Based on its recent research on the natural fibre composites market, Frost & Sullivan presents Mondi with the 2013 Global Frost & Sullivan New Product Innovation Leadership Award for Fibromer, its natural fibre composite that offers superior mechanical performance with significant weight reduction. This makes it an ideal replacement for polymers and polymer compounds in a number of industries, including the automotive sector.
Mondi has leveraged years of expertise in the paper and pulp industry to develop this innovative and revolutionary product. Manufactured through a proprietary compounding technology that homogenously mixes pulp with polymer granules, Fibromer exhibits superior performance attributes when compared to short-glass fibre, other natural fibres, and talc-filled composites. The lower density of the material combined with the incorporation of cellulosic fibres in optimal proportion makes the finished components much lighter than before. Since Fibromer is highly compatible with injection moulding processes; it also helps reduce fabrication time by up to 30 percent.
"This is very relevant today as OEMs and Tier-I suppliers are increasingly relying on high volume processing," said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Deepak Karthikeyan. "Fibromer also enables higher productivity, higher tensile strength, increased stiffness, higher heat distortion temperature, and lower density of the final composite part."
Given these features, Fibromer is expected to rapidly penetrate its targeted markets. The automotive market, in particular, is demanding sustainable solutions. In the wake of European carbon emission legislations, which mandate all carmakers to achieve a target of 95g per km by 2020, as well as end-of-life vehicle legislation, Fibromer will help address a significant part of the challenge by making cars more recyclable and sustainable. Further, easy processability and parts integration will enable considerable cost reduction, translating into increased return-on-investment (ROI) for customers.
Apart from automotive applications, Fibromer can be used for other forms of transportation, such as trucks, buses, trains, aircrafts and ships as well as in logistics, electronics, and furniture applications.
