WHITMORE LAKE ? RheTech has expanded its RheVision biocomposites product line to include agave fiber and coconut fiber. These new biofibers, including RheVision’s existing offering of wood fiber, rice hull and flax fiber reinforced polyolefin, are helping RheTech meet the growing demand for environmentally friendly materials that meet the performance characteristics of its customers.
?We are very excited to add these new biofibers to our product line,? said Jim Preston, vice president, Business Development. ?We are responding to an important and growing market of natural biofiber thermoplastics that are able to displace other materials that are reinforced with traditional mineral reinforcements and fiberglass, while providing similar cost benefits and often better performance characteristics our customers require. Like our other RheVision products, we use the true waste of agave and coconut to create these unique biocomposites.?
The agave fiber is the residual by?product from the production of tequila. The fiber is very strong and enhances the aesthetic appeal of components with a unique, fibrous aesthetic quality. Agave is ideal for applications that require impact strength and stiffness, or where the OEM is looking for a unique look.
The coconut fiber is ground coconut shell, which is left over after all usable products are harvested. These shells are typically left to degrade or used for the production of charcoal. When processed, the coconut fiber yields a product that is very stiff and has a very hard surface. It has application in end-products such as interior trim in the transportation market that is traditionally manufactured from talc filled polypropylene. RheTech purchases coconut shells from a producer in Southeast Asia.
RheVision?s agave and coconut biofibers are offered in a variety of formulations that contain anywhere from 10 percent to 50 percent reinforcement content in a variety of polyolefins, which include post-consumer scrap.
?The RheVision line continues to grow for us,? said Preston. ?It is a product line of great emphasis for our company. Importantly, it also provides a greener footprint in terms of the energy required to process it and is available in sufficient enough quantity to validate the business case for committing to its manufacture.?
RheTech is a producer of filled and reinforced polypropylenes and color concentrates and additives for the automotive, truck, electronics, construction, and consumer markets. The privately held company has three plants in Michigan and Ohio.
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