WEB EXCLUSIVE: Ticona, Florence, Ky., has developed a new blend technology that is said to overcome issues with previous impact-modified acetals.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Samtec, Inc., New Albany, Ind., a worldwide manufacturer of electronic interconnects, is using two families of liquid-crystal polymers from Ticona, Florence, Ky., in its new Seam/Seaf Series of high-speed, high-density connectors.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: New high-temperature and highly reflective resins from two suppliers are engineered for growing LED markets in display backlighting and general lighting:  •DSM Engineering Plastics of the Netherlands (U.S. office in Evansville, Ind.) has added a new grade of its unique nylon 4T for LED applications.

New barrier materials for small fuel tanks, tooling developments for large, flat, and odd-shaped industrial parts, new all-electric machines for large containers, and gravimetric extrusion control for bottles are some of the topics discussed at the recent SPE Blow Molding Div. annual conference in Pittsburgh.

The potential for new or unusual materials to broaden the application potential of standard plastics processes was explored in a number of papers at April’s SPE ANTEC conference in Orlando, Fla.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Ticona Engineering Polymers, Florence, Ky., has added a new family of high-flow grades of halogen-free, flame-retardant Vectra LCPs for use in portable electronic devices.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Germany’s Ticona Engineering Polymers is offering new-generation, low-emission, Hostaform acetals which meet Daimler’s new, stricter limits for formaldehyde emissions of acetal vehicle-interior components.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: The seat-belt retractor system of the new VW up! city car utilizes a special high-impact, low-emissions acetal from Ticona (U.S. office in Florence, Ky.). The VW up! was introduced in late 2011.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Ticona Engineering Polymers, Florence, Ky., recently showed off new applications for two of its newest Hostaform acetal copolymers.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Ticona (U.S. office in Florence, Ky.) has started up a new acetal plant in Frankfurt, Germany, that is said to be the largest in the world, with capacity for over 300 million lb/yr.

MATERIALS: Higher Prices for PBT, TPU, Nylon, Thermosets & More

WEB EXCLUSIVE: This month, prices are due to rise for engineering thermoplastics, composite thermosets, and UHMW-PE:•DSM Engineering Plastics said it would hike nylon 6 resins early this month by 12¢/lb, following a similar move by BASF in March.

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.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Prices are rising this month and next for several materials by anywhere from 4¢ to 10¢/lb

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Two of the first parts molded in North America from the new MetaLX compounds from Ticona, Florence, Ky., are the left and right steering-wheel bezels for the 2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Vectra T. rex liquid-crystal polymer is a new grade from Ticona, Florence, Ky., aimed at sheet extrusion and thermoforming.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Three injection molding grades of Hostaform acetal copolymer are essential to the EQ.7 automated coffee centre from Siemens Electrogeraete GmbH in Germany.

The K 2010 show will present new plastics materials for a wide range of industries, which makes it hard to generalize, but a few markets stand out prominently: packaging, medical, automotive, and electronic equipment.

This new family of clear engineering thermoplastics made its first big splash in extrusion, but now injection molders are learning how to process these amorphous resins into optical and medical parts.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Ticona, Florence, Ky., introduced Fortron 6162A7, a mineral/glass-filled PPS with exceptionally high flow for thin-wall electrical/electronic parts in appliances and industrial equipment.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: A new grade of blow moldable PPS is used in a hot-water tank designed to withstand high temperatures in a line of European kitchen ovens from Miele & Cie.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: A novel process and a new material combined to produce one of the more unusual entries among the finalists for the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards last fall.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Ticona, Florence, Ky., introduced Hostaform MT (medical technology) 8U05, a UV-detectable acetal copolymer for easier quality control in production of complex medical devices.

Three new long-glass PP compounds have been customized for auto interior parts as alternatives to SMA and PC/ABS.

A new grade of Vectra LCP alloy for connectors, switches, and other electrical parts boasts chlorine content below 900 ppm and improved processability with no sacrifice in properties.

A new low-warp grade of liquid-crystal polymer is designed to provide the precise dimensional tolerances and easy flow needed to injection mold connectors with higher pin densities that enable increased bandwidth and higher data-transfer speeds.

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.

Ticona Engineering Polymers, Florence, Ky., has developed a low-chlorine version of Fortron PPS that meets eco-compliant demands for electrical and electronics components.

A new 26% long-glass acetal copolymer from Ticona Engineering Polymers, Florence, Ky., is aimed at structural automotive and appliance parts, as well as gears.

Ticona Engineering Polymers, Florence, Ky., has new non-halogenated flame-retardant Celanex PBT grades and others with metallic-effect appearance.

Several new acetal copolymers from Ticona Engineering Polymers, Florence, Ky., bring significant improvements in impact resistance, VOC emissions, and metallic appearance.

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.

The combination of an injection molding press and a twin-screw compounding extruder represents a new paradigm for processors: They create their own materials as they mold them.

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.

The last two months have seen several resin capacity announcements: BASF Corp., Engineering Plastics, Wyandotte, Mich., opened what it calls the world’s largest plant for nylon 6 in Freeport, Texas.

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.

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

A combination of microcellular foam molding and long-glass fibers offers new potential for injection molding to penetrate large structural automotive parts such as door-module carriers, brackets, and front-end systems.

A new liquid crystal polymer (LCP) offers a higher operating temperature and greater fl owability for connector and lead-free surface-mount applications.

What's said to be the first low-gloss black acetal copolymer for automotive exteriors has been developed by Ticona, Florence, Ky.

Long-glass reinforcements and structural blow molding accounted for four of this year’s nine SPE Automotive Innovation Awards, presented last month in Detroit.

Two new LCP/PPS alloys are said to combine the properties of both materials to meet the demands of complex electrical, electronic, and industrial components.

Plastic gears are growing larger, more precise, more complex in geometry, and more powerful. High-performance resins and long-fiber compounds are aiding this evolution.

Topas Advanced Polymers (TAP) is a new joint venture that has acquired the Topas cyclic-olefin copolymer (COC) business of Ticona.

The German parent of Ticona, Florence, Ky., has agreed to sell its Topas cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC) business to Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd. and Polyplastics Co., Ltd., both of Tokyo, Japan.

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.

For parts needing high heat and chemical resistance, thermoformers get a new way to compete with injection molding.

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

Thermoformers may find new opportunities in higher-performance applications with the arrival of thin-gauge PPS sheet from Penn Fibre Plastics (PFP). Highly crystalline PPS has until now resisted extrusion at less than 0.25-in. thickness due to its poor melt strength and the resulting sheet’s tendency toward brittleness.

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.

With speed at a premium, computers and other electronic devices are moving to higher frequencies.

Designing a thermoplastic compound to conduct an electrical charge is difficult and costly, since most polymers are naturally ill suited to the task.

Cyclic olefin copolymers, or COCs, are a new family of amorphous engineering thermoplastics with high clarity, moisture barrier, HDT, and chemical resistance.

NPE 2000 saw the debut of many new nylons, ranging from 6 and 66 types that are tougher, easier to process, and lower in density to a brand-new class of branched nylons with outstanding physical and rheological properties and a long-carbon-fiber grade that combines high electrical shielding with flame retardance.Also new at the show were extrusion-grade and reinforced PPS, new PPS alloys, and new sources of high-heat, reinforced polyphthalamide, PEEK, and syndiotactic polystyrene compounds.

Thermoplastic polymer-bonded magnets are exerting a stronger pull on designers of motors, valves, sensors, and other electronic devices used in cars, telecommunications devices, and large appliances. The attraction is strongest in applications demanding greater design freedom than is offered by conventional magnets sintered from 100% metal powder.

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.

Cyclic olefin homopolymers and copolymers are engineering thermoplastics derived from the ring-shaped norbornene molecule, which is made from dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and ethylene.