Manufacture of plastic parts for facade elements
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Fasadglas Bäcklin AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 000 000 |
| Project duration | November 2022 - December 2024 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Venture | Competence centre |
Important results from the project
The project was an SME-project within the frames of the Vinnova Competence centre FibRe. The overall aim of this project was to investigate the possibility of making a traditional facade more environmentally friendly by replacing fossil-based plastics with bio-based/recycled materials in unavoidable plastic parts. The goal was to investigate the processability of commercial bio-based plastics in actual details in facade elements and gain an increased understanding of how bio-based materials differ from fossil-based ones.
Expected long term effects
The project has contributed to the understanding of differences between fossil-based and bio-based/recycled materials both when it comes to manufacturing and properties of the manufactured products. The knowledge gained can be applied to materials produced within FibRe. The project results can ultimately contribute to replacing fossil-based plastic details in facade elements with bio-based/recycled alternatives with the effect of a reduced carbon footprint.
Approach and implementation
Through a literature study, five different commercially available bio-based/recycled plastics were selected that met the requirement specification for manufacturing and incorporation into the facade element. Profiles were manufactured with a custom-made tool and were evaluated for processability and mechanical properties. Based on the evaluation, together with cost and sustainability aspects, a bio-based and a recycled plastic were selected as the most promising to replace the fossil-based plastic.