At the international synthetic materials exhibition “K” in Dusseldorf, the Miele factory was awarded for outstanding achievements in the production of plastic parts, in particular – the new door of the washing machine.
The Miele plant in Warendorf Germany received the TecPart Innovation Award 2010 from the German plastics association TecPart.
A top-class jury – including leading specialists from BASF, BMW, AirBus, KraussMaffei and professors from leading German research universities – recognised Miele’s outstanding design and technical competence.
The door called “2K” is made of two-component plastic, in the production of which ABS-plastic Akrylnitril-Butadienstyrol and PC polycarbonate are joined. In essence, it’s almost a new chemical compound.
The same technology is used in the production of protective helmets for motorcyclists, which indicates the quality of the door: it is impact-resistant, scratch-resistant, easy to clean, and ready for long-term use for at least 20 years of service equivalent to 30,000 cycles of closing and opening .
The two-piece door consists of eleven separate parts – three of metal, six of plastic, one of rubber and one of glass. The individual parts are combined into 3 lines that attach directly to the washing machine: both externally and internally.
Miele does not require a single bolt for their connection. Instead, a method is used in which the parts are attached to each other according to the bayonet principle, after which the parts are ultrasonically welded to each other to create a one-piece piece of extra strength. And not surprisingly, Miele’s investment in a 2-part door for a washing machine amounted to €4.5 million. Factory director Dr. Jürgen Jahn is proud of the new product: “The two-component door is the most complex structural element that we have produced here. With this technology we achieve rigidity, which makes the door very resistant to destruction. The 2K door is applied for a patent”.
In America, Ukraine and Kazakhstan all washing machines since September 2010 are serially equipped with the 2K door.
Plastic Expo “K”: all the flags are here to stay
The K Show is held every three years in Düsseldorf, Germany, and is the largest event in the industry. More than 3 thousand companies-exhibitors from 50 countries took part in the exhibition in 2010.
The total number of visitors was about 200 thousand specialists from 100 countries.
The main sections of “K” showcase the latest developments in plastics and rubber development and production, the latest products, processing and manufacturing technologies, design methods raw materials and auxiliary materials, semi-finished products, technical elements, plastic products, machinery and equipment.
