Herrmann Ultraschall

Many companies view ELV as a compliance topic. That may be too narrow. Let's look at it from a different perspective: The real opportunity lies elsewhere. Organizations that successfully integrate recyclates into production can position themselves for: ➡ Future regulations ➡ Reduced raw material dependency ➡ Greater process resilience ➡ Long-term competitiveness The winners won't necessarily be those with access to the most recyclates. They may be the ones that can process them most reliably. Learn more about your opportunities in our article: https://lnkd.in/dHpdQ5xr

Can recycled plastics be joined like virgin plastics? 🤔 We looked into it and made an exciting discovery: A feasibility study investigated ultrasonic welding of recycled PA 6.6 GF30 compared with virgin material. The encouraging result: After parameter optimization, comparable weld strengths could be achieved. One key takeaway stood out: The challenge was not the recyclate itself. The challenge was understanding the material and adapting the process accordingly. As recyclate use increases, process flexibility may become one of the most valuable capabilities in manufacturing. Learn more in our article: https://lnkd.in/dHpdQ5xr

Circularity doesn't succeed in recycling alone. It succeeds in manufacturing. Here's the problem (and the solution): Most discussions around recyclates focus on material recovery. Much less attention is given to what happens afterwards. Yet every recycled material must eventually become a reliable product. That puts new focus on joining technologies. Future processes must deliver: ✓ Consistent quality ✓ Fast cycle times ✓ High repeatability ✓ Flexibility for changing materials Circularity doesn't end with recycling. It succeeds in manufacturing.

Your products may be ELV ready. But is your joining process, too? The future of automotive manufacturing will likely include: ✓ Higher recyclate content ✓ New material formulations ✓ Increasing sustainability requirements ✓ Evolving regulations such as ELV This raises an important question: How adaptable are today's manufacturing technologies? Future-proof production may depend on the ability to manage material variability without sacrificing quality or productivity.

What's certain: ELV will increase recyclate usage. What's not: How it will affect your production. Or do you already know? Recyclates are becoming a strategic topic across the automotive industry. Yet the biggest hurdle often isn't the material itself. It's variability. Changes in material behavior can affect: ▪ Process windows ▪ Joining performance ▪ Quality consistency ▪ Manufacturing efficiency As ELV requirements move closer, robust production processes become increasingly important.

What happens when virgin material is no longer the default option? ELV Is Coming. But we're not talking about the right challenge. Here's why: The automotive industry is preparing for significantly higher recycled content in future vehicle platforms. That sounds like a sourcing challenge. But it may actually be a manufacturing challenge. Because recycled materials can introduce: ▪ Different material behavior ▪ Different process windows ▪ Different quality risks The real question isn't: "Can we use recyclates?" It's: "Can our production processes handle them?" How do you expect increasing recyclate content to impact production processes?