The Bayflex Lightweight polyurethane system from Bayer MaterialScience was honored with the "10th MATERIALICA Design + Technology Award 2012" at the MATERIALICA trade fair in Munich, Germany. A top-rank jury presented the "Best of" Award in the category "Material" for the high-performance and tough-elastic polyurethane construction material, which even floats on water due to its low density.
The Bayflex® team of Bayer MaterialScience is glad about receiving the MATERIALICA Award 2012 (from left to right): Dieter Gaumitz, Heike Niederelz, Silvia Gülker-Löhr, Andreas Stabla, Dr. Norbert Eisen, Dr. Birgit Meyer zu Berstenhorst, Gregor Murlowski, Daniel Seidlitz, Dieter Schendzielorz and Uwe Pfeuffer (not visible in the picture).
"We are delighted with this recognition of our commitment to sustainable material solutions," said Dr. Birgit Meyer zu Berstenhorst, project manager for this development. "Our new material weighs up to 30 percent less than the standard material and is thus a perfect fit for future drive concepts such as electric mobility."
This solution's light weight is attributable to the high-performance polyurethane system Bayflex Lightweight together with a sophisticated combination of fillers instead of the mineral fibers used previously. "The excellent mechanical properties of the system are thus retained," added Meyer zu Berstenhorst. The compact material also offers great design freedom in vehicle construction.
The potential for innovation offered by this lightweight design concept can also be applied to other areas of application in mobility, such as trucks and buses. Bayer experts believe it is also suitable for use in the leisure and furniture sector, the construction industry and the IT segment.