DuPont Performance Polymers Suppliers Showroom

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials, Part 26: High-Performance Thermoplastics

The majority of the polymers that today we rely on for outstanding performance — such as polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylsulfone and PPS — were introduced in the period between 1965 and 1985. Here’s how they entered your toolbox of engineering of materials.

Resins & Additives for Sustainability in Vehicles, Electronics, Packaging & Medical

Material suppliers have been stepping up with resins and additives for the ‘circular economy,’ ranging from mechanically or chemically recycled to biobased content.

50 Years...600 Issues...and Still Counting

Matt Naitove marks his first half-century in plastics reporting, with a few of his favorite headlines.

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Polyesters

Beyond PET, PBT and their analogues, development of polyester chemistry led to unsaturated thermosetting resins, copolyester thermoplastic elastomers, liquid-crystal polymers and, most recently, biopolymers.

Celanese to Acquire DuPont’s Engineering Plastics

Celanese will acquire nearly all of DuPont’s engineering thermoplastics, except for its Delrin, Multibase and Tedlar products.

DuPont Partners with Sporting Goods Manufacturer BOA Technology

Use of DuPont’s Zytel nylons along with Delrin acetal and Hytrel copolyester elastomer step up performance, fit and durability for BOA footwear.

DuPont to Acquire Advanced Materials Manufacturer Rogers Corp.

Acquisition will expand DuPont’s leadership position in advanced materials for high-growth markets including electric vehicles and 5G telecommunications.

DuPont’s 100% Biofeedstock Based Acetal Selected by Conveyor Component Manufacturer

Regina is first-to-market with conveyor chain and modular belts based on new Delrin acetal produced from 100% biofeedstock from waste.

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Teflon

The accidental discovery of Teflon.

2019 SPE Auto Innovation Award Winners

There were many ‘firsts’ with broad transferability.

DuPont Introduces New 3D Printing Materials

New pelletized grades reportedly offer customers greater manufacturing agility and cost-effectiveness.

DowDuPont to Complete Spin-Off of Companies

Following last month’s spin-off of a ‘new’ Dow, the spin-off of an independent DuPont materials company and the new Corteva agriculture firm will take place June 1.

Nylon 66: Pricing & Supply Issues Spur Processors to Consider Alternatives

While the nylon 66 tightness may not prove long-lasting, resin suppliers, compounders, and distributors have mobilized to offer processors an array of ‘replacement’ materials.

A Processor's Most Important Job, Part 5: POM Polymers

Using a mold temperature above a polymer’s Tg ensures a degree of crystallinity high enough to provide for dimensional stability, even if the part must be used at elevated temperatures. But POM is an exception. Why?

New Ionomer Decorative Effects Using Hot Stamping

DuPont collaboration with Kurz Group leads to golden or metallized effects.

DowDuPont Realigns Portfolio

The new merger makes adjustments within two of its three intended independent companies.

Price Increases on Polyacetal and UHMW-PE Underway

POM, UHMW-PE join other commodity engineering resins in moving up in price.

Alpine Piled on the Layers At K 2016

A record for film blowing at a show: 11 layers.

How Important is China to Your Materials Suppliers?

Look at what DuPont did.

DuPont Intensifies Research on Thermoplastic Composites

By co-locating its research activities at Aachen University, DuPont becomes a “premium partner” with the Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production.

The SPE Auto Innovation Award’s Chassis, Powertrain Finalists

Three chassis/hardware and two powertrain innovative applications bear mention.

Novel Process Opens Up Vast Landscapes for Biobased Materials

DuPont and ADM develop new process to make high-purity fructose derivative for conversion to biobased chemicals and materials.

Several ‘Firsts’ Among 2015 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards

Of the nine award categories, thermoplastics captured five winners.

Body Exterior Finalists of SPE Auto Innovation Awards

Exterior applications meriting mention from the 2015 SPE Auto Innovation Awards include entrants from Ford and GM.

DuPont and Dow Confirm "Merger of Equals"

Proposal would create three companies that will spun off in the future.

SPE Winners in Powertrain, Chassis & Process Assembly

More on top innovations from 2015 SPE Automotive Awards

DuPont Celebrates 80th Anniversary of Nylon

If guitars, piano and voice shape music; and email, texts and blogs shape how we communicate; then nylon shapes ideas, says DuPont.

Nylon, PBT Keys in Energy-Conserving Tankless Water Heaters

Seisco's next-generation residential tankless water heaters use DuPont's high heat resistant nylon and high impact resistant PBT.

Engineering Thermoplastics Are Going ‘Green’

As high-performance materials follow the path taken by some commodity resins, farming could replace drilling as suppliers rely more on plants than oil or gas for feedstocks.

DuPont Increases Capacity For High-Performance Nylon

DuPont has increased production of Zytel HTN PPA, reflecting the growing demand for advanced materials.

MATERIALS AND ADDITIVES AT NPE: Spotlight on Performance, Economy, and Sustainability

Lots of news in engineering thermoplastic compounds, TPEs, and purging agents, plus a wide range of colorants and additives.

Numerous ‘Firsts’ Among Winners of 2014 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards

The 44th annual awards competition broke new ground in almost all award categories

Polyester TPE Used In Novel Wave Protection System

Energy-damping bellow made from DuPont's Hytrel TPC acts like a shock absorber in a unique wave protection system.

Bayer To Quit Plastics

MaterialScience ��ý will be floated on the stock market by 2016 at the latest.

Thermoplastic Composites Prominent At SPE's ACCE

Advances in long fiber thermoplastics (LFT) starred in several presentations and exhibits.

Prices Firmer for PE, PP, Looser for PS, PVC

PE and PP are expected to hold firm or head upwards, but it’s a mixed bag for PS and PVC prices.

Winzeler Gear Thrives With a Little Help from Its Friends

Strategic partnerships give a small molder the technical clout of a much bigger firm.

Materials News at K 2013

There was no shortage of interesting materials developments at K 2013, in particular high-performance engineering thermoplastics and thermoplastic composites—much of them geared to automotive/transportation.

K 2013 Preview: Materials & Additives

The K 2013 show will present a broad range of engineered plastics materials, including thermoplastic composites, as well as additives. Automotive and electronic applications will be the main targets, as well as medical, packaging, lighting, and construction.

Additives at NPE: Many Routes To ‘Greener’ Plastics

Just as eco-friendliness was a major theme in materials news at the big show in April, so it was with additives.

Four Key Markets Drive Material Advances At K 2010

Last fall’s K 2010 fair in Germany drew dozens of materials suppliers to show off hundreds of new products, aimed especially at packaging,medical, automotive, and electrical/electronics.

Materials at NPE 2003

The footprint of thermoplastic materials suppliers at this year’s NPE is going to be fainter than usual.

Novel High-Temperature Nylon Debuts

A new class of semi-aromatic, high-temperature nylons is being introduced to the U.S. by Kuraray America in N.Y.C.

It's Time to Get to Know Your Way Around Bioplastics

If you’re thinking about adding bioplastics to your portfolio of processing capabilities, it’s best to first find out what separates them from traditional synthetic polymers and how their differences will affect you.

A Quiet Revolution In Materials Characterization

In December, about a dozen representatives of European chemical companies gathered in Aachen, Germany, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of a quiet revolution in plastics.

Shining Opportunities In Solar Films

Photovoltaic markets are growing explosively, and so are opportunities for specialty film producers. Solar cell and module production, which was forecasted to grow at 50% a year for the next few years before the recession hit, is now expecting slightly more healthy 30% annual growth, according to DuPont, a major supplier of photovoltaic film materials. Solar cell and module manufacturers are expanding, and large numbers of new companies are entering the field.

Automotive Plastics Adding More Value in Tough Times

The dramatic global downshifting in automotive manufacturing hasn’t put the brakes on plastics innovation, if recently announced developments are any indication.

TPEs Move Up the Performance Scale

This first of two articles on directions in TPE development focuses on styrenic, copolyester, polyamide, and TP urethane elastomers. The following article covers olefinics—TPOs, TPVs, and POEs.

What's Ahead for 'Green' Plastics: Look for More Supply, More Varieties, Better Properties

Major chemical companies are investing big bucks in new plants and technologies to produce plastics from annually renewable sources, not from petrochemicals.

Material and Process Developments Highlight SPE Automotive Awards

Custom backlighting with color-converting plastics and robotic extrusion of door seals won two categories of the 37th Innovation Awards presented in November by the SPE Automotive Div.

Smaller, Thinner Connectors Drive LCP Growth

Strong demand for smaller and thinner electrical components that must withstand higher temperatures is pushing the envelope for suppliers of liquid crystal polymers (LCPs). This trend has prompted development of a new range of ultra-high-heat materials that boast high flow for thinner walls and faster cycle times in lead-free, surface-mount connectors.LCPs’ predominant market is still connectors, but suppliers of these premium-priced resins are looking to diversify into electronic packaging, automotive lighting, and consumer goods like cookware.

What's New at the Show in MATERIALS

The major thrust in new materials at K is engineering thermoplastics for automotive, appliance, medical, and electrical/electronic parts.

NPE 2006 News Wrap-Up: Materials

From PPs for frozen-food packaging to nylons and alloys that withstand the heat of circuit-board soldering or automotive paint ovens, NPE 2006 was rich in news of commodity and engineering resins and TPEs.

A Custom Molder Takes the Next Step

The question John Winzeler keeps asking is, “How do you take the next step?” In the last two decades, he has transformed the Chicago metal-stamping company he inherited from his father into a high-tech specialty molding ��ý focused only on plastic gears.

What to See at NPE 2006: Materials

Fewer thermoplastic materials suppliers will make the trip to Chicago this year.

Water Injection Molding: It's All Coming Together

Commercial applications in hollow-part molding with water—or water and gas—are starting to accelerate. They are driven by recent enhancements of process technology, equipment, and materials.

Dye Sublimation Printing: Durable Color Decoration for 3D Parts

Dye sublimation, a dye-transfer process that got its start in the 1960s for use in textiles, has advanced in recent years to provide wear-resistant, full-color surface decoration of flat objects like mouse pads and tiles.

Structural Plastics Meeting Showcases Sophisticated Molding

Top awards in the parts competition at the Society of the Plastics Industry's Structural Plastics Div. annual conference are reserved for new or unique materials or processing approaches.

MIDs Make A Comeback

3D molded interconnect devices were supposed to be the 1980s' breakthrough for plastics in electronics—but they flopped. New processes that make market entry faster, simpler, and less costly have recharged MIDs' prospects.

K 2004 Wrap-Up on Materials: Setting New Benchmarks for Processability and Performance

Higher flow, higher heat, higher barrier, higher clarity, higher stiffness, lower durometer, lower smoke, lower odor—materials exhibits at the recent K 2004 show in Dusseldorf were stretching the bounds of processing and performance properties in all directions.

K 2004 News Preview: Materials

Quite a few new polyolefins are being featured at this year’s show, with a particular emphasis on specialty PP and PE materials.

'Super-TPVs': The New Challenge to Rubber

Recent commercialization of a cluster of novel thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) families is promising to boost demand for thermoplastic elastomers in new and challenging industrial and consumer product segments.

Wood-Filled Plastics: They Need the Right Additives for Strength, Good Looks, and Long Life

Wood-plastic composites, or WPCs, are already a 1.3-billion-lb market and are growing at 20% annually.

Strength and Beauty - New Nylons Bring Both To Under-Hood Parts

Usage of polyamides in U.S. under-hood parts could double in the next decade if nylon 6 and 66 follow European trends toward large panels that not only protect but beautify the engine compartment.

Thermoplastic Polyesters: It's Time to Know Them Better

There’s more to TP polyesters than you think. You may know PET, PBT, and PETG—but what about PCT, PCTG, PCTA, and PTT? If you’re not sure what they are, how their properties compare, and who sells them, we have the answers—and lots of new developments to report.

Automotive Innovation Trend-Setting Technologies Garner SPE Awards

Paintless in-mold film decorating and carbon-fiber composites are making inroads in appearance and structural parts. Blow molding is finding new interior applications. And long-fiber thermoplastics are cutting weight and cost on the inside and outside of new passenger vehicles.

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