Plastics Engineering articles from May 2007

Plastics Engineering archives from May 2007

May '07 Plastics Engineering: Medical Plastics & Markets; Carbon Nanotubes; T-IML; Agri-Films; SPE's GPEC; Engineering Plastics; and Laser Metrology.(Editorial)
May 1, 2007... Cover Feature Polymers for medical applications is a burgeoning market. The uses for these materials range from myriad medical devices to delivery systems and implants. As Richard Stewart notes, polymers continue to replace metals, glass,...

European roto-moulding on the up; although still a niche process, rotational moulding is growing in stature across Europe.(GLOBAL NEWS: EUROPE)
May 1, 2007... According to figures released by market analysis company AMI, rotational moulding accounted for less than one percent of polymer consumption in Europe, involving just over 300 companies. However, despite being one of the smaller processes for...

PET anti-dumping duties welcomed by European plastics industry.(GLOBAL NEWS: EUROPE)(polyethylene terephthalate)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The PET Committee of PlasticsEurope, which represents about 90% of PET production in the EU, has welcomed the European Council's recent decision to impose definitive duties on imports of PET originating from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the...

Filling the UK skills gap: UK industry must upskill if it's to compete successfully says Cogent.(GLOBAL NEWS: EUROPE)(Cogent the Sector Skills Council )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Following a two-year investigation into skills gaps and shortages, Cogent, the Sector Skills Council for a group of UK industries which includes polymers, has identified the training inputs needed to tackle the skills crisis that its says is...

The Sumitomo Bakelite Group has bought Neopreg, the Swiss producer of long fiber thermoset composites marketed under the Kinel and Neonite trade names.(ACQUISITIONS)(Sumitomo Bakelite Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The Sumitomo Bakelite Group has bought Neopreg, the Swiss producer of long fiber thermoset composites marketed under the Kinel and Neonite trade names. Sumitomo says that Neopreg's unique production technology will complement its existing...

The Egyptian company, Trust Chemical Industries (TCI), has purchased Solvin's 180kt PVC and 160kt VCM facilities for relocation from Ludwigshafen, Germany to Port Said, Egypt.(ACQUISITIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The Egyptian company, Trust Chemical Industries (TCI), has purchased Solvin's 180kt PVC and 160kt VCM facilities for relocation from Ludwigshafen, Germany to Port Said, Egypt. The Solvin plants were shut down in December 2005.

Finnish specialty thermoplastic compounding company Premix Oy has acquired 89% of the shares in Optatech Oy, a Finnish specialty plastics developer and producer.(ACQUISITIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Finnish specialty thermoplastic compounding company Premix Oy has acquired 89% of the shares in Optatech Oy, a Finnish specialty plastics developer and producer. The remaining shares will stay with environmental technology company Proventia...

Riverside Plastics in South Wales has concluded a contract with Honeywell to supply 500ml bottles for part of the Holt Lloyd brand of car care products.(CONTRACTS)
May 1, 2007... Riverside Plastics in South Wales has concluded a contract with Honeywell to supply 500ml bottles for part of the Holt Lloyd brand of car care products. According to Riverside director, Graham McKenzie, the new deal could be worth "millions of...

Ticona has chosen Resin Express as its sales partner in Central and Eastern Europe.(DISTRIBUTION)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Ticona has chosen Resin Express as its sales partner in Central and Eastern Europe. The distribution deal enables Ticona to strengthen its position in Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, the...

DSM Composite Resins has acquired the Spanish distributor Fontanals Composites.(DISTRIBUTION)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... DSM Composite Resins has acquired the Spanish distributor Fontanals Composites. The company has been integrated into DSM's Euroresins distribution group, and renamed Euroresins-Fontanals Composites. "The objective is to offer all our...

Borealis.(EXPANSION)
May 1, 2007... Following its announcement of record financial results for 2006 (net profits up 45%), Borealis has confirmed that it will invest 370m [euro] in a new 350,000 tpa, high-pressure LDPE plant in Stenungsund, Sweden. The company says this will...

BASF.(EXPANSION)(production of neopor)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... BASF is expanding production of Neopor insulation foam at Ludwigshafen and will also start producing the material for the first time in South Korea. Capacities in Ludwigshafen will gradually increase from 60,000 to 190,000 tpa (100,000 tpa by...

Songwon Industrial.(EXPANSION)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Songwon Industrial, the Korean additives company, has opened its European headquarters and customer service centre in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, near to Zurich. "This is the culmination of the efforts last year to establish our affiliate, Songwon...

Husky.(EXPANSION)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Husky has opened a new sales office in Istanbul. "Turkey's overall economic growth continues to be solid, and within the plastics industry there are many new processors who require one-source solutions," said Milan Cvjetkovic, Husky's vice...

SolVin.(EXPANSION)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... SolVin, the joint venture between Solvay and BASF, is planning to build a second production unit for polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) latex in response to growing global demand. The speciality barrier material, marketed under the Diofan brand, is...

Battenfeld has installed Russia's largest pipe extrusion line at MosFlowline, Moscow.(INSTALLATIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Battenfeld has installed Russia's largest pipe extrusion line at MosFlowline, Moscow. The company will use the equipment to produce PE pipes with diameters of up to 1,600mm and wall thicknesses up to 30mm for plastic jacket pipes. Used for...

BASF.(INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... In 2006, BASF says for the first time it generated more than one-third of its total sales via e-business transactions. The volume of business on electronic marketplaces rose more than 40 percent versus 2005. The trend was said to be global and...

RECIPE.(INTERNET)(Reduced Energy Consumption in Plastics Engineering)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... RECIPE, the European project to help the plastics processing industry reduce energy consumption, has developed a software application that enables processors to make informed decisions on purchasing low energy equipment. The RECIPE Cost of...

In the UK Timestrip and Plastek have entered into a joint development arrangement that will enable Timestrip to advance its smart label technology into practical, usable solutions for a wide range of consumer brands.(JOINT VENTURES)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... In the UK Timestrip and Plastek have entered into a joint development arrangement that will enable Timestrip to advance its smart label technology into practical, usable solutions for a wide range of consumer brands. Timestrip labels are...

Cinpres has agreed to allow Volkswagen to use its gas assisted moulding technology.(LICENSING)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Cinpres has agreed to allow Volkswagen to use its gas assisted moulding technology. The agreement will also see VW advising its suppliers that any components produced using Cinpres technology must be covered by the appropriate licences. ...

A number of strategic changes have been implemented within the MPM Group.(REORGANISATION)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... A number of strategic changes have been implemented within the MPM Group. First, Berstorff and Krauss Maffei have merged their extrusion operations. The combined company covers a wider range of applications and products and, with the exception...

Bayer MaterialScience.(REORGANISATION)(combines business with BaySystems)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Bayer MaterialScience has combined its entire global polyurethane systems business under the umbrella brand of BaySystems. This move affects both existing products in this segment and the global network of polyurethane systems houses. Wellknown...

Processors in Argentina ink deals for Italian machinery.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Seventeen companies in Cordoba are importing Italian process machinery this year valued at $10 million. The deals were initiated at Hast 06 in Milan last year, with assistance from business-development groups like Agencia ProCordoba SEM and the...

Machinery makers in Brazil find exports more profitable.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Export is more lucrative than domestic sales for Brazilian equipment manufacturers. One reason, observers say, is the low rate of investment in productivity by local processors (or transformers). Newton de Mello, president of Abimaq, Brazil's...

Sales in Brazil are down, or maybe up.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Brazil's plastics industry posted sales of R$37.5 billion in 2006, a 3% decline from 2005. When the amount is converted to U.S. dollars, however, sales were up 8.4% from 2005 to $17.24 billion, according to Abiplast, the Brazilian Association...

Researchers tout PET recycling process.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(polyethylene terephthalate)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Scientists from the National University in Mexico have developed a cost-effective technology to recycle polyethylene terephthalate from bottles and convert it into new products. Octavio Manero Brito and Antonio Sanchez Soils say the recycled...

Braskem in talks for PE plant in Bolivia.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Braskem S.A. of Sao Paulo has resumed negotiations with Bolivia to build a US$1.4-billion petrochemical complex there. The company would use the facility to produce polyethylene from natural gas. Negotiations started six years ago, but were...

Mexichem buys PVC firms in Colombia.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The Mexican chemical products manufacturer Mexichem has expanded its PVC business by purchasing two companies: resin maker Petroquimica Colombiana S.A. (Petco) and Amanco Holding Inc., a water-distribution specialist whose divisions include...

Taiwanese molders eye plants in Mexico.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The next wave of Maquiladoras to set up shop near the U.S. border may be from Taiwan. Taiwanese processors recently visited Ciudad Juarez, in Chihuahua state, to learn about market conditions, with an eye to opening injection molding plants....

New platform boosts Mexico's oil output.(GLOBAL NEWS: LATIN AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Petroleos Mexicanos -- Pemex--has achieved record production of 496,435 bbl/day in Ku-MaloobZaap, a cluster of offshore oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico, after startup of a new production platform. Ku-Maloob-Zaap supplies 15% of Mexico's...

SPE, plastics news to renew ANTEC/plastics encounter pairing.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Society of Plastics Engineers)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) (Brookfield, Connecticut, USA) and Plastics News have announced that they will again co-locate ANTEC and the Plastics Encounter trade show in May 2008. To be held at the Midwest Express Center in...

Dow, Chevron Phillips plan styrenics joint venture.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Michigan, USA) and Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP (The Woodlands, Texas, USA) have signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding to form a 50/50 joint venture combining assets from their polystyrene and...

SPI launches online market.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) (Washington, D.C., USA) has launched myPlasticslndustry, corn, a new online community enabling plastics professionals anywhere in the world to find suppliers, customers, or peers needed to...

ASTM & Russian counterpart sign MOU.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... On April 4, 2007, the Russian Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ASTM International (W. Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, USA) at the agency's headquarters in Moscow. The MOU seeks to...

Dow to sponsor program on methane-conversion research.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, Michigan, USA) has announced a major new sponsored research program targeting technology for the conversion of methane to chemicals. Dow is inviting proposals on new technologies with potential to create a...

Quickstep, Zyvax form R&D/marketing alliance.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(partnerships)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Australian composites-manufacturing group Quickstep Holdings Limited and U.S.-based chemical supplier Zyvax Inc. have formed a business alliance to develop and promote composite-production techniques using Quickstep's patented...

Omya completes purchase of Huber PCC Business.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(acquisitions)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Omya Industries Inc. (Proctor, Vermont, USA) has concluded its acquisition of the Huber PPC [precipitated calcium carbonate] Business, which includes eleven plants: four in North America, five in the European Union, and one each in South...

Terry L. Golding.(In Memoriam)(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... SPE mourns the loss of Terry Golding, an active member of the Color & Appearance Division (CAD), who passed away April 3, 2007, after a valiant battle with cancer. Terry was elected an Honored Service Member of SPE this year, and received his...

Homer L. (Jack) Claypoole.(In Memoriam)(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... SPE notes with sorrow the death of Jack Claypoole, an active member and staunch supporter of the Chicago Section, who passed away February 22, 2007. Jack served the Section in a variety of board positions over his 30+ years of SPE membership. A...

Colorant providers combine.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, the ColorMatrix Group has acquired the Cham, Switzerland-based Chromatics Group. Both companies have plastic-colorant operations worldwide. Colorant-Chromatics will continue to operate from its existing locations...

Parker Hannifin acquires Asian technology firm.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Cleveland, Ohio, USA-based Parker Hannifin Corp., a motion and control technologies company with annual sales exceeding $9 billion, has acquired Rayco Technologies, an elastomer and seal technology company operating in Singapore and China....

Advanced Polymer Alloys to distribute DuPont ETPV.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Advanced Polymer Alloys (APA) (Wilmington, Delaware, USA), the manufacturer of Melt-Processible ElastomersTM (MPE), announces that it is now distributing DuPont ETPV (engineering thermoplastic vulcanizates). APA comments that DuPont ETPVs are...

Chevron Phillips plans PPS plant in Texas.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTHN AMERICA)(polyphenylene sulfide)(Chevron Phillips Chemical Company L.P.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP (The Woodlands, Texas, USA) has finalized plans to build a 22-million-lbs/year polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) plant in Borger, Texas. Completion of this second plant on the site is anticipated in early 2009. It...

Dyna-Purge offers free training DVD.(GLOBAL NEWS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Addressing growing need for purging compounds in the plastics-processing industry, the Dyna-Purge Division of Shuman Plastics, Inc. (Buffalo, New York, USA) is offering a free training DVD, Purging Compounds & Techniques. Demonstrating purging...

Carbon nanotubes: today's future technology? Hailed as true 21st Century technology, carbon nanotubes offer some extraordinary properties. We look at how they are being used in plastics and what the future holds.(EUROPE)
May 1, 2007... The news last year that plastics giant Bayer MaterialScience had claimed to have found a low-cost route to the production of carbon nanotubes, together with the expiration of important patents held by sector frontrunner Hyperion, has led to...

Medical plastics & markets: specialized resins and processes assume expanding health-care duties.(NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The uses of polymers in health care continue to expand--in disposable and multiple-use medical devices and components, drug-delivery systems, diagnostic and bio-analytical systems, surgical implants, and innovative packaging that serves...

Demand for agri-films rises as farmers seek greater productivity.(LATIN AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The use of agricultural plastics is growing worldwide, owing to their advantages in plant protection, crop yields, and quality; this is especially true in Latin America, where national economies depend heavily on agricultural production and...

Environmental Innovation: Plastics Recycling and Sustainability: SPE's Global Plastics Environmental Conference 2007.(Global Plastics Environmental Conference)
May 1, 2007... Sponsored by the Plastics Environmental Division of SPE, the Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC) took place March 6-7 in Orlando, Florida. The Conference theme--Environmental Innovation: Plastics Recycling and...

T-IML comes to market: in-mould labelling for thermoforming has been much talked of recently. Although the technology has suffered several false starts, it now appears a serious contender to injection IML. How has the technology matured and what potential does it offer?(EUROPE)
May 1, 2007... The subject of in-mould labelling for thermoforming (T-IML) has been discussed frequently over the years, but now it appears to have become a commercial reality. At recent trade shows, key companies working on this exciting new technology...

Extruding engineering plastics: high-temperature resins present unique difficulties.(NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... "Polyolefins are relatively easy to extrude, but as you go up in performance in terms of high-temperature requirements, the materials get more and more difficult to extrude," says Dr. Pravin Shah, president and lead consultant of Rheo-Plast...

Laser metrology can increase production efficiency and economy.(NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The Industrial Group of Moog Inc. has developed an injection system for all-electric molding machines. The system is made up of a specially designed drive, actuator, and process control that reportedly make it faster, more powerful, and more...

Aging of epoxies.(Industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,183,661 (February 27, 2007), "Epoxy-Resin Systems, Which Are Resistant to Aging, Molding Materials, Components Produced Therefrom and the Use Thereof," Georg Bogner, Herbert Brunner, and Klaus Hoehn (Osram Opto Semiconductors...

Nanoscale surface treatment.(Industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,183,548 (February 27, 2007), "Apparatus for Modifying and Measuring Diamond and Other Workpiece Surfaces With Nanoscale Precision," Victor B. Kley (Metadigm LLC, Berkeley, California, USA). Diamond-like materials can be...

Maleic acid-modified polypropylene.(Industry PATENTS)
May 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,183,359 (February 27, 2007), "Polypropylene Having a High Maleic Anhydride Content," Paul K. Hanna and David D. Truong (Baker Hughes Inc., Houston, Texas, USA). Polypropylene lacks polar functional groups for reactive sites....

Nanocomposites in optics.(Industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,183,337 (February 27, 2007), "Optically Clear Nanocomposites and Products Using Nanoscale Fillers," Tapesh Yadav and Clayton Kostelecky (NanoProducts Corp., Longmont, Colorado, USA). A nanostructured powder is one having a...

Upgrading regrind.(Industry PATENTS)(ExxonMobil Chemical Co.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,183,005 (February 27, 2007), "Impact Strength Improvement of Regrind," Anthony Poloso and Allen T. Mika (ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc., Houston, Texas, USA). Barrier fuel tanks for automobiles may be built of incompatible...

Sensors in injection molding.(Industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,182,893 (February 27, 2007), "Valve Gated Nozzle Having a Valve Pin With a Sensor," George Olaru (Mold-Masters Limited, Georgetown, California, USA). During injection molding with multiple mold cavities, the molding...

Hydrogen storage.(Industry PATENTS)(Nanotek Instruments, Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,186,474 (March 6, 2007), "Nanocomposite Compositions for Hydrogen Storage and Methods for Supplying Hydrogen to Fuel Cells," Bor Z. Jang (Nanotek Instruments, Inc., Centerville, Ohio, USA). A problem posed by hydrogen-based...

Extruder elements.(Industry PATENTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... U.S. Patent 7,188,992 (March 13, 2007), "Kneading Element and Related Articles," Joseph E. Mattingly, Jr. (Americhem, Inc., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA). During extrusion, the buildup of degraded material within a screw extruder,...

Ken Braney's monthly look at SPE's European activities.(SPE news roundup: EUROPE)
May 1, 2007... The objectives of SPE's new Failure Analysis and Prevention Special Interest Group (FAPSIG) are to establish a European network of SPE members in FAP; to cooperate with other SPE SIGs; to share experience by establishing a database and...

SPE in Europe.(EUROPE)(Society of Petroleum Engineers )(Directory)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... SPE Europe Yetty Pauwels +32 3 541 77 55 spe.europe@skynet.be www.speeurope.org SPE Europe Board Chairman Bernhard Peters +49 2392 960966 peters.neuenrade@t-online.de SPE Executive Committee...

Pneumatic press features small footprint.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The Toggle-Aire 16-ton pneumatic toggle press is a benchtop unit that employs a mechanical advantage to create increasing ram forces as it completes its 1.5-inch stroke with 0.001-inch accuracy and repeatability. The compact press is reportedly...

Medical extrusion mandrel.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... For the extrusion of precise, small-diameter medical tubing, Applied Plastics Co.'s mandrel wire for catheter tubing and other applications requiring a smooth, biocompatible mandrel has a low coefficient of friction. The mandrel is a...

Swift Screen Changer.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The Russell Finex Screen Changer speeds screen changes on sieves, screeners, and separators, and reduces the risk of operator injury and mesh damage, says the company. It enables mesh screens to be changed by a single operator without the need...

Small-particle analysis.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The automated FlowCAM particle-analysis system from Fluid Imaging Technologies takes high-resolution, full-color digital images of every individual plastic flake, granule, and powder in a sample to enable resin manufacturers, compounders,...

Blowing single-serve containers.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Because the food-service industry calls for vast quantities of single-serve packaging, manufacturers of the containers must utilize the most economical machinery capable of handling the extreme production rates. Wilmington Machinery's...

More complex molds in less time.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... D-M-E offers an off-the-shelf package for helical-gear stack mold-centering systems that it says greatly simplifies stack mold design and fabrication. The pre-engineered system saves moldmakers time traditionally dedicated to designing,...

Scrap tires become powder.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Lehigh Technologies and MTR, Inc., offer tailored, closed-loop recycling/reuse programs that enable manufacturers to use their own overstock to feed new products. Lehigh Technologies, a manufacturer of engineered rubber powder, announced the...

Laser-sintering system.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The Formiga P 100 is described as a plastic laser-sintering system that offers entry into the laser-sintering and "e-manufacturing" areas of the industry. According to the manufacturer, EOS, the Formiga P 100 is an entirely new design rather...

Film repelletizing and label waste removal.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... An online video library is available on the Precision AirConvey Website, featuring the company's roll splitter that automatically removes plastic film from its core in three seconds to leave the film free of contaminants and ready for...

Quick blends.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The Model 700-TH-40-SS Sanitary Rotary Batch Mixer gently blends batches of ingredients, in parts as small as one per million, with 100% uniformity in less than three minutes; evacuates 100% of the batch; and can be sanitized rapidly with no...

Multihead feeder.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Vibra Screw, Inc., has expanded its Versifeeder line of feeders to include multiple-feed head units, enabling processes that require several feed points of a particular bulk material to operate with increased accuracy and flexibility. The...

Vertical extruders stand steady.(MACHINERY: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The weight of the mechanical section of a typical vertical extruder with an inline gearbox is positioned on one side of the post. In the Yellow Jacket Vertical Extruder Series from Wayne Machine & Die Co., however, the motor is positioned on...

Injection-moldable amorphous polymers.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... New amorphous polymers from GE Plastics (Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA; Bergen op Zoom, The Nethedands)--Extem thermoplastic polyimide (TPI) resins--combine melt processability with high-performance thermal, chemical, and mechanical...

Medical-grade PC/ABS blends.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Bayer MaterialScience LLC (BMS) has added medical-grade resins to its family of Bayblend PC/ABS (polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) blend resins. The FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration)-compliant grades, DP M850 and DP M850XF,...

TPEs for gaskets and seals.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... A new line of Versaflex TPE alloys from GLS Corp. (McHenry, Illinois, USA) has been formulated specifically for gaskets and seals. The CS 5000 series offers a compression set typical of TPVs (thermoplastic vulcanizates)--22 hr @ room...

Projectile-resistant fiberglass laminate.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Norplex-Micarta (Postville, Iowa, USA) calls its ShotBlocker fiberglass laminate the "only commercially available Class 1-A fire-rated projectile-resistant building material," and "the ideal reinforcing substrate" for bullet-resistant...

Liquid injection molding silicones.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... The KE2004 series of LIMS (liquid injection molding system) silicones from Shin-Etsu Silicones of America, Inc. (Akron, Ohio, USA), features low-end durometer (5-20 Shore A) and thus high tear strength and viscosity. The higher viscosity...

High-LOI, non-halogen FR TPU.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Noveon (Cleveland, Ohio, USA) has formulated Estane ZHF95AT3 thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to meet industry demand for a high limited-oxygen-index (LOI), non-halogen flame-retardant TPU compound. It will enable wire and cable manufacturers...

New color concentrates for PET.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA, Teknor Color Co. has added three new series to its PETek range of color concentrates for use with PET. Like the existing PETek series in minibead form, the new concentrates can be used for film, sheet,...

Self-reinforced PET moldings.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Aptiform, a Chesterfield, UK-based company that molds products from self-reinforced plastics, has added polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to its portfolio. According to Aptiform, plastic materials in which the matrix is reinforced by a fiber of...

Nylon is loaded with 60% glass fiber.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... A new nylon 66 resin from Techmer Lehvoss Compounds (TLC) of Clinton, Tennessee, USA, offers 60% glass-fiber reinforcement. Luvotech J-1/60/HS promises engineers greater design freedom where superior strength is required, notably for automotive...

High-clarity matte polyester film.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Toray Plastics America has developed a coextruded matte polyester film for commercial and industrial applications requiring both glare reduction and contact clarity. Made with Toray's proprietary nanotechnology, Lumirror FA5 allows users to...

EMI-shielding TPEs reach North America.(MATERIALS: NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2007... Preseal TPEs for EMI shielding applications, patented and compounded by Premix Oy (Inc.) of Finland, will now be available from TPE Solutions, Inc., of Shirley, Massachusetts, USA, the new sales agent for North America. Using metal-coated...