PP and HDPE in powder form

Solvay Polymers offers selected grades of Fortilene polypropylene and Fortiflex high-density polyethylene in powder form. The spherical morphology and particle size distribution of these powders are a result of proprietary catalyst manufacturing technology, which results in free flowing powders with virtually no fines.

These properties allow for easy handling characteristics and excellent mixing behavior.

Solvay Polymers Inc. 713-525-4000

Thinwall automotive cabling meets 3000-hour target

Equistar Chemicals has developed an automotive wire insulation compound, Petrothene XLWC047, which it claims is the first product to meet the requirements of SAE J1678 “Low-voltage ultrathin wall primary cable” for 3000-hour heat ageing at 125 C. The rating for most underhood wiring has been 125 C for many years, but it pertained to 16-mil insulation thickness, rather than the 10-mil insulation that is now finding greater use.

Working with automotive wiring producers, Equistar formulated and tested numerous thermal stabilization packages. The end result is XLWC047 which can meet and exceed the new SAE specification. The new compound has virtually identical processing characteristics to Equistar’s standard Petrothene crosslinked wire insulation products.

Equistar Chemicals LP 713-652-7300

Electrically conductive PPS offers uniform dissipation

Ticona has introduced six electrically conductive grades of Fortron polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) with highly consistent volume resistivities for electronic applications where electrostatic dissipation is important.

Four of the grades are moderately conductive with volume resistivities of 106 to 1010 ohm/square. The variability of volume resistivity in the resin is much less than can be achieved with standard fillers used to control ESD, such as stainless steel, carbon black or carbon fibre.

The new grades are compounded with novel carbon-based materials using proprietary technology. The conductive fillers are uniformly blended to ensure resistivity is evenly distributed on part surfaces and that volume resistivity is comparable in the central and skin layers.

Ticona 908-598-4209

High-flow PC for DVD replication

GE Plastics’ Lexan OQ1050 polycarbonate resin is now available with high-flow characteristics to meet the needs of replicators who want to improve DVD quality and replication efficiency. The material is suitable for high-density recordable formats such as DVD-RW and DVDRAM.

Lexan OQ1050 is produced in Cartegena, Spain, using a continuous melt process that results in high clarity, melt flow consistency and purity.

GE Plastics 800-437-5278