Polymertal and UBQ Materials Partner to Create Lightweight, Sustainable Material With Metallic Functionalities
UBQ Materials, climate tech developer of advanced materials made from unsorted household waste, announced today that it is partnering with Polymertal, which develops cutting-edge metal plating processes for the creation of cost-effective metal-polymer parts. Through this partnership, Polymertal is releasing SPP-50XX, a new sustainable material with metallic properties that contains UBQ, a substitute for durable plastics converted entirely from unsorted household waste, including all organics. The inclusion of UBQ in SPP-50XX’s base substrate enables this material to achieve a lower carbon footprint – as compared to aluminum, a favored lightweight metal, bringing roughly a 50% reduction in CO2e emissions, as verified by World Watchers.
A key challenge for sustainable materials in competing with lightweight metals like aluminum is to achieve the necessary toughness, thermal resistance andelectromagnetic shielding, features essential to applications across automotive, industrial and consumer product manufacturing.
Polymertal’s SPP-50XX will comprise 20% UBQ and 80% polypropylene. On top of this substrate, a layer of copper and nickel of varying thicknesses will serve as the metal plating. Surfacing a polymer substrate with a lean metal plating allows SPP-50XX to remain lightweight and exhibit key metallic properties, including durability, stiffness, heat resistance and electromagnetic shielding.
“We are proud to launch our sustainable materials series, the S series, including SPP-50XX and its climate-friendly thermoplastic, UBQ,” said Ran Carmeli, CEO of Polymertal. “Countless applications require materials that are lightweight, withstand high-temperature environments, and are thermally and electrically conductive. SPP-50XX exhibits all these features, and the presence of UBQ™ brings sustainability earlier in the supply chain, making it even easier for manufacturers to reduce the overall carbon footprint of their end products.”
“UBQ can be combined with metals to create carbon-reduced products with important metallic properties for functional applications in tough environments,” said Albert Douer, Chairman and Co-CEO of UBQ Materials. “Through work with Polymertal, our novel material is helping manufacturers create products that are socially, environmentally and economically sustainable.”
