BAYER POLYMERS MATERIALS AND RIM MOLDING PROCESS STAND UP TO BIGHA BIKE SEATING APPLICATION

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BAYER POLYMERS MATERIALS AND RIM MOLDING PROCESS STAND UP TO BIGHA BIKE SEATING APPLICATION
22 March 2004 - Bayer MaterialScience AG

You can tell with one look that the Bigha bike is no ordinary bike. Offered by the Corvallis, Ore.-based company of the same name, the Bigha bike is designed for the human body and today’s lifestyle.

This design focus plays a role in all of the bike’s advanced features. From a supercomputer that tracks distance, cadence (the number of pedal strokes per minute) and a number of other variables, to a recumbent seat structure, the bike combines high technology, practicality and comfort in one package.

The bike’s recumbent seat structure, which features Bayer Polymers LLC’s Bayflex® polyurethane elastomeric RIM (reaction injection molding) system and flexible molded polyurethane foam made with Bayer’s Bayfit system, is entered in the Recreation & Leisure Category of the New Product Design Competition at Structural Plastics 2004, the 32nd Annual Conference of the Society of the Plastics Industry’s Structural Plastics Division, held March 21-23, 2004, in Charlotte, N.C.

The seat structure is molded by Rimnetics, Inc., a California-based provider of RIM moldings, as well as tooling design and manufacturing. The RIM process offers a number of advantages over traditional injection molding. These include the ability to encapsulate components, in-mold painting, chemical resistance, weatherability and surface reproducibility – all variables that made the RIM process a logical choice for the Bigha seat structure.

To begin the process, Rimnetics, Inc. places the seat back’s aluminum frame into the mold. The mold closes and Bayer’s Bayflex XGT (extra gel time) 100 RIM system (with carbon black added for molded-in color) is injected into the closed mold, encapsulating the aluminum tubing and creating a hard shell back structure that provides both strength and features for mounting the structure to the bicycle frame.

Next, Rimnetics, Inc. separately molds a back pad, which features molded-in texture. The back pad, which is attached to the encapsulated frame with an adhesive, as well as a separately molded adjustable lumbar support component, are formed from low-density flexible molded polyurethane foam made with a Bayfit system.

In the next step, the seat cushion’s vinyl cover is vacuum formed in the tool cavity. The mold closes and is filled with polyurethane foam made with a Bayfit system, forming a seat cushion with molded-in black color and texture.

Molding-in color makes for a more efficient molding process, according to Gary Quigley, engineering manager, Rimnetics, Inc. 'Molding-in color eliminates the expense and time required for post-painting,' he explained, adding that reduced scratching is another benefit to this process.

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About: Bayer MaterialScience AG
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is part of the worldwide Bayer Group, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer employs 23,300 in North America with net North American sales of 8.8 billion euros in 2003. Bayer’s three operating business areas – HealthCare, CropScience and MaterialScience, improve people’s lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose and treat diseases, protect crops and advance automobile safety and durability.

Bayer MaterialScience AG is one of the world's largest producers of polymers and high-performance plastics. The main customers for Its innovative developments in coatings, adhesives, insulating materials and sealants, polycarbonates and polyurethanes are the automotive and construction industries, the electrical/electronics segment and manufacturers of sports and leisure goods, packaging, and medical devices.

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