NEC, Unitika Commercialize Kenaf-Reinforced Bioplastic for Cellphones
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Tokyo (JCNN) - NEC and Unitika announced on February 6 that they have commercialized kenaf fiber-reinforced bioplastic for the NTT DoCoMo FOMA N701iECO handset that is manufactured by NEC.
NEC and Unitika have worked on kenaf fiber-reinforced bioplastic, which has high impact resistance when dropped and is highly moldable, both of which are necessary features for handset cases. NEC first adopted the environmentally-friendly material for PCs in fall 2004.
Kenaf fiber helps reinforce polylactic acid, largely improving the heat resistance of the plastic. The companies have added a specific formula of vegetable softening agents and fillers for further reinforcement. The bioplastic contains about 90% vegetable-derived materials, achieving the highest level that has been attained by electronic device bioplastic.
The two partners will continue to employ kenaf-reinforced bioplastic in manufacturing a greater number of electronic devices.
