages in terms of quality, productivity and efficiency - as well as environmental-friendliness - compared to conventional fiber reinforced plastics based on unsaturated polyester or epoxy resins. Our polyurethane spray systems are the right solution for all customers who want to be competitively prepared for the future. With the spray center, we are prepared to provide more tailor-made service to our local customers,” concluded Dr. Braig. 

About BaySystems®:

Bayer MaterialScience AG launched its entire global polyurethane systems business under the umbrella brand of BaySystems®. This change affects not only existing product brands in this segment – including Baypreg® and Multitec® – but also the global network of polyurethane systems houses and the company’s support for customers in the world’s footwear industry.

Forward-looking statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including our Form 20-F). Bayer assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.