COIM: research and development for FILCO range
C.O.I.M. S.p.A., an Italian multinational company producing specialty chemicals since 1962 and operating worldwide with nineteen manufacturing and trading companies, has launched an important planof investments in research and development for the FILCO range, COIM’s solutions for reinforcement fibres.
FILCO products are sizes used in the treatment of reinforcement fibres for composite materials. Whether they are made of glass, carbon, basalt or other materials, reinforcement fibres require a specific surface treatment to be able to carry out their function in composite materials effectively. COIM is a major player in this field, as it offers a range of products that very few manufactures in the world produce and that are used in numerous sectors, such as the production of structural beams for building and construction and other industries, transport (ships, cars, trains and planes), the production of pipes – also for the chemical industry – and wind turbines.
“The drivers of the market, and thus the FILCO range, are the demand for a light weight and resistance to high temperatures, improvements for applications that include food contact, reduction of VOCs and use of renewable and recycled raw materials”, explains Mariaenrica Cesano, FILCO Technical & Business Manager. “With a view to anticipating and interpreting the market developments and responding effectively to the industry’s ever-changing requirements, COIM has launched a large-scale research programme dedicated to the FILCO range, based on four main projects”.
- Development of sizes and binders based on raw materials of biological origin. Following the major progress already made by eliminating nonylphenol ethoxylates, reducing VOCs, developing water-based products and emulsification technologies that minimize the use of co-solvents and allow the recovery and reuse of the finer fraction of powder coating resins, COIM is developing FILCO products based on raw materials of biological origin. Its research has enabled COIM to formulate a 100% bio-based binder for glass fibre, and an initial 75% bio-based size currently being developed at the laboratory. These solutions find wide application in infrastructure and the automotive and maritime industries.
- Development of sizes for reinforcing high hydrolysis-resistant polyamide (PA). For radiator components, the automotive industry requires ever-increasing resistance to hydrolysis of glass and PA composite materials. COIM is developing a crosslinking polyurethane dispersion capable of maintaining remarkable mechanical properties even after treatment with a water and glycol mixture at 120/125°C for 3000 h.
- Development of electrostatically dissipative sizes. One of the biggest problems in glass fibre processing is the accumulation of electrostatic charge, which makes it difficult to transport and cut. Traditionally, this problem has been solved in part by adding antistatic agents. COIM is currently developing intrinsically dissipative sizes for glass fibre, which ensure the dissipation of electrostatic charge using nanocomponents made of carbon and graphite, thus optimizing the processing of the fibre and the performance of the composite material. The final application is in the automotive sector.
- Development of eco-friendly binders. Experiments are currently being carried out at COIM customers’ sites on powder binders – for the production of cut edge mats – based on recycled raw materials, completely bisphenol-A free and with low viscosity at high temperatures. The use of recycled raw materials derived from PET bottles results in a virtuous sustainability process. The low viscosity of the molten material enables glass mat manufacturers to work at lower temperatures, with considerable energy savings.
C.O.I.M. S.p.a. press office: Origgi Consulting S.r.l.
Manager: Daniela Origgi
d.origgi@origgiconsulting.it – Mob. (+39) 347 1729113
COIM press office team:
pressoffice@origgiconsulting.it - Tel. (+39) 039 2307137
