Polyplastics Expands LAPEROS® LCP Range to Meet Demands of Electronics Industry

Polyplastics Group, a global leader in engineering thermoplastics, has expanded its #LAPEROS® #liquidcrystalpolymer (LCP) product line with the launch of the new LH and TF series materials which meet the electronics market's growing demand for higher performance and miniaturization.

These new LCP series grades will accelerate expansion into a broader range of applications and next-generation product development through two distinct approaches: versatility in meeting diverse design needs and high flowability.

LH Series 

The LH series has very well-balanced performance, combining flowability, mechanical properties, and heat resistance. The materials’ adaptability allows them to accommodate a broad range of product designs, making them suitable for various electronic component applications.

 

TF Series 

The TF series is engineered for exceptional fluidity for better molding of complex geometries found in smartphones and precision electronic components. While maximizing flowability, the TF series also maintains excellent mechanical properties and a flexible molding window, providing materials that support miniaturization and high-density integration in #electronicdevices.

#Polyplastics is leveraging Materials Informatics methods that utilize AI and data analysis to streamline materials development. By analyzing extensive material data accumulated over many years, the company derives optimal properties, enabling shorter development cycles and highly precise designs.

Produced in Japan and Taiwan region, LAPEROS® LCP has an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons and holds a 34% share of the global market (according to Fuji Keizai 2025 report). The high-performance material has long supported advancements in the electronic components sector.

LAPEROS® LCP’s exceptional properties, including mechanical strength, heat resistance, and coefficient of linear thermal expansion, are driving its adoption in next-generation, high-speed transmission uses, such as ultra-thin fine-pitch connectors for #smartphones and tablet devices.

source : Polyplastics Group

Technip Energies completes acquisition of Ecovyst’s Advanced Materials & Catalysts business

Technip Energies announces completion of its acquisition of the Advanced Materials & Catalysts (AM&C) business from #EcovystInc., a global leader in specialty catalysts and advanced materials.

This strategic transaction expands #TechnipEnergies’ portfolio by broadening its capabilities in advanced catalysts. It supports its disciplined growth strategy for the Technology, Products & Services (TPS) business segment in established markets by increasing recurring revenues while accelerating opportunities in sustainable fuels, circular chemistry, and carbon capture - key drivers of long-term value creation and critical areas for the energy transition.

Following completion, the AM&C business will continue to operate under its existing leadership team, supported by dedicated R&D, manufacturing and commercial teams across its three facilities in the US and Europe. 330 employees will join Technip Energies. The portfolio includes Advanced Silicas, a leading supplier of specialty silica-based materials and catalysts, as well as Zeolyst International, a joint venture with Shell Catalysts & Technologies focused on custom zeolite-based materials and catalysts for hydrocracking, sustainable fuels, and advanced recycling.

With over 40 years of proven expertise, AM&C is expected to deliver immediate earnings and cash flow accretion, reinforcing Technip Energies’ financial profile and unlocking new value-creation opportunities.

Arnaud Pieton, CEO of Technip Energies, commented: “Closing this transaction is an important milestone in the evolution of Technip Energies. With Advanced Materials & Catalysts, we are combining a differentiated catalysts and advanced materials platform with our process technologies and engineering expertise, creating an integrated offering that helps our customers to improve efficiency, reliability and emissions performance across their assets. Advanced Materials & Catalysts’ strong recurring revenue base, attractive margins and long-standing customer relationships are fully aligned with our disciplined capital allocation strategy to drive long-term value creation and to grow the TPS segment. We are very happy to welcome Advanced Materials & Catalysts teams and look forward to working together to deliver the next phase of growth for our customers and stakeholders.”

Kurt Bitting, CEO of Ecovyst, commented: “As a leading provider of technologies that are highly-valued by the energy industry, we believe Technip Energies provides the scale and technology development expertise that will further enhance product development and market reach for the Advanced Materials & Catalysts business.

source : Technip Energies

ColorMatrix™ Amosorb™ 4020L oxygen scavenger additive in monolayer PET bottles

 The results of our customer trial using ColorMatrix™ Amosorb™ 4020L oxygen scavenger additive in monolayer PET bottles are in...

Our customer, a plastic bottle manufacturer, was looking for a solution that could deliver long-shelf-life protection while maintaining exemplary bottle clarity and aesthetics. The trial demonstrated how the right additive technology can protect a product's nutritional integrity while enhancing package aesthetics — no compromises needed, a 💯 success!

Provided oxygen scavenger additive that performed as required, without the use of nylon, in monolayer PET bottles

• Maintained vitamin C specification for a full 18 months of testing, protecting the nutritional value of the beverage

• Delivered bottles with greater clarity and less haze at similar loadings to other scavengers.

source : Avient Corporation

STAMAX™ (long glass fiber polypropylene / LGF-PP) resin!

 🥁 We’re so close to no. 1 in our year-end countdown of the TOP 5 technologies featured on our channel. But first, no. 2 – ✨ our R&D 100 Award-winning flame-retardant hashtag

#STAMAX™ (long glass fiber polypropylene / LGF-PP) resin!

This material is the first glass fiber-reinforced, intumescent hashtag

#thermoplastic material designed for large electric vehicle (EV) battery packs. Use of the resin can enable packs that are up to 10% lighter and as much as 40% more cost-effective than metal-intensive solutions – helping to power safer, more efficient EVs. Especially critical, it delivers exceptional flame protection – a key requirement for EV battery enclosure systems where safety is paramount.

This breakthrough material is used in the construction of the top cover and bottom tray of our hybrid EV battery pack enclosure system – a 2025 SPE Central Europe Automotive Award winner and honored finalist in the 2026 JEC Composites Innovation Awards.

🌐 See the links in the Comments to watch a video on this flame-retardant resin and to learn more about material solutions from SABIC for use in EV batteries.

👉 Stay tuned for no. 1 on our countdown. It’s BIG!

source : Sabic Solutions for Automotive

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Every process change has a thermodynamic story

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Every process change has a thermodynamic story

Many people working in injection molding are skilled at identifying defects and knowing which adjustments can solve them.

One of the possible corrective actions is raising the melt temperature, but I always like to go one step deeper and ask what really happens thermodynamically inside the polymer when we do that? 🤓

In my recent troubleshooting case, it was polypropylene, and I increased the barrel temperature by 20°C.

When the temperature rises, the average kinetic energy of the molecules increases. This means the intermolecular forces (mainly van der Waals forces between the chains) are more easily overcome, allowing greater chain mobility. The viscosity drops exponentially with temperature which leads to easier flow through the mold cavity and better replication of fine details.

At the same time, the free volume between chains expands, enabling more molecular motion and reducing resistance to shear.

However, this also affects the crystallization kinetics: higher melt temperature delays the onset of crystallization, often resulting in lower overall crystallinity and potentially a slightly softer or less rigid part if cooling is not properly managed.

From a rheological point of view, this shift also changes the shear-thinning behavior of the melt- at higher temperatures, the slope of the viscosity vs. shear rate curve flattens, which means the material becomes less sensitive to variations in flow velocity.

Every adjustment we make in injection molding carries a thermodynamic and structural consequence — and understanding that connection transforms process tuning from a routine action into an informed decision.

That’s one of the reasons I love this field.

❇️ Because understanding polymer behavior means improving processes with purpose.

Image taken from: www.researchgate.net

source : Krstina Jankovic

Continuous Marketing leads you taste more profits

If your marketing team is being forced to justify every single action by ROI or ROAS, you're strangling your own growth.

The biggest driver of sales: brand trust, word-of-mouth, cultural relevance - these don't show up on your Google dashboard.

95% of your future customers are not in-market today. If you're only measuring short-term returns, you're ignoring the other 95%.

Companies that balance brand + performance grow x2 faster and x2 more profitability.

Yet many leadership teams still treat marketing like a vending machine: put a dollar in, expect two out tomorrow. This type of mindset kills brands.

ROAS tells you if you made money this week.

Brand tells you if you'll be around in five years.

Brand equity is key as well, not just performance.

Credit: Iman Syami

What is OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)?

 📊 What is OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)?

OEE is a key Lean & TPM metric used to measure how effectively a machine or process is utilized compared to its full potential.

OEE = Availability × Performance × Quality

🕒 Availability

Measures losses due to downtime

Breakdowns

Changeovers

Unplanned stops

Formula:

Run Time ÷ Planned Production Time

🔧 Focus: Reduce downtime and improve maintenance discipline

⚡ Performance

Measures speed losses

Slow cycles

Minor stoppages

Running below ideal speed

Formula:

(Ideal Cycle Time × Total Count) ÷ Run Time

🚀 Focus: Run the process at designed speed

✅ Quality

Measures defect losses

Scrap

Rework

Formula:

Good Count ÷ Total Count

🎯 Focus: Right-first-time production

📌 Example OEE Calculation

Availability = 87.5%

Performance = 83.3%

Quality = 95%

👉 True OEE = 87.5 × 83.3 × 95 = 69.2%

🔑 Key Takeaway

OEE is NOT just one metric.

Weakness in any one leg reduces overall effectiveness.

🧠 Improve Availability, Performance, and Quality together for sustainable productivity.

source : Six Sigma Manufacturing