Solar-Powered Scale Features Bioplastic Housing

A new bathroom scale from Tanita is powered with solar cellsand is made from a new biobased plastic.

Tanita introduced solar-powered scales in 1986, but theplastic is all new. "The addition of ABS plastic using biodegradable resins asthe primary construction material is an added bonus for our green consumers,further protecting our environment and landfills," says Heather Bundgaard,director of marketing, Tanita Corp. of America.

The new material, which was developed in Japan byUnitika, is said to have improved properties in areas such as moldability,transparency and flame retardancy. Called Terramac,the plastic has thermal properties, durability and impact resistivitycomparable to ABS resins, a crossover plastic between commodities andengineering-grade.

The first product made with the resin is the housing for thebathroom scale HS-302,nicknamed ECO Living, The pitch is that the Terramac resin decreased carbondioxide emissions 20 percent compared with the previous housing made only witha petroleum-based plastic.

Unitika developed the first commercially availableheat-resistant PLA sheet in 2002. Flame retardance and impact resistance wereimproved by applying Unitika's nanotechnology, plant-based reinforcements, and inorganicfillers. Various polymer alloys further improve properties of the new material.

Unitika says it will expand this new alloy to toys andelectronic products. Also coming are films, sheets, fibers, and non-wovens. Thecompany's sales target for the new material is A yen80 million ($875,000) by 2011.

One candidate as an alloying material is a new thermallyconductive nylon developed by Unitika Up until recently, compounds withthermally conductive fillers were used to dissipate heat in miniatureelectronic devices, but their processability is generally poor. "We often find difficulty in applying themfor small-size molding," says a Unitika spokesperson. "We have studied polymerstructure, the filler(s), and compounding conditions to clear the hurdle."

Unitika says the new nylon shows the same processability as60 percent glass-reinforced nylon resin, while also exhibiting 50 W/mK thermalconductivity.

The Unitika Group started in 1889, with the founding ofAmagasaki Spinners, the first company in Japan's textile industry. One ofits early plastic products was Emblem, a biaxially oriented nylon 6 film.

Solar-Powered Scale Features Bioplastic Housing A