polymerguru

Solvay Specialty Polymers, among the leading global suppliers of high-performance thermoplastics, announced at the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTC&OS) that the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certified seven Amodel® polyphthalamide (PPA) and KetaSpire® polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin grades under its NSF/ANSI 51 standard for food equipment materials. NSF’s certification greatly expands Solvay’s broad and growing portfolio of high-performance materials solutions targeting the manufacture of commercial food service equipment for aviation and rail transport, as well as hotel, catering and domestic applications. Target applications further encompass boilers, beverage dispensers, water tanks, cutting boards and stock pots, in addition to related components like tubing, gaskets, chassis, pistons and valves.  “As one of the food service industry’s most recognized and requested certifications, the NSF standard is an essential criterion for materials supplie

The new Rhein Chemie Additives business unit of specialty chemicals company LANXESS is exhibiting its premium products for the polyurethane industry at  UTECH 2015 from April 14 to 16.  The comprehensive  product range includes flame retardants, plasticizers, crosslinking agents, catalysts and hydrolysis stabilizer for rigid and flexible foams, coatings, elastomers, sealants and adhesives . The focus will be on innovative  halogen-free flame retardants  that are based in part on a newly developed type of phosphorus chemistry. These are characterized by low fogging and scorching, making them ideal for use in the furniture and automotive industries. The new Disflamoll TP LXS 51092 grade was primarily developed for PU flexible foam and elastomers while Levagard TP LXS 51114 is especially suitable for flexible foam. Both flame retardants can be used in polyester as well as in polyether flexible foams. Foams manufactured using Levagard TP LXS 51114 even meet the German Association of the A

Nippon Chemical Screw & Co, headquartered in Japan, recently approved VESTAKEEP® for the manufacture of high precision one-inch sized screws. VESTAKEEP® is the trade name of Evonik Industries for high temperature polymer polyether ether ketone (PEEK).  The one inch-sized screw design is manufactured for various industries, especially semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, in the North American market. Depending on the application, the VESTAKEEP® PEEK must fulfill different requirements. For example, in semiconductor manufacturing, a high purity is required. On the other hand, in pharmaceutical and food equipment sectors, the material needs to comply with drug or food contact requirements. In other typical industrial production lines, VESTAKEEP® PEEK must also satisfy many other specifications such as chemical resistance, high mechanical strength, or fatigue resistance. Other advantages associated with VESTAKEEP® PEEK include high dimensional stability and ease of processing during in

BASF has made bio-based Polytetrahydrofuran 1000 (PolyTHF® 1000) available for the first time. The company is now providing this intermediate to selected partners for testing various applications in a large scale. “The bio-based PolyTHF 1000 is identical in quality to the petrochemical-based product,” said Andrej Brejc, Director Renewable Diols from BASF’s Intermediates division, adding, “The opportunity to expand the range of products and applications made from renewable raw materials allows us and our partners to further explore the long-term market acceptance of this innovative technology.” PolyTHF is derived from 1,4 butanediol (BDO), which BASF has produced under license from Genomatica. BASF is one of the world’s leading providers of PolyTHF. It is primarily used to make elastic spandex fibers for a large variety of textiles, including underwear, outerwear, sportswear and swimsuits. PolyTHF 1000 is mainly applied as a chemical building block for thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU),

NetComposites, in collaboration with Tilsatec and FORMAX, has developed an innovative, highly aligned flax-based tape and non-crimp fabric.The new material is suitable for thermoset composite applications and will give improved properties over conventional woven natural fiber-based composite materials. It has a higher stiffness per unit weight than glass fiber. The material is suitable for a range of applications including automotive, sporting and consumer goods. Variants with thermoplastics, such as PLA and polypropylene, and bio-based pre-pregs are also being developed. The development of the highly aligned flax has been supported by the UK’s Composites Innovation Cluster. Source:  NetComposites  

Owens Corning, one of the leading global producer of glass fiber reinforcements for composite systems, launched new  HydroStrand® 258 glass-fiber chopped strands for polyamide (PA) resins . The product provides excellent dry-as-molded properties in a wide range of PA formulations, as well as outstanding performance in glycol resistant PA 6,6 formulations. It enables designers to reduce vehicle weight to improve fuel economy without sacrificing performance. Typical applications in automotive include oil and fluid pump housings, oil pans and powertrain parts. HydroStrand® 258 product is designed to help grow businesses through enhanced performance and productivity benefits, like all Owens Corning’s innovations,  Further to excellent dry-as-molded mechanical properties, the product delivers up to 22% increase in impact strength when used in impact modified grades. It increases the potential to integrate automotive functions and be flexible in designing efficient parts.  With e

The theme for this year's 2-day conference on "Polymers & Plastics in Medical Devices" is to bring the participants up to speed on the newest trends and technical advances in the field of Medical Devices as it relates to Polymeric Materials. The conference includes the following presentation: Selection and Evaluation of Plastics for Cardiovascular Applications Bioabsorbable, High-Modulus Polyester based Materials for Orthopedic Applications Latest Update on UHMW Polyethylene for Implants Flexible Tubing Development & Applications with Styrene-Butadiene Copolymer (SBC) Resins Plastic Catheters Today: an Interventional Radiology Surgeon's Perspective Trends in Plastic Processing & Materials for Medical Equipment Closures High Performance Plastics for Hip-Retractor Application (vs Metals) FiberLive: a High-Strength, Fully Absorbable Composite Material for Implants Choices in Medical Device Coatings Natural Fibers & Composites in Fab