18
April
2018
|
00:00
Europe/Amsterdam
Every biker would love to live out of this suitcase
Summary
Covestro plastic proves itself with great low-temperature impact strength, chemical resistance and surface quality
When the warm spring sun drives away the winter frost, it also arouses the wanderlust of motorcycle fans. Finally set off again, smell the asphalt and conquer the world! Take the machines out to get them ready to go and get started planning short trips or long distance tours. But no trip without luggage. What is the best way to store it? Which luggage systems can give the noble design of the bikes another kick, and which are light, robust, safe and easy to handle?
These are the questions the experts at Hepco&Becker GmbH, have in mind. The company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality luggage systems for motorcycles and is based in Pirmasens, Germany. The family business, which also specializes in tool cases, has put its accumulated know-how and many years of experience into a new side bag called the XCEED. The top loader was developed in cooperation with EGON Engineering Goes On, a technology consulting company from Memmingen, and its design is based on high-quality anodized aluminum and the impact-resistant Makroblend® UT6007 plastic from Covestro.
Really tough
"With this combination of materials we make use of contemporary lines and shapes that lend the case elegance and value. At the same time, it is light and handy and can take a lot of punishment in everyday life without its appearance getting immediately damaged," explains Nils Arnold, specialist in design and development at Hepco&Becker.
The plastic is used for the base of the case, which weighs only 4.5 kilograms, the housings of the lid and case lock as well as the edges of the lid and the case body. In addition, the handles of the lid, which can be opened and removed from both sides, as well as accessories such as canister and drinking bottle holders are made of the polycarbonate and polybutylene terephthalate (PC+PBT) blend.
Matte, finely grained surface
"Our material has proven itself in many ways. For example, it is extremely low-temperature impact resistant so it hardly breaks and splinters even at low temperatures, which benefits safety," explains Thomas Vaillant, a plastics expert at Covestro. It is also particularly resistant to typical motorcycle fluids such as oils, greases and fuels as well as cleaning and maintenance products. In addition, matte, finely grained surfaces can be injection molded without any defects and they complement the aluminum look very well.
Good flowability and dimensional stability are another advantage of the elastomer-modified thermoplastic. They ensure that the partly filigree geometries are precisely reproduced, for example in the area of the locks, and that the complete case – it has a capacity of 38 liters – fits precisely into its support and the installation environment.
The different variants of the Makroblend® UT series are also in demand in other motorcycle applications. For example, they are used to produce weatherproof and impact-resistant battery housings for electric motorcycles.
XCEED will appear on the market in mid-2018 and was already presented at the EICMA, Europe's largest motorcycle fair, in Milan November 2017. Detailed information about the side bag can be found at https://www.hepco-shop.de/?___store=english&___from_store=german.
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.
For more information please see www.covestro.com.
Follow us on Twitter: https://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.
These are the questions the experts at Hepco&Becker GmbH, have in mind. The company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality luggage systems for motorcycles and is based in Pirmasens, Germany. The family business, which also specializes in tool cases, has put its accumulated know-how and many years of experience into a new side bag called the XCEED. The top loader was developed in cooperation with EGON Engineering Goes On, a technology consulting company from Memmingen, and its design is based on high-quality anodized aluminum and the impact-resistant Makroblend® UT6007 plastic from Covestro.
Really tough
"With this combination of materials we make use of contemporary lines and shapes that lend the case elegance and value. At the same time, it is light and handy and can take a lot of punishment in everyday life without its appearance getting immediately damaged," explains Nils Arnold, specialist in design and development at Hepco&Becker.
The plastic is used for the base of the case, which weighs only 4.5 kilograms, the housings of the lid and case lock as well as the edges of the lid and the case body. In addition, the handles of the lid, which can be opened and removed from both sides, as well as accessories such as canister and drinking bottle holders are made of the polycarbonate and polybutylene terephthalate (PC+PBT) blend.
Matte, finely grained surface
"Our material has proven itself in many ways. For example, it is extremely low-temperature impact resistant so it hardly breaks and splinters even at low temperatures, which benefits safety," explains Thomas Vaillant, a plastics expert at Covestro. It is also particularly resistant to typical motorcycle fluids such as oils, greases and fuels as well as cleaning and maintenance products. In addition, matte, finely grained surfaces can be injection molded without any defects and they complement the aluminum look very well.
Good flowability and dimensional stability are another advantage of the elastomer-modified thermoplastic. They ensure that the partly filigree geometries are precisely reproduced, for example in the area of the locks, and that the complete case – it has a capacity of 38 liters – fits precisely into its support and the installation environment.
The different variants of the Makroblend® UT series are also in demand in other motorcycle applications. For example, they are used to produce weatherproof and impact-resistant battery housings for electric motorcycles.
XCEED will appear on the market in mid-2018 and was already presented at the EICMA, Europe's largest motorcycle fair, in Milan November 2017. Detailed information about the side bag can be found at https://www.hepco-shop.de/?___store=english&___from_store=german.
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.
For more information please see www.covestro.com.
Follow us on Twitter: https://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.