BASF has commissioned a pilot plant for the manufacturing of SLENTITE, its new high-performance insulating material. The plant, located in Lemförde, Germany, went into operation after 18 months of planning and construction. SLENTITE is a polyurethane aerogel that is available in the form of a heavy-duty panel. It offers efficient and slim insulation, excellent moisture regulation, and ample design freedom for architects. The pilot plant will allow BASF to fine-tune the production process and eventually begin industrial-scale production. The company sees SLENTITE as a solution for customized climate management in the construction sector.
In April, BASF commissioned the pilot plant for the manufacturing of SLENTITE®, its new high-performance product. The large-sized insulating panels will initially serve the optimization of the performance profile and will subsequently be supplied to selected cooperation partners. This high-performance insulating material based on a polyurethane aerogel is thus the first to be available in the form of a heavy-duty panel. SLENTITE® combines all the key properties of a forward-looking insulating material for both new construction projects and renovation.
Successful commissioning of the pilot plant after 18 months for construction
As announced, the new plant at the Lemförde location went into operation after 18 months of planning and construction. Numerous firms from the local area were involved in the project. The plant was installed by plant engineering specialists working to specific instructions from BASF engineers. "We're very pleased to have been able to execute such a complex and novel project on time with our competent and enthusiastic team," says Dr. Hermann Bergmann, Group Leader Polyurethane Research. "Now it's a question of fine-tuning the production process." Dr. René Lochtman, Managing Director BASF Polyurethanes GmbH, also stressed the positive impact of development from the laboratory to the pilot stage: "By investing in new technologies like the SLENTITE® pilot plant, we have succeeded in building on our very good position on the insulating materials market and strengthening the Lemförde location."
SLENTITE®: The insulating panel for customized climate management
Architects, designers and building owners are constantly on the lookout for new materials for efficient building insulation that also offer plenty of design freedom. With its new high-performance insulating material, BASF is offering a glimpse of the future of insulation. Dr. Marc Fricke, SLENTITE® project manager, stresses the special features of the newly developed product: "SLENTITE® is unique. With the pilot plant up and running, we have achieved an important goal and can soon start supplying samples to selected partners. What's more, we are now in a position to develop an industrial-scale production process." The first polyurethane-based aerogel in the form of a heavy-duty panel delivers efficient and extremely slim insulation that is also exceptionally space-saving. With a lambda value of 17 mW/m•K, SLENTITE® achieves the best-possible insulation for a mechanically strong panel. The high-performance product is suitable above all for interiors and offers architects ample design freedom. It also scores with its minimal space requirements and excellent moisture regulation which adds to a pleasant room-climate. The panel can be handled dust-free and processed just like conventional construction products.
Knut Hoffmann, Head of Marketing Construction and responsible for SLENTITE's market launch, sums up the achievement. "With its blend of properties, SLENTITE® contributes to customized climate management and opens new opportunities in the construction sector for meeting the challenges of the future. The commissioning of the
pilot plant is an important milestone on the way to market launch in the coming years."
On the Web: www.slentite.com
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