joining expertise at the service of the plastic converting industry

joining expertise at the service of the plastic converting industry

VKC-CENTEXBEL Etienne Sabbelaan 49 BE-8500 Kortrijk phone +32 56 29 27 00 fax +32 56 29 27 01 info@vkc.be www.vkc.be VAT BE 0459.218.289 IBAN BE 44 2100 4729 6545 BIC GEBABEBB

VKC, a division of Centexbel in KORTRIJK VKC, a division of Centexbel Kortrijk Centexbel Gent Centexbel Brussels Centexbel Grâce-Hollogne TESTING LABORATORY RESEARCH CENTRE CONSULTANCY SERVICES TRAINING CENTRE POLYMER EXTRUSION PLATFORM COMPOSITE & PLASTIC PROCESSING PLATFORM

VKC, a division of CENTEXBEL VKC-Centexbel offers a dynamic competence centre and test laboratory to the plastic converting industry. All actors involved in the plastic converting value chain - manufacturers of raw materials and additifs, plastic converters, suppliers of processing equipment and recycling companies - are welcome to the open innovation platform and professional services of VKC-Centexbel. VKC-Centexbel provides services in the fields of material characterisation, failure analyses, product development, process and energy optimisation and new applications of plastics, virgin and recycled polymers, fibre reinforced composites, rubber, coatings, smart materials and bio-based polymers. Our strategy is focused on the following key notions: confidentiality, "creation of added value", "curiosity", "professionalism", "creativity", "service", "punctuality", "closing the cycle", "People, Planet, Profit". Thanks to its integration in Centexbel, the textile competence centre, VKC- Centexbel guarantees a cross-sector approach in an optimal research environment, where innovation is self-evident.

PLASTICS for the FUTURE Marc Wallican.be VKC-Centexbel actively supports and promotes the Factories for the future project, initiated by the Province of West Flanders to provide a platform aimed at structuring and optimising the offer of research and services. OUR SERVICES TO THE INDUSTRY Technological and environmental consultancy on materials, products, processes, energy, recycling Problem solving Polymer extrusion / composite & plastic processing platforms QA-CER: certification system for recycled materials Seminars, workshops and symposiums Dissemination of R&D results & publications

RESEARCH THEMES RESEARCH SPEARHEADS FOR SUSTAINABLE PLASTICS & COMPOSITES Bio-based polymers Extrusion, processing and functionalisation Ecological plastic processing Ecological alternatives Energy-efficient curing and functionalisation Process energy optimisation in the plastic converting industry Research, testing, consultation and audits Recycling: Identification and characterisation Optimisation Bio-based polymers Thermoplasts Controlled quality Training In the projects VKC-CENTEXBEL develops technological know-how on: MATERIALS: (bio)polymers, (nano)additives, smart materials TECHNOLOGIES: compounding, sorting, extraction TEST METHODS: chemical analyses, barrier properties, conductivity PROCESSES: production (injection moulding, extrusion, 3D printing, coating), assembling (glueing, welding) and recycling END PRODUCTS: multi-layer, foamed, fibre-reinforced, hybrid products APPLICATIONS: food, automotive, construction industries ENVIRONMENT and LEGISLATION (e.g. REACH] VKC-CENTEXBEL SUPPORTS COMPANIES IN IMPLEMENTING INNOVATIVE MATERIALS AND PROCESSES

TESTING A GRIP OUT OF THE TESTING FACILITIES @ VKC-CENTEXBEL Physical and mechanical testing Tensile strength and impact behaviour (products & films), resistance to scratch, abrasion deflection, etc. These tests are often carried out following the exposure of the samples to artificial weathering Artifcial weathering Accelerated simulation of the detoriating effects of sunlight [QUV-Xenon] and climatological conditions on materials. Rheology: Study of flow and deformation of materials under applied forces Melt Flow Index [MFI] Rheotens Capillary Rheology Meter Rotational Rheology Meter Thermal properties Heat Deflection Temperature [HDT] Vicat Softening Temperature [VST] Dynamic Thermo-Mechanical Analyses [DTMA] Thermogravimetric Analyses [TGA] Differential Scanning Calorimetry [DSC] Material identification X-Ray Fluoresence [XRF and µxrf] Gel Permeation Chromatography [GPC] Fourier Transformation IR spectroscopy [FTIR] GCMS, LCMS: gas & liquid chromatography [HPLC] linked with mass spectrometry Inductive Coupled Plasma Spectrometry [ICP] Microscopic analyses Stereomicroscope Scanning Electron Microscope [SEM] MORE INFORMATION AND UPDATES www.vkc.be/testing and www.centexbel.be/testing

VKC-CENTEXBEL Etienne Sabbelaan 49 BE-8500 Kortrijk phone +32 56 29 27 00 fax +32 56 29 27 01 info@vkc.be www.vkc.be VAT BE 0459.218.289 IBAN BE 44 2100 4729 6545 BIC GEBABEBB Marc Wallican.be