Page 45 - Plastics News February 2023

CONVERTING SILICONE-COATED AIRBAG SCRAP INTO INJECTION-
GRADE POLYAMIDE 66

It also greatly reduced mold adhesion.
The flowability and mechanical prop-
erties of recycled PA 66 using Toray’s
technology reportedly is on a par with
virgin PA 66.
Toray plans to start full-fledged sam-
ple shipments of Ecouse Amilan in
April 2023 at the soonest It ultimately
plans to procure recycled raw materi-
als at its overseas sites to establish a
global supply system. It will also ex-
plore commercializing recycled PA 66
products made from airbags recov-
ered from end-of-life vehicles.
Toray has developed recycled plas-
apan’s Toray Industries has devel- PA 66 fabric used in airbags can be tic products derived primarily from
Joped a recycled polyamide (PA) either silicone-coated or non-coated. post-industrial scrap materials from
66 material recovered from silicone- Manufacturers normally recycle the in-house production processes, un-
coated airbag fabric scrap cuttings. scrap cuttings of non-coated fabrics. dertaking such efforts as recycling
This grade reportedly achieves the Recycling coated airbag fabric scrap used air conditioner parts into new
same flowability and mechanical cuttings requires removing the sili- ones. It aims to extend recycling to
properties as virgin PA 66 injection cone. Refinverse was the first in Japan used automotive parts and industrial
molding grades. to achieve commercial-scale silicone- equipment.
Industrial recycler Refinverse Group coated fabric recycling. Toray intends to launch Ecouse Toray-
strips the silicone from airbag fabric Recycling through stripping and wash- con as a chemically recycled polybu-
scrap cuttings and cleans the recov- ing typically left traces of silicone, tylene terephthalate (PBT) resin ex-
ered plastic, which Toray then uses to which degrades the resin and contam- hibiting properties equivalent to virgin
create the PA 66 grade by combining inates molds during injection molding. materials. It will keep assessing mate-
the resin with specific additives. Toray Another issue is the high viscosity of rial recycling and chemical recycling
will debut the new offering under airbag yarn limiting high-flow applica- for its own polymers in its drive to
the brand name Ecouse (pronounced tions in thin-wall and other injection expand the Ecouse lineup by debut-
Eco-Use) Amilan. Toray established molding processes. ing such products as Ecouse Toyolac
the Ecouse brand in 2015 for eco- Toray combined specific additives to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
friendly recycled materials and prod- prevent residual silicone from migrat- and Ecouse Torelina polyphenylene
ucts. ing to the surface of molded products. sulfide (PPS).

PLASTICS NEWS 47
February 2023