05/12/2016
Collaboration between BSH Electrodomésticos España and ELIX Polymers leads to improvement in aesthetic laser marking for household appliances
Collaboration between ELIX Polymers, a leader specialist in the production of ABS specialties, and BSH Electrodomésticos España, part of Europe’s largest producer of household appliances, to improve the contrast and resolution of aesthetic laser marking on visible ABS components has produced “highly satisfactory” results. Cooperation in research and development has helped ELIX Polymers develop special laser-markable grades of ABS, while BSH says it may now extend its use of laser decoration into new areas.
The BSH Group in Spain (the B and S stand for Bosch Siemens) has set itself an objective within materials technology and innovation of obtaining technical knowledge and transferring it to real products and industrial processes. For its part, the New Business development department at ELIX Polymers searches for new business opportunities through what it calls Responsible Innovation. “The collaboration between the two companies has allowed us to identify parameters that produce the best results using the various laser technologies currently on the market, and to develop ABS formulations that improve the aesthetic marking quality using these technologies,” says Antonio Prunera, head of Quality and Business Development at ELIX Polymers.
According to Andrés Escartín, head of Industrial Process Innovation at BSH España, the results obtained during the project have surpassed initial expectations. “This has allowed us to consider the extension of the aesthetic laser marker to a greater number of plastic parts in household appliances, reducing the subsequent painting or screen-printing stages, saving on post-treatment costs and reducing the environmental impact of the treatments,” he says. “Both we and ELIX Polymers are highly satisfied with the results obtained during the collaboration carried out this year.” The two companies are now planning to work on other collaborative projects.
Prunera adds: “Two companies who are leaders in their respective markets have come together to pool their knowledge in laser marking of plastic parts, and we have fulfilled our joint objectives. The success of this collaboration is now spurring ELIX Polymers on to search for synergies among more companies that want to stand out in the market with innovative high added-value products, and who want to expand their knowledge into more materials and applications.”
