Show stoppers

Plastics Showcase

What attracts some 75,000 engineers and their counterparts from 100 countries to Chicago's McCormick Place every three years? The National Plastics Exposition (NPE '97) sponsored by The Society of the Plastics Industry! With these impressive numbers as a setting, it's little wonder that some 1,700 exhibitors displayed an estimated 1,000 new plastics-related products and services. Here's a sampling of some material and molding unveilings. On the materials front, the merger, joint- or licensing-agreement, and buy-out mania continues. Moreover, some of the major resin producers are giving their more specialized in-house operations a freer rein to prove their worth in the marketplace. For example, Hoechst Technical Polymers announced the formation of the company as a separate legal entity to be called Ticona, while Clariant Masterbatches Div. will merge with the Hoechst Specialty Chemicals Group ...In a like move, GE Plastics revealed that its film operations have become a separate profit and loss center ...Union Carbide Corp. disclosed the sale of its recycling operations to Ecoplast Corp. )...Shakespeare Monofilament, a division of K2 Inc., divulged the purchase of the Resistat^TM line of carbon black suffused nylon monofilament from BASF Corp. ...AlliedSignal Plastics and Advanced Elastomer Systems (AES)unmasked a non-exclusive agreement to jointly develop applications for nylon-based "soft touch" products using new grades of AES Santoprene(R) that chemically bond to Allied Signal's Capron(R) and Nyprel(R) resins. And two leading players in the polycarbonate resins market, Bayer AG and GE Plastics, reported they will jointly develop abrasion-resistant auto glazing.

Polymer prospectus

Albany International introduced Pyropel MD-60, a rigid, polyimide fiberboard insulation that can withstand temperatures up to 600F (315C) and is said to be up to four times more effective than other commonly used thermal insulation materials ...Ashley Polymers debuted two polycarbonate resins--Ashlene(R) flame-retardant and UL-rated grades--and a glass-reinforced PBT polyester resin that "maintains mechanical and electrical properties in all types of environments" (...Amoco Polymers announced a new trademark, Acclear^TM, for its line of high-clarity polypropylene that encompasses both homopolymer and random copolymer resins ...BASF Corp. introduced Styro-blend(R) PC-2065, a UV-stable, injection-molding, high-impact polystyrene for electronic and electrical applications ...Bayer Polymers Div. previewed two new weatherable polymers, Centrex(R) 825 and Centrex HGM for the extrusion and injection automotive (SAE) markets, respectively; a new polyamide 6 resin, Durethan(R) KU 2-2140/30, for air-intake manifolds produced through the multishell process; two PC/ABS blends, Bayblend FR 2000 and FR 2010, for producing more rigid parts with thinner walls; and a solid polyurethane reaction injection molding (RIM) system, Baydur(R) GS 772, designed to resist corrosion and cut weight ...Cabot Corp. unveiled Black Pearls(R) 6100 carbon black for improved protection from ultraviolet radiation, and new high-purity furnace blacks--Black Pearls 4750, Monarch(R) 4750, and Black Pearls 4350--that comply with FDA regulations for food production under all temperatures ...Chronopol Inc. kicked off its semi-commercial line of Heplon polylactide polymers and copolymers "with an isomeric purity unmatched in the industry" ...Colorite Polymers showcased CP 0740LV, a vinyl chloride/vinyl acetate copolymer dispersion resin that gives off low VOCs ...CYRO has expanded its offering of HP multipolymer sheet to include black and white colored sheet that combines the beauty of acrylic with high-impact strength ...Cytec Industries revealed its next-generation polyester thermoset bulk molding compound (BMC), Cyglas Lite^TM, said to produce parts 20% lighter than current polyester thermoset BMC materials ...Daicel Polymers uncovered its Cevian DR-620 non-halogenated PC material for thin-wall molding ...DuPont Dow Elastomers highlighted its new thermoplastic elastomers, including Engage(R) polyolefin elastomers, Tyrin(R) chlorinated polyethylene, and Viton(R) FreeFlow fluoroelastomers ...Dow Plastics premiered Calibre^TM 1080 DVD resin to meet the demands for "performance, quality, and integrity" in the emerging DVD market ...DuPont Engineering Polymers introduced a new series of Zytel(R) HTN high-temperature nylon resins that allow the use of recirculating water for mold temperature control; a Zenite^TM liquid crystal polymer that withstands reflow solder processes used in surface-mount technology; Crastin(R) HR thermoplastic resins for automotive electrical connectors; Delrin(R) GR acetal resins with "higher stiffness, strength, and impact resistance" than comparable reinforced copolymers; and Biomax(R) hydro/biodegradable polyester that can be recycled, incinerated, or landfilled ...Dyneon unmasked how its THV fluorothermoplastics will aid in the first-ever circumnavigation of Greenland ...Eastman Chemical rolled out two new families of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) for high-performance film applications--Mxsten ^TM, with a density as low as 0.95 g/cc, and Tenite(R) Hifor ^TM thin-gauge polyethylene films ...ECC International spotlighted Zytocal^TM pellet-form mineral additive for use on standard molding equipment, and FilmLink(R) 400 filler/extender for blown polyethylene film applications ...GE Plastics introduced a new resin initiative, The Weatherables^TM, for long-term outdoor durability, and two blends of Valox(R) crystalline polymers (325ML, a laser marking grade, and 337, an unfilled PBT for under-the-hood applications) ...BF Goodrich debuted CIM 190 and 220 high-flow chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) materials with a heat distortion temperature of 190F and 220F, respectively; Temp-Rite^TM cellular CPVC with a specific gravity of parts produced ranging from 0.6 to 1.0; Estane 58284 TPU that can produce surfaces from matte to satin; Stat-Rite^TM E-1140 and E-1150 electrostatic alloys with ESD properties; and Stat-Rite M-200 alloy, an opaque, static dissipative polypropylene-based material )...GLS Corp. previewed the Versaflex^TM series of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) alloys in wet grip, overmolding, and lightweight grades.

Family affair

M.A. Hanna unveiled four new product families of high-performance thermoplastics with unique fillers and reinforcements--CTi Stat-Tech ^TM (electrical conductive), CTi Therma-Tech^TM (high-thermal), CTi Lubri-Tech^TM (lubricated), and CTi Fibre-Tech^TM (fiber reinforced) compounds ...LNP Engineering Plastics uncovered an Injection-Compression Molding (ICM) process that preserves the fiber length in its Verton(R) long-glass, fiber-reinforced composites ...Milliken Chemicals showcased Millad(R) 3988 clarifier for polypropylene resins used in thin-wall, injection-molded parts ...Montell Polyolefins revealed a new generation of Pro-Fax high-productivity poly-propylene copolymers that offer reduced processing costs ...Nova Chemicals introduced a new hexene--Novapol(R) TF-Y534-IP--aimed at high-stiffness film applications ...The Plastics Group debuted Polifil(R) RMT-20, a high-impact, 20% talc-filled poly-propylene for extrusion applications ...Phillips Chemical unveiled Ryton(R) BR111 polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) compound that features a high flexural and compressive modulus while maintaining toughness; Ryton BR-4-220NA, a 40%, glass-filled compound that retains its strength after exposure to high-temperature water; and Ryton BR-4-230, a 40% glass-filled compound for parts with tight tolerances and complex geometries ...Reed Spectrum announced three new lines of ReedLite(R) color concentrates for use with ABS, HIPS, and PE that include 36 heavy-metal-free colors ...Rexene Corp. introduced REXflex FPO flexible polyolefins that combine ease of processing, strength, and softness ...Royalite Thermoplastics Div. showcased Royalite R910 general-purpose polycarbonate ABS sheet that features high impact strength, tensile strength, and stiffness with formability and heat resistance and Royalite R71/920 fire-rated polycarbonate ABS sheet formulated for high dimensional stability, rigidity, easy processing, and consistent color control.

More 'breakthroughs'

Sentinel Products revealed its "breakthrough" H-Cell(R) ESP^TM enhanced stiffness polymer crosslinked polyolefin foam plank that combines silane-grafted Dow LDPE resin and metallocene single-site catalysts ...Shell Chemical featured "four new breakthrough" polymers--Carilon(R), a family of aliphatic polyketones; Corterra ^TM, resins based on polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT); HiPERTUF^TM, PEN resins based on a proprietary melt- and solid-phase polymerization technology; and Kraton Liquid^TM, designed to impart olefin character to polar materials and polar character to polyolefins ...Teknor Apex exhibited new thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), non-hygroscopic elastomers, the Uniprene(R) 7100 series, and a low-durometer, high-elongation thermoplastic elastomer, Tekron(R) .