Dow Chemical Company, Plastics

Higher-performance and easier processing PE film resins for packaging, a one-pass crosslinked PE for photovoltaic (PV) wire and cable, several higher-performing nylons and TPEs, “greener” plastics, and enhanced styrenic and PC resins are among the new materials that made their debut at the big show in Orlando, Fla., last month.

Last month, MuCell Extrusion LLC, Woburn, Mass., bought the patent portfolio of Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., covering polyolefin sheet extrusion.

Taking coextrusion blow molded bottles beyond six layers while maintaining conventional wall thicknesses is at the core of a new micro-layer approach developed by Dow.

This spring, Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., conducted pilot tests that validated and documented the potential for energy recovery from incinerating plastics wastes.

Braskem in Brazil has acquired the polypropylene business of Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.

Technology mirrors Dow's recent development in blown film.

New technology to process nano blown films unveiled by Dow at Antec. Nano cast film, sheet advances too.

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.

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

Two experimental HDPE blow molding grades from Dow Chemical Co.’s Basic Plastics unit in Houston are said to offer dramatic increases in ESCR, higher stiffness, and significant processing advantages over existing unimodal and bimodal resins for bottles and large parts.

WEB EXCLUSIVE Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., said last month that it had reached an agreement with Rohm and Haas Co., Philadelphia, that would allow Dow’s intended purchase of Rohm and Haas to go forward, with an anticipated closing on Apr. 1.

In the face of slack demand, resin producers have implemented massive capacity cutbacks.

What is said to be the fi rst bimodal MDPE produced in North America is newly available for gas distribution pipe requiring long-term hydrostatic strength and crack resistance.

When two large joint ventures are completed later this year, they will reduce the number of polystyrene producers in North America from fi ve to three, signifi cantly altering the competitive landscape.

Coextruding sheet with alternating microlayers of solid and foamed plastic reduces foam cell size dramatically without increasing the density.

Two specially tailored polypropylenes are said to provide a much-needed combination of stiffness, toughness, and clarity for rigid packaging.

Early microlayer films gave an iridescent shimmer to decorative packaging. The newest films with hundreds and even thousands of layers are designed for gas barrier, uv blocking, electronic displays, and high-strength window-glass laminates. As applications grow, more processors want in on the action.

Hexene comonomer-based LLDPE and mLLDPE film resins are now being offered by Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.

 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.