Dow Gears Up for 3Q Launch of Infuse OBC

Dow Chemical, Midland, Mich., is gearing up for fullscale manufacturing of its new Infuse OBCs (thermoplastic olefi n block copolymers) at Freeport, Texas, in the third quarter. The company recently completed its fi rst large-scale developmental trial run of these novel TPEs, fi rst unveiled last June at NPE 2006. The new production facility can also produce Affi nity olefi n plastomers and Engage olefi n elastomers. Lauded as a breakthrough in olefi nic elastomers due to their unique block structure, Infuse OBCs consist of linear MDPE hard blocks and Engage-type ethylene-octene soft segments. They are said to deliver novel combinations of properties and processability at a use cost competitive with TPVs. TPUs, and styrenic block copolymers. Infuse OBCs are also said to offer performance advantages over EVA and fl exible PVC. Tel: (800) 4414369 •www.dow.com/infuse