Innovation and development
The power to innovate
We’re driven by the desire to develop and improve materials together with our customers. Exploring new possibilities and challenging the status quo have both been high priorities and a natural part of our operation since 1968. Today, we actively pursue the development of materials along two lines – customer specific development and innovations for the future. Our extensive experience and position in the market not only means we have the will, but also the muscle to create new materials, and in doing so make innovation a reality.
Our customer Separett AB switched from ABS to POLYfill PP HBK in its white toilet seats. Since then, the switch has resulted in reduced emissions by around 700 metric tons CO₂e per year. This is the equivalent to the emissions from almost 400 cars during the same time period.
When ABS is replaced with a high-gloss PP-based material, climate impact is reduced substantially, in this case by 61 percent, while also reducing the raw material costs. PP also has better chemical resistance and UV resistance. In cases where we can use recycled PP, we’re able to reduce climate impact by an additional 24 percent. This is a material-smart replacement that affects neither the product’s function nor its quality. It also proves it’s possible to be climate-smart as well as cost-effective.
Properties in new combinations
Your requirements are at the center when we review the properties of the base polymers and evaluate how we best can use and combine them. When necessary, we optimize a material’s properties further with the aid of reinforcements or additives. In this type of development, our goal is to find new ways to meet the needs of your product.
Modification of existing properties
We adjust existing materials by amplifying or toning down properties according to your needs. To our assistance, we have a wide knowledge base of various reinforcements such as talc, chalk, fiberglass and wollastonite. In refining the properties of your material, we carefully consider additives and their quantities to get as close to your wishes as possible.
More than 1200 customer samples and new developments every year
We develop materials every day. We test and produce more than 1200 new material compositions on our own production lines and injection molding machines every year. The work usually begins with us identifying your needs as a customer, before exploring your alternatives and developing a material that lives up to all of the agreed requirements.
Recycled with virgin material properties
In a project with Simoldes Plastics, Polykemi has developed high-quality recycled plastic raw material for complicated processes, a plastic with properties previously associated with virgin material. In tests where our PC/ABS made from high-quality recycled raw material was injected together with a textile into a mold, the results were equivalent to injection molding with textile and virgin material. The same tools, the same end result, yet a lower carbon footprint.
A technological evolution
The development of materials must be in place in cases where the development of a design and production demands higher standards of the material.
In the 70's the world focused on exploring the use of plastics. In the 90's, the development of stronger plastic and transparent plastic were in the spotlight. The development of new possibilities in design and production today is governed by tomorrow’s demands for sustainability.
Ever since its founding in 1968, Polykemi has explored the possibilities of modifying existing materials and developing new ones. We customize materials for you, and we customize them for the future.
We believe the key is daring to think differently. When you dare to try something that no one else has ever tried, you have a chance to make great strides forward.
When we develop new materials, the goal is to optimize the balance between all the fantastic properties of the plastic material. We do that in respect to performance, cost-effectiveness and environmental impact.
Anette Munch Elmér, R&D Manager
The more you know, the better. We begin by discussing the way the material should work in your end product and the various options we can provide, and make suggestions that match your requirements.
We guide you through capabilities and limitations, answer your questions and make sure you know everything you need to know about your material throughout the process.
Expert advice
Your guide through the materials jungle
We test our materials to make sure they are of the highest quality and meet agreed requirements. After completing the tests and based on your requirements, you receive figures showing your specific material's flowability, impact strength, reinforcement content and more.
The values our tests show also form the basis for developing your material if your requirements change later on.
Material properties
Performance in numbers
Sometimes the right color is one that demands attention, other times it’s a shade that harmonizes perfectly with its surroundings.
We’ll help you with color matching to get the perfect color for your material. We can develop a unique color for you and guarantee optimum color accuracy every time.
Color matching
Stand out, or blend in
Testing for injection moldings and extrusions
We have extensive experience in tailoring plastic compounds for injection molding and extrusion. Our technicians are very familiar with the capabilities and limitations associated with your manufacturing process, which means you can always get help from a technician who knows how different materials will behave in your tools.
When developing and optimizing your material, we always do so based on a requirement profile in which your production process forms a significant part. We customize and test your material to make it perform at its best in your tools.
Continuity across three continents
Delivering your quality globally
We produce locally and deliver globally. This means your deliveries come from the Polykemi factory closest to you. Identical test equipment on three continents enables our global quality management to guarantee delivery of your specific material regardless of where your production is located.
Globally consistent testing makes sure the same material is delivered regardless of the production facility.
We measure how the electrical charge in a charged test specimen decreases over a given period of time.
Anti-static properties
Examines how a test specimen is affected by touching a glow wire heated to temperatures between 650–960°C.
Flammability GWT
Measures how quickly a test specimen self-extinguishes following exposure to an open flame according to the requirements of the UL 94 standard.
Flammability UL 94
Provides a value of how well a material withstands scratching by a given needle tip diameter, load, and speed.
Scratch resistance
Examines the composition of polymers in a material, its condition and glass transition and crystallization temperatures.
DSC
Checks the volatile organic carbon emissions from a material to ensure low levels of volatile substances
Gas chromatograph
Shows a material's fingerprint and identifies polymers, reinforcements, additives and signs of degradation.
FTIR
Measures strength, flexibility and stiffness by applying a constant force to test specimens.
Tensile and flexural strength
Checks the color in different lights (D65, A, TL84). Measures light and color according to the dE, dL, da, db, dC and dH equation.
Color spectrophotometer
Tests how specimens change when exposed to different levels of UV light, heat, simulated rain and humidity.
Weather simulation / WoM
Examines how a material behaves in an injection molding machine or extruder by measuring viscosity and flow properties.
Rheology
Makes sure raw materials remain below the limit values set by the RoHS Directive (2011/65/EC) for specific heavy metals and flame retardants.
X-ray fluorescence / XRF
Measures impact strength by allowing a pendulum to knock off a piece of a specimen at temperatures from +23°C to -40°C.
Impact strength
Measures flowability by allowing a given weight to force molten material of a given temperature through a capillary.
MFI/MFR melt Index
Tests how a material is affected by increased temperature by immersing it in an oil that is heated slowly.
HDT/VICAT
Our test equipment
Analysis and quality assurance is your guarantee of optimized materials. Our laboratory is actively engaged in qualified analytical work to support our product development. We assure the quality of all incoming and outgoing materials.
We can evaluate your material’s various properties with the aid of more than 60 different test methods. We test such things as the melt flow index, viscosity, impact strength, tensile and flexural strength, filler content, flammability and color. We perform in-depth analyses with the aid of DSC, FTIR, GC, falling dart, HDT, VICAT, weather simulations, XRF and anti-static and scratch resistance tests. We work closely with external testing institutes for additional tests.
All of the materials that leave our factories are tested for compliance with industry requirements and to ensure they meet agreed specifications. The test results are available to our customers.