Efficient building insulation with polyurethane

Fri, 07 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0200

In industrial and commercial construction, in public facilities and logistics buildings, energy efficiency, sustainability and compliance with climate protection targets will become increasingly important alongside cost-effectiveness. These and other challenges are the topic of this year's industrieBAU (Industrial Construction) Day on trends and future topics in industrial construction, which the industrieBAU magazine is organizing on September 27 at the Kasino Hotel in Chempark Leverkusen.

Rigid polyurethane (PU) foam is a very high-performance insulating material and is ideal for reducing energy consumption and CO₂ emissions in buildings as well as conserving fossil resources. In German industrial and commercial buildings made of sandwich panels, the insulating material now has a market share of around 80 percent. Covestro is supporting the event with a lecture and as a platinum sponsor and is inviting the participants to visit its technical center for polyurethane building products.

Sustainable insulating material for industrial and commercial buildings Sandwich panels consist of two metallic cover layers and a core of PU or even more fire-resistant polyisocyanurate (PIR) hard foam. "They have been used for many years for large-area and efficient thermal insulation of industrial and commercial buildings and facilitate fast, modular and cost-effective construction of buildings," says Stefanie Rau, marketing manager for the construction industry in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Rigid PU foam is also used in insulation boards. They have flexible covering layers and are used to insulate pitched and flat roofs and floors as well as internal and external walls. "In flat roof applications, they are gaining increasing market share, which is due to their high compressive strength, water resistance and the associated low maintenance costs," explains Stefanie Rau. Both products are manufactured in a continuous process on double-belt lines.

Covestro – a pioneer in alternative raw materials
For even more sustainable thermal insulation of buildings, Covestro now additionally uses alternative raw materials for its production, also to reduce its own dependence on fossil resources. The company is currently working intensively on a CO₂-based raw material for rigid PU foam.

In addition, Covestro and its partners have developed a unique method for obtaining the key chemical product aniline from biobased raw materials. MDI could in future be produced from this bioaniline – another important raw material for rigid PU foam.

Modern technical center
A few years ago, Covestro set up a modern technical center for the industrial production of polyurethane foams in order to better support it in aligning its production to current market requirements. Among other things, the plant includes continuously operating systems for the production of insulation boards and sandwich panel elements, which are used for large-area insulation solutions in industrial construction. The goal is to further improve the insulating effect and fire resistance of these products in line with customer requirements and market trends.

Digitalization for greater efficiency
Digitalization opens up many opportunities for the construction industry and the associated value chain to increase productivity, make processes more efficient and support sustainability. Covestro pursues a comprehensive strategic program based on three dimensions – digital business processes, digital customer experience and new digital business models.

The implementation of the program begins for Covestro with more efficient operation of its own production and ranges from a comprehensive digital approach of business customers to the development of an innovative chemical trading platform, which is currently being tested. With the new business models, "digital technical services" are particularly important to make customer production even more efficient.

About Covestro:
With 2017 sales of EUR 14.1 billion, Covestro is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2017.

Find more information at www.covestro.com
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Covestro

Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. 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 Covestro’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Pushing boundaries with up-to-date train interiors

Fri, 20 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0200

“The Future of Mobility”: Under this motto, the InnoTrans trade fair to be held in Berlin, Germany, from September 18 to 21 will be devoted to the future of transport technology. Not only today's growing mobility and the trend towards mobile work, but also increasingly busy roads and a rising environmental awareness are promoting the switch to trains and buses. These public transport services are not as energy-hungry as cars, trucks, and airplanes, they emit less CO₂, and help prevent traffic congestion.

Regardless of whether traveling long distance or commuting to and from work: Customers are placing ever greater demands on the interior furnishing of trains. The passengers want a robust, innovative, and appealing design. They want comfortable seats and clean and easy-to-clean surfaces to give them a feeling of well-being. But the interior should also be functional in order to accommodate baby carriages, baggage, and bicycles, as well as to allow a seamless network. What is required are affordable and environmentally friendly solutions that also guarantee the safety of the passengers.

Safety has priority
Covestro is a leading provider of polycarbonate solutions that combine many of these characteristics together. At the InnoTrans at Stand 506 in Hall 3.1, the company will present blends with this plastic that are not only sturdy and aesthetic, but also satisfy the high requirements of EN 45545, the European fire protection standard for railway vehicles. This way, plastics make their contribution to ensuring passenger safety.

The product Bayblend^® FR411 MT, for example, is a filler-reinforced modified polycarbonate that meets the requirements of this European standard with respect to flame propagation, thermal release, and smoke density and toxicity for R1 applications according to hazard level HL2 up to a wall thickness of two millimeters.

To address the need of the railway industry for a material for higher wall thicknesses, Covestro has developed the trial product Bayblend^® TP2139, which meets the fire protection requirements named above even up to a layer thickness of three millimeters.

Pioneering interior design
“The two products are highly versatile in use for walls and seats, as well as in electrical installations,” says Klaus Kraner, expert for the interior furnishing of buses and trains at Covestro's Polycarbonates Segment. “The components manufactured from them are lightweight and do not require painting, as the material is dyed during plate production,” explains Klaus Kraner.

There are virtually no limits for designers when it comes to shaping and coloring. This also applies to the design of surfaces, which can have a smooth or high gloss finish, but also a grained or textured finish. Moreover, polycarbonate is permeable to radio signals and therefore ideally suitable for the installation of antennas and sensors.

The plates can be manufactured with environmentally friendly and efficient extrusion technologies. They are long-lasting and can be recycled at the end of their useful life.

About Covestro:
With 2017 sales of EUR 14.1 billion, Covestro is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2017.

Find more information at www.covestro.com.
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Covestro

Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. 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 Covestro’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Covestro Press

Efficient building insulation with polyurethane

Pushing boundaries with up-to-date train interiors