Recycled ABS Molding Composition for Mechanical Property Restoration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current recycling processes for plastics, particularly acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), face challenges in achieving high-quality, consistent recycled plastic products with improved mechanical, thermal, and flow properties, often requiring the blending of recycled ABS with virgin materials to match the properties of virgin polymer products.
Innovation Solution
A thermoplastic recycling molding composition comprising 10-90% recycled ABS and 10-90% virgin material, where the virgin material is a mixture of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers, styrene-butadiene block copolymers, and lubricants, or non-homogeneously miscible polymers, optimized using a Design of Experiment (DoE) screening method to achieve pre-defined target properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If recycled ABS is used directly, then environmental sustainability is improved, but mechanical properties and consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material system by blending recycled ABS with virgin ABS and impact modifiers. This composite approach allows the recycled component to provide sustainability benefits while the virgin polymer and impact modifiers restore mechanical properties, achieving both environmental and performance goals simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the compositional parameters of the recycled plastic by adding specific amounts of virgin ABS (10-50 wt%) and impact modifiers (5-20 wt%). These parameter changes transform the degraded recycled material into a composition with restored mechanical properties while maintaining the core recycled content for sustainability
2Ease of manufacture
If recycled ABS is used directly, then production cost is reduced, but property consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a quality control feedback mechanism by systematically testing and adjusting the blend composition of recycled ABS, virgin ABS, and impact modifiers. This feedback loop ensures that each batch meets consistent property specifications while maintaining cost-effectiveness through optimized recycled content levels
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls manufacturing precision by adjusting compositional parameters within specific ranges: recycled ABS (50-80 wt%), virgin ABS (10-50 wt%), and impact modifiers (5-20 wt%). These controlled parameter changes ensure consistent mechanical properties across production batches while managing costs
3Strength
If virgin material is added to recycled ABS, then mechanical properties are improved, but recycled content percentage decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality enhancement by adding impact modifiers specifically to the recycled ABS matrix. This targeted approach improves impact resistance at specific locations within the material structure without requiring uniform addition of large amounts of virgin polymer throughout the entire composition
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-component composite where recycled ABS serves as the base matrix, virgin ABS provides structural continuity, and impact modifiers locally enhance toughness. This composite structure achieves high impact resistance with minimal virgin polymer content, preserving high recycled content percentages
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is directed to a thermoplastic recycling molding composition comprising recycled acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (r-ABS) as component A and virgin material as component B, wherein the component B is a mixture of at least two components selected from virgin thermoplastic polymers B1 and virgin lubricants B2, or wherein the component B is one or more polymer selected from polymers which are not homogenously miscible with rABS. Further, the present invention is directed to a process for the preparation of the thermoplastic recycling molding composition.