In the Bayer stand you can see Myon the 33 lb, 4 feet tall robot. Myon has 48 joints with almost 200 sensors. His skin is made out of polycarbonate with a layer of glass fiber filled polycarbonate for protection. This one-eyed robot shows human personality as he follows objects that are held and moved in front of him.

Windmoeller & Hoelscher showed a new 5-layer polyolefin coextrusion blown film line that was hitting the 1007 kg/h output, right while we were there. This leading edge output is achieved by adding sub-skin layers (5 mm) to the thick core (20 mm) and the skin layers (5 mm). This composition wit sub-skin layers out of metallocene polyolefins mPE leads to enhanced film properties.

Bayer Material Science has an IVECO prototype dashboard made with their new DirectSkinning technology. Here, they overmold a Bayblend® PC-ABS with a Bayflex® polyurethene coating, practically a combination of injection molding and coating. The new technique renders a cost effective short processing chain with replicable foamed surface structure that is scratch and UV resistant.

Bayer and Prof. Sankai Cyberdyne, Inc., from Japan have produced a robot suit that moves synchronously with the human. This multifunctional polymeric exoskeleton has built-in motors for movement with sensor pads for measuring bioelectric signals.

KraussMaffei’s ColorForm process is a world first. It can completely replace conventional painting, including pre- and post-paint work processes. ColorForm integrates injection molding and a reaction molding process. For the first time, processors can produce multicomponent parts with premium high-gloss surfaces in a fully automated single-stage process. At the KraussMaffei booth they show the production of a design study case made of ABS. In the first step the base material is injection molded. After the center plate of the mold is rotated, the cavity closes again and the second, soft component (TPU) is injected to form the handle as well as the connection part on the bottom. Now, the specially developed lacquer component Polyurea is overmolded in a very thin layer over a flow length of 40 cm. The two parts of the case are alike, so a robot assembles them in the last step outside the mold. The whole case is ready within a minute. The KraussMaffei project was taken to its successful completion with their partners Hofmann Innovation Group GmbH and Panadur GmbH.