Engineering Resins
Materials (K 2001 Preview)
New materials at K 2001 are weighted heavily toward the engineering variety, especially nylons, acetals, and TP polyesters. A large handful of polypropylenes round out the major news.
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Demand Surge Tightens PEEK Supply
The pace at which polyketone materials are replacing metals shows no sign of abating. Indeed, PEEK's potential in fuel cells, plus accelerated applications development in existing markets, suggest that supply tightness could persist through 2003, when more new PEEK capacity is expected to bring relief.
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Polymers as Additives
A pinch of one resin can teach another one new tricks. Take a look at the promising results with four novel property enhancers for thermoplastics and thermosets.
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Now They Want Plastics To Be Heavy?
Plastics weigh in with added design freedom and environmental friendliness—especially when the alternative is lead.
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Plastics That Conduct Heat
Helping electronics, lighting, and car engines keep cool are some new roles for hermoplastics that are formulated to replace metal or ceramic.
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New Polypropylene/PPO Alloys Fill a Cost/Performance Gap
A brand-new family of thermoplastics for automotive and other markets offers an intermediate range of cost and performance between those of TPOs and engineering resins such as nylon, ABS, long-glass PP, and some modified PET and PBT materials. GE Plastics, Pittsfield, Mass., has broadened its Noryl range of PPO alloys by adopting a new matrix material: polypropylene. New patent-pending technology allows the incompatible PP and PPO materials to be blended so as to create new balances of stiffness, toughness, and heat resistance in a moderate price range. Initial Noryl PPX grades are priced between $1.20 and 1.80/lb.
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LCPs Break New Ground in Film Coextrusion and Thermoforming
Liquid-crystal polymer extrusion resins cost over $10/lb, but when used sparingly in 2-5 micron layers, they can be cost-effective in barrier packaging films.
Read MorePP Engineering Alloys Branch Out Into Molding, Extrusion, Thermoforming
The Hivalloy line of in-reactor grafted alloys of polypropylene and amorphous resins from Montell Polyolefins, Wilmington, Del., is expanding its market reach with new grades, new developmental alloy families, and dramatic new applications. Besides injection molding, developing applications now include thermoformed sheet and even barrier packaging films.
Read MoreNew Materials Rise to the DVD Challenge
DVDs are casting a new light on optical discs--quite literally, since new generations of high-density disc players are expected to use blue-green lasers with shorter wavelengths in order to read the smaller pits of new higher-density data discs.
Read MorePhoto-Graftable UV Absorber Gets the Yellow Out
Sanduvor PR-25, a uv absorber based on new photo-reactive chemistry, was aimed primarily at coatings when it was first launched a couple of years ago. Since then it has made headway in clear plastics, including flexible PVC, polycarbonate, PET, and other engineering thermoplastics.
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