Plastic Material News

Use of Pressurex Pressure Indicating Sensor Film Increases Bond Strength and Reduces Defects in Ultrasonic Welding of Composite Materials

January 29, 2010 - Madison, NJ - The joining technique of using Ultrasonic Welding (USW), which uses high-frequency ultrasonic acoustic vibrations to create solid-state welds, is become more popular for composite materials such as carbon fiber. To optimize the weld and prevent defects in ultrasonic welding, the horn and anvil must be precisely aligned during setup so that the horn exerts uniform pressure across the entire weld area. An economical and precise procedure that will ensure this outcome involves the use of Pressurex® pressure indicating sensor film.

  

Routine use of Pressurex® during the setup of ultrasonic welders helps ensure proper contact pressure and alignment between the horn and anvil, which results in welds of greater bond strength and aids in reducing rejected product and lowering base factory cost.  

Pressurex® is an easy-to-use tool that reveals the distribution and magnitude of pressure between any two contacting surfaces. When placed between the horn and the anvil of the ultrasonic bonder, the film instantaneously and permanently changes color directly proportional to the actual pressure applied. The precise pressure magnitude (PSI or kg/cm2) is then easily determined by comparing color variation results to a color correlation chart (conceptually similar to interpreting Litmus paper). If desired, the film can be further analyzed. Pressurex® is extremely thin (4 to 8 mils) and flexible, which enables it to conform to curved surfaces.

These pressure maps show that there are pressure variations across the weld zone which can result in less than optimal weld strength.

 

 
  

Such variations are generally caused by lack of alignment between the horn and anvil or by dirt or residue on the horn. To fix these conditions during setup: First, turn on the ultrasonic welder and set the supply air pressure. Place a flat gauge on the contact point of the anvil to simulate the thickness of the parts to be welded. Lower the horn onto the flat gauge to calibrate the height setting. Align the horn tip and the anvil. Place Pressurex® on top of the flat gauge and lower the horn to exert light pressure on the film as shown. Lastly, adjust the horn tip as needed through repeated setups with the sensor film. The setup is correct when the pressure density on the film is uniform in color.

For further information and a sample in your pressure range, contact Sensor Products Inc. at 1.973.884.1755 (USA), email info@sensorprod.com or visit www.sensorprod.com/sample

BASF to Increase Prices for Styrolux® and Styroclear® SBC Copolymers in North America

January 29, 2010 - Florham Park, NJ - BASF will increase prices of its Styrolux and Styroclear SBC resins by $0.07 per pound in North America, effective Feb. 15, 2010.

This measure is due to increasing raw materials costs.  In addition, it is necessary so that BASF can continue to provide high quality products, reliable services and innovative solutions.

Styrolux is BASF’s trademark for a portfolio of clear styrene-butadiene copolymers used in injection molding and extrusion thermoplastic applications that offer outstanding clarity, exceptional toughness and low density. Styrolux is used for medical applications, food service products, such as thermoformed clear drinking cups and plates, shrink labels, film wrap, toys and household appliances. Styroclear is a line of injection-molding resins for premium-quality, clear garment hangers.

BASF to Increase Pricing for Terluran® ABS in North America

January 29, 2010 - Florham Park PARK, NJ - BASF will increase the selling prices for Terluran® ABS and Terluran® HH® ABS by $0.07 per pound in North America, effective Feb. 15, 2010 for all shipments.  Due to limited supplies, the plastics industry is experiencing significant increases in raw material costs.  This increase is in addition to a previously announced price adjustment earlier this month.

Terluran ABS resins are specifically designed to provide a very broad physical property range with very good processing characteristics. The materials have exceptionally light natural color with excellent color stability and color consistency.  Terluran HH is an injection molding ABS grade with high resistance to heat deformation and impact.

IDES Prospector Announces Improved Display for Dry & Conditioned Plastics Data

January 28, 2010 - Laramie, Wyo. - IDES Inc. announced the newest improvement to Prospector, a search engine for plastic material datasheets used by thousands of design and process engineers. Datasheets for more than 1,800 polymers now show Dry and Conditioned plastics data side-by-side to easily view all data for a material, providing designers all the information they need on one datasheet.

“Dry" refers to data that is obtained from a sample of material with equivalent moisture content as when it was molded (typically <0.2%), while “Conditioned" refers to data obtained from a sample of material that has absorbed some environmental moisture at 50% relative humidity prior to testing. The vast majority of dry and conditioned data is seen with polyamide (Nylon) materials.

 

“Dry and Conditioned data for plastic materials listed in Prospector has always been available, though on separate datasheets. Our customers requested to have the data available on the same datasheet; it’s been something we’ve wanted to correct in order to represent the data as accurately as possible. The timing and technology came together and we decided to fix it,” said Mike Kmetz, president and founder of IDES.

For more information, visit www.ides.com/prospector

Bio-Tec Environmental LLC. Unveils EcoPure™ PC Additive for Transparent Biodegradable Polycarbonate

January 26, 2010 - Albuquerque, N.M. - Bio-Tec Environmental, a New Mexico company known for its EcoPure™ additive that accelerates the biodegradation of plastics, announces the release of EcoPure™ biodegradable additive for polycarbonate applications requiring totally transparent materials. In preliminary testing EcoPure™ treated Polycarbonate passes visual and optical specifications for eyewear and DVD applications. Bio-Tec has begun production of the EcoPure™ PC grade of their biodegradable additive. Samuel Adams, Senior VP of Bio-Tec, states, "This is a major step forward in the environmental industry; EcoPure™ PC additive opens up a whole new collection of industries that now can be stepping forward into the green wave." Bio-Tec released its biodegradable G2 formulation for clear PET in June of last year and continues to expand the EcoPure™ product capabilities into a wide range of resins. Bio-Tec Environmental LLC. is on the brink of releasing another industry-changing additive, they plan on releasing further details by Q2 of 2010.

About Bio-Tec Environmental
Bio-Tec Environmental is the manufacturer of EcoPure™. It has been in business since 2003 and its entire focus has been on making plastics biodegradable. EcoPure™ is the newest generation of our extensive research and development. Bio-Tec Environmental, since launching the EcoPure™ additive in 2008, has formulated two other additives to work with PET and Polycarbonate. Bio-Tec plans on launching a third variation for the EPS Foam industry by 2010. In the words of Sam Adams, Senior VP, "We are more than just a collection of people running a business. Our vision is simple: to help our customers and the environment. We have combined great customer service with extensive technical and R&D expertise. We strive to 'raise the bar' for service, integrity and forthrightness when dealing with both our customers and our employees."

- - - 

NOTE: Additional bioplastics can be found using Prospector's Green Plastics Search to quickly access technical datasheets for plastics that are biodegradable, include recycled content, or are derived from renewable resources.

Extruded Channelizer Posts Take on an Olympic Challenge

January 25, 2010 - Tacoma, Washington – Tough and highly visible plastic lane marker posts from Pexco are helping to manage traffic flow at the Olympic Winter Games.  Although Vancouver is the official host, many of the skiing events will be held in Whistler, 115 km (72 mi.) inland.  Due to limited overnight accommodations in the resort town, many spectators will commute daily from Vancouver via the Sea to Sky Highway.


The highway, formerly a cliff-hugging, mostly two-lane road, has been extensively upgraded with as many as four lanes in both directions.  However, in order to accommodate increased Olympics-related traffic, transportation planners wanted to create extra temporary northbound lanes during the morning rush and additional southbound lanes later in the day.

The solution was Davidson® FG300 channelizer posts from Pexco, a leading extruder of plastic traffic control products.  Some 7,000 of the posts were installed on 11 km. of highway, enabling authorities to safely divert traffic into the temporary lanes.


FG300 channelizer posts are designed to stand up to heavy traffic and the most rugged conditions.  An alloy of polyurethane polymers gives the posts more strength than conventional traffic tubes.  The clover-leaf design provides better rebound than simple round tubes because the curving sides change the moment of inertia and build up tremendous potential energy, resulting in a quick and sharp rebound when impacted.  These posts were extruded in fluorescent colors that improve visibility, even on dark winter days.


About Pexco
Based in Atlanta and with seven plants in the United States and Mexico, Pexco is a North American leader in the design and fabrication of extruded plastics products.  It provides standard and custom parts and components to manufacturers and end-users in the aerospace, retail, traffic safety, medical, lighting and fence industries.  Pexco also offers a full range of custom design, engineering and fabrication services.  Pexco meets the requirements of ISO 9001:2000, holds ISO 14001 registration for all of its manufacturing operations and operates two class 100,000 clean rooms.  For more information, visit www.pexco.com.

DuPont™ Vespel® Polyimide Bushings Support the Precise Control of EGR Valves in Stratified-Charged Petrol Engines

January 25, 2010 - Wilmington, Del. – Gustav Wahler GmbH & Co. KG of Esslingen (Germany) uses bushings made of DuPont™ Vespel® TP polyimide to position and guide the cylindrical operating rods of EGR slip-in valves (EGR = Exhaust Gas Recirculation). These valves are used in four and six cylinder stratified-charged petrol engines. Located behind the precatalytic converter and operating at temperatures of up to 220°C, they regulate the quantity of exhaust gases recirculated into the combustion air to reduce NOx emissions. It is during this process that the bushings, made of Vespel® TP polyamide, which combines excellent friction and wear performance with a very low thermal expansion coefficient, support the consistently smooth operation of the valves, including their fast and precise opening and closing.
 

Compared to equivalent components made of metal, the injection molded Vespel® parts provide significant long-term benefits. They are chemically inert to the residues contained within exhaust gases, whilst no contact corrosion can occur because polyamide is not electrically conductive. Additional benefits include their significantly lower weight – in part a consequence of the high performance polymer’s considerably lower density than brass or steel. Also the high stiffness and tensile strength of Vespel® TP, combined with its high level of formability by injection molding, allows reduced wall thicknesses for additional design freedom.

Wahler worked closely with DuPont Performance Polymers (DuPont) from early on in the design phase for these valves, versions of which are also used in numerous engines from other OEMs. “The mutual development work with DuPont proved to be very efficient, because in this case the material producer is also the supplier of the molded parts,” said Martin Barth, development engineer for petrol EGR in the valve business unit at Wahler. “Because the optimization of material and design was conducted in collaboration, we were able to fulfill our requirements for the bushing very quickly. Moreover, DuPont took over simulation of the relatively long but thin-walled molded part’s behavior when under servicing loads as well as across a broad temperature range from a cold start to full throttle. This helped us to optimize material usage to such an extent that we only require very little installation space, and considerably less than that required for a metal bearing.”

Wahler worked with DuPont in specifying Vespel® TP, principally because this material enables the cost-efficient and precise injection molding of the bushings in a single shot, without the need for post-machining. “Despite its thermoplastic properties, Vespel® TP offers the required levels of temperature resistance and dimensional stability,” said Barth. “As a result, tight tolerances are retained across a range of operating conditions and even after more than 3.6 million closing and opening procedures.  It provides good acoustic attenuation properties, helping to reduce noise emission from the valves. The low levels of friction on the surface help prevent the formation of grime deposits.”

Vespel® TP polymers (www.vespel.com) are processable as a thermoplastic and are supplied by DuPont as a finished part. They offer a high degree of design freedom, making them highly suitable for the production of molded parts with enhanced functionality. Vespel® TP polymers exhibit high levels of wear, chemical and temperature resistance, making them suitable for the replacement of metal or ceramic parts. The broad portfolio of TP grades means that a wide range of application specific requirements can be met. The TP grade specified by Wahler for the EGR valve guides is characterized by its very good mechanical properties, its high creep resistance at elevated temperatures and its particularly high-impact resistance, which facilitates their press fitting in the bushing carrier.

Gustav Wahler is a medium-sized supplier to the automotive industry based in Esslingen/Germany, providing the global automotive market with innovative and high-quality solutions for temperature and emission management. The company employs 1,650 people at its headquarters in Germany, as well as at its sites in Slovakia, Brazil and India and representative offices in the United States and China, and has an annual turnover of 250 million Euros. Wahler customers include engine and vehicle manufacturers, for both the car and commercial vehicle sectors, from across the world.

The DuPont Performance Polymers business manufactures and sells Crastin® PBT and Rynite® PET thermoplastic polyester resins, Delrin® acetal resins, Hytrel® thermoplastic polyester elastomers, DuPont™ ETPV engineering thermoplastic vulcanizates, Minlon® mineral reinforced nylon resins, Thermx® PCT polycyclohexylene dimethyl terephthalate, Tynex® filaments, Vespel® parts and shapes, Zenite® LCP liquid crystal polymers, Zytel® nylon resins and Zytel® HTN high-performance polyamides. These products serve global markets in the aerospace, appliance, automotive, consumer, electrical, electronic, healthcare, industrial, sporting goods and many other diversified industries.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company.  Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere.  Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

Borealis Distributes Student Innovation Award 2009

January 25, 2010 - Borealis, a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions has selected the winners of its Student Innovation Award 2009. Launched in 2008, the award recognises the two most innovative research papers on polyolefins, olefins or melamine, one for a master’s degree and one for a doctorate graduate. A monetary award of EUR 5,000 for the doctorate degree graduate and one of EUR 3,000 for the master's degree graduate winner is granted to the winners along with an award and certificate.

The 2009 Student Innovation Award for the master’s degree graduate is awarded to Matteo D’Amato for his work on polymeric nanocomposite fibres. In his thesis, he studied the impact of introducing nanoparticles to polyolefin base high-performance fibres. Matteo D’Amato is Italian and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Trento last October.

The Innovation Award for the doctorate degree was given to Amir Jabri. His PhD thesis, which was sponsored by the Dutch Polymer Institute, was an experimental study of how the transition-metal catalysts used in polyolefin production function on a molecular level. Dr. Amir Jabri, a US citizen, graduated from the University of Ottawa, Canada in 2009 and currently works in the area of computational chemistry. He published his findings in the renowned scientific journals, “Angewandte Chemie” and in the “Journal of the American Chemical Society”.

A jury composed of independent academics and Borealis representatives assessed the incoming abstracts and selected the winners from more than two dozen submissions. The jury’s decision stated that the contributions of Mr. D’Amato and Dr. Jabri are characterized by a combination of beautiful experimental works with excellent theoretical explanations.

The Borealis Student Innovation Award is open to graduates throughout the world in the fields of chemistry, polymers or applications with a particular focus on polyolefins, olefins or melamine. The awardees were invited to present their theses during the Borealis Innovation Day event, which took place in Stenungsund, Sweden in January 2010.

Borealis ran a limited pilot programme during 2008, which proved to be successful and has led to the introduction of the full award scheme in 2009. One of the 2008 awardees now works for Borealis.

“At Borealis, we believe in our strategy which is based on value creation through innovation,” states Alfred Stern, Borealis Senior Vice President Innovation & Technology. “The Student Innovation Award is a programme which supports this strategy. As we nurture these young talents, we invest in the future of plastics and in the prospect of our whole industry.”

“I would like to thank all the nominees who applied for the Borealis Student Innovation Award,” says Christian Paulik, Manager for External Research and Funding at Borealis. “And of course, congratulations to the 2009 Student Innovation Award winners. Both of them have made an outstanding contribution to innovation and I am confident that their scientific work will have an impact on future research and product development.”

Borealis’ Bormed™ LE6609-PH Puts High Temperature Sterilization In The Spotlight At Pharmapack 2010

January 22, 2010 - With a focus on delivering “peace of mind” innovations to its healthcare customers, Borealis presents Pharmapack 2010 visitors with an opportunity from the Bormed family to use steam sterilisation temperatures of over 110°C to achieve greater security for medical bottles and ampoules.


Borealis, a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions, will feature Bormed™ LE6609-PH for pharmaceutical packaging for intravenous solutions and medicines at Stand D26 from February 1-2, 2010 in Paris. The latest addition to its Bormed range of dedicated polyolefins for healthcare applications, Bormed LE6609-PH makes its first appearance at the annual Pharmapack event alongside the comprehensive film and moulded packaging innovations designed to meet the superior technical performance and challenging service requirements of the healthcare market.

Bormed is Borealis’ special healthcare product line offering 4 pillars: dedicated materials, additional support, security of supply and innovation. Bormed LE6609-PH was introduced to the market in mid- 2009, following the successful launch of LE6607-PH for soft and flexible bottles at Pharmapack 2009, to meet demands for greater security for sterilized products, reductions in material use and more efficient manufacturing.
This transparent, Blow Fill and Seal (BFS) low density polyethylene offers a high density level and therefore a high melting point. The resulting high steam sterilization temperature allows converters to reduce autoclave residence time by up to 1.5 hours, speeding up their production cycle, lowering energy use and improving efficiency.

In addition, Bormed LE6609-PH’s high density and optimized molecular weight distribution (MWD) offers the potential for material and weight reduction of up to 5-7%. Converters and brand owners can make more products of a lighter weight using the same material volume, while the resulting energy savings benefit both manufacturing costs and the environment.

With its Bormed family of dedicated polyolefins for the healthcare industry Borealis ensures a consistent, committed approach to material development for medical devices and pharmaceutical and diagnostic products. The polyethylene and polypropylene grades offer the security of supply, regulatory compliance, long-term traceability and reliability required by this highly-demanding, specialized sector.

Borealis’ EUR 50 million expansion of its Innovation Headquarters in Linz, Austria further reinforces its commitment to the industry. The latest plastics processing equipment, high-tech laboratories and the expertise of dedicated, international specialists are available at one single site, allowing faster and more customized product development tailored to the needs of the healthcare market.

“Patient safety is paramount to the healthcare industry and as a result product manufacturers require 100% confidence in materials, their regulatory compliance, and in the long-term support and technical capabilities of their suppliers,” comments Martyna Matelska-Jucha, Marketing Manager business unit Moulding. “Borealis’ Bormed materials and approach to R&D are focused on meeting these criteria. Using the latest development facilities at our Innovation Headquarters, dedicated production lines, global supply network and on-going
customer support we are able to give the industry the peace of mind and performance capabilities it needs to bring safe, cutting-edge innovations to the market.”

Borealis’ Bormed materials are European Pharmacopeia (EP) and US Pharmacopeia compliant and are Drug Master File registered. In addition, most of the Bormed grades comply with biocompatibility standards as specified in ISO 10993.

Find more information on www.borealisgroup.com/healthcare.

Bayer MaterialScience LLC Advocates Holistic Approach To Commercial Building Design And Construction

January 22, 2010 - Pittsburgh, PA — To meet the market need for more sustainable building solutions, suppliers, academia and government must work together seamlessly and collaboratively. This approach – one that Bayer MaterialScience LLC advocates and supports – was outlined by Paul Platte, head, EcoCommercial Building Program, NAFTA, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, during a National Press Club Newsmakers Committee event.

Other participants in this panel discussion, held earlier this month in Washington, D.C., were: Richard Kidd, program manager, Federal Energy Management Program, U.S. Department of Energy; Dr. Gregory Reed, director and associate professor, Power and Energy Initiative, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh; and Paul Cody, vice president and general manager, Electrical Service and Systems Division, Eaton Corporation.

“In order to work seamlessly and collaboratively with other suppliers, academia and government, Bayer MaterialScience favors a holistic approach that breaks down the traditional ‘walls,’ if you will, of the construction process, and replaces them with an ‘open plan’ that delivers state-of-the-art building solutions,” said Platte.

“To achieve this holistic approach, the diverse expertise of architects, engineering firms, financiers, material and component suppliers, academia and government is combined to yield the needed ecological and economic solutions sought by building decision makers up and down the value chain,” Platte continued.

During his presentation, Platte outlined how, by working collaboratively, this network is able to address the “Six Es” of Sustainable Building Solutions: energy savings, environmentally friendly materials, emission-reducing materials, efficiency in application, ecology and economics. 

Platte emphasized that the last ‘E’ – economics – is especially important, because while achieving a building which is sustainable is the right thing to do to be a good corporate citizen, it is also the right thing to do from a business perspective.

Bayer MaterialScience’s materials play an important role in a number of sustainable building design and construction solutions. These include:

• Solid and multi-wall architectural sheets of polycarbonate for glazing, sky lights and façade cladding which enable daylighting with reduced energy usage and aid visual comfort.
• Sealing systems, based on Bayer MaterialScience’s polyurethane raw materials, for sealing flat roofs to produce a seamless, highly root-resistant protective layer that also aids energy savings by significantly reducing drafts.
• LED lighting systems that can illuminate while reducing electricity consumption and heat loads are enhanced by the company’s polycarbonates when used in LED lenses and lamp housings providing  the lighting system excellent service life in all types of conditions.
• The properties of coating systems based on Bayer MaterialScience’s raw materials are characterized by high resistance to aging and low maintenance costs while doing so with low solvent or waterborne formulations.
• Spray or rigid polyurethane foam from Bayer MaterialScience is used for indoor and outdoor thermal insulation of roofs, walls and floors. The energy saved, over the life of a building, by the polyurethane insulation foam can yield a better than 50-to-1 return on the embedded energy to produce the foam.
• Photovoltaic modules are used to harvest solar energy. The company’s TPU encapsulant film enables efficient embedding of solar cells into the film to yield high-quality photovoltaic modules. Also, polyurethane in combination with pultrusion technology enables a light-weight, modular framing system aiding installation of building integrated photovoltaic elements onto the roof.

“Taken all together, we call this holistic, collaborative approach to materials and component solutions Bayer MaterialScience’s EcoCommercial Building (ECB) Program,” said Platte.

To date, there are three ECB projects underway – an operational children’s day care center for employees of Bayer CropScience in Germany, an operational Bayer administration building in Belgium and an office building under construction in India. The company will be announcing plans for its ECB program in NAFTA later this year, according to Platte.

Bayer MaterialScience, a prominent provider of materials, has given its support to a proposal by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for a globally consistent Common Carbon Metric for Buildings which will provide a common language for measuring greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency of buildings.

Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with nearly 15,100 employees at 30 sites around the world and 2008 sales of 9.7 billion euros. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries.