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SMA concentrates from Cray Valley improve processing and performance of polyamides
MATERIALS
MATERIALS SMA concentrates from Cray Valley improve processing and performance of polyamides
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esin producer Cray Valley USA LLC of Exton, PA, has developed a new range of formulated styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) concentrates that are optimized to improve polyamide performance, it says. According to the Total chemicals company, the SMA® 9000 series pellet masterbatches are designed to improve the melt strength of post-consumer, post-industrial and virgin polyamides, and are ideal for extrusion and compounding. Beyond chain extension, SMA 9000 series concentrates serve as compatibilizers for blends or dispersants for contaminants, Cray Valley says. In addition, the masterbatches are claimed to improve the mechanical performance of the end product. SMA 9001 was developed to modify virgin and ‘clean’ recycle polyamide streams and impart melt strength or compatibility in polymer blend formulations. SMA 9002, in contrast, modifies and compatibilizes ‘dirty’ recycle streams by repairing damage and restoring the melt strength of polyamides contaminated with more than 10% polypropylene, calcium carbonate or other materials, Cray Valley reports. Use of SMA 9002 therefore allows processors to incorporate a higher proportion of recycled material to reduce virgin resin consumption without compromising the properties of their end product, the company says. Advances in recycling technology have made recycled polyamide streams more abundant, be it used carpeting or automotive scrap, but producers still face significant challenges working with degraded, contaminated materials to produce materials that can compete against virgin polymers, explains Jeremy Austin, business development manager for Cray Valley Hydrocarbon Specialty Chemicals. ‘SMA 9000 concentrates increase the performance of recycled polyamide, freeing manufacturers to use more recycled content. That reduces their material costs and it’s good for the environment’, Austin says. According to Cray Valley, manufacturers will find the pellet form easier to handle than conventional powders. It also ensures that SMA 9000 masterbatches mix uni-
2
Additives for Polymers
formly with the resin and disperse homogenously in the extrusion process, it says. The product is available in pallet quantities of 50-lb bags or gaylord bulk boxes. The SMA 9000 series concentrates were scheduled to make their North American and Asian debuts in April at the 2012 National Plastics Exposition and Chinaplas 2012 trade fair, respectively. Contact: Cray Valley Hydrocarbon Specialty Chemicals, 468 Thomas Jones Way, Suite 100, Exton, PA 19341, USA. Web: www.CrayValley.com or www.cvpolymeradditives.com
Clariant launches high-efficiency halogen-free flame retardants for transport and construction
S
wiss speciality chemicals firm Clariant used the recent JEC Europe Composites Show in Paris to unveil its two new Exolit® EP nonhalogenated flame retardants – Exolit EP 150 and EP 200 – to the transport and construction sectors. Designed for use with epoxy resins, the new products are described by the company as ‘a novel, sustainable solution to achieving high fire safety levels’ in these applications. Exolit EP 150 and EP 200 are reactive phosphorusbased flame retardants that are reported to provide highly-effective fire protection at low dosage levels for epoxy thermosets and laminates. They are currently available as laboratory product samples, and are said to create ‘exciting potential’ for parts manufacturers in these sectors to improve their efficiency and transition towards nonhalogenated flame retardants. The new Exolit EP grades have ‘unmatched high phosphorus contents’ of 25% and 29% respectively, which means that only a low dosage of flame retardant is required to reach the desired protection effect, Clariant says. The new grades were initially pitched to the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector last November [ADPO, January 2012], and the company reports that their performance in this application area is ‘proven’, with UL 94 V0 fire ratings achievable at a loading of only ca. 50% compared to that needed with ‘conventional’ flame retardants, it says. Exolit EP 150 and EP 200 do not migrate out of the resin material; instead they bind with the polymer and
May 2012
MATERIALS SMA concentrates from Cray Valley improve processing and performance of polyamides
R
esin producer Cray Valley USA LLC of Exton, PA, has developed a new range of formulated styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) concentrates that are optimized to improve polyamide performance, it says. According to the Total chemicals company, the SMA® 9000 series pellet masterbatches are designed to improve the melt strength of post-consumer, post-industrial and virgin polyamides, and are ideal for extrusion and compounding. Beyond chain extension, SMA 9000 series concentrates serve as compatibilizers for blends or dispersants for contaminants, Cray Valley says. In addition, the masterbatches are claimed to improve the mechanical performance of the end product. SMA 9001 was developed to modify virgin and ‘clean’ recycle polyamide streams and impart melt strength or compatibility in polymer blend formulations. SMA 9002, in contrast, modifies and compatibilizes ‘dirty’ recycle streams by repairing damage and restoring the melt strength of polyamides contaminated with more than 10% polypropylene, calcium carbonate or other materials, Cray Valley reports. Use of SMA 9002 therefore allows processors to incorporate a higher proportion of recycled material to reduce virgin resin consumption without compromising the properties of their end product, the company says. Advances in recycling technology have made recycled polyamide streams more abundant, be it used carpeting or automotive scrap, but producers still face significant challenges working with degraded, contaminated materials to produce materials that can compete against virgin polymers, explains Jeremy Austin, business development manager for Cray Valley Hydrocarbon Specialty Chemicals. ‘SMA 9000 concentrates increase the performance of recycled polyamide, freeing manufacturers to use more recycled content. That reduces their material costs and it’s good for the environment’, Austin says. According to Cray Valley, manufacturers will find the pellet form easier to handle than conventional powders. It also ensures that SMA 9000 masterbatches mix uni-
2
Additives for Polymers
formly with the resin and disperse homogenously in the extrusion process, it says. The product is available in pallet quantities of 50-lb bags or gaylord bulk boxes. The SMA 9000 series concentrates were scheduled to make their North American and Asian debuts in April at the 2012 National Plastics Exposition and Chinaplas 2012 trade fair, respectively. Contact: Cray Valley Hydrocarbon Specialty Chemicals, 468 Thomas Jones Way, Suite 100, Exton, PA 19341, USA. Web: www.CrayValley.com or www.cvpolymeradditives.com
Clariant launches high-efficiency halogen-free flame retardants for transport and construction
S
wiss speciality chemicals firm Clariant used the recent JEC Europe Composites Show in Paris to unveil its two new Exolit® EP nonhalogenated flame retardants – Exolit EP 150 and EP 200 – to the transport and construction sectors. Designed for use with epoxy resins, the new products are described by the company as ‘a novel, sustainable solution to achieving high fire safety levels’ in these applications. Exolit EP 150 and EP 200 are reactive phosphorusbased flame retardants that are reported to provide highly-effective fire protection at low dosage levels for epoxy thermosets and laminates. They are currently available as laboratory product samples, and are said to create ‘exciting potential’ for parts manufacturers in these sectors to improve their efficiency and transition towards nonhalogenated flame retardants. The new Exolit EP grades have ‘unmatched high phosphorus contents’ of 25% and 29% respectively, which means that only a low dosage of flame retardant is required to reach the desired protection effect, Clariant says. The new grades were initially pitched to the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector last November [ADPO, January 2012], and the company reports that their performance in this application area is ‘proven’, with UL 94 V0 fire ratings achievable at a loading of only ca. 50% compared to that needed with ‘conventional’ flame retardants, it says. Exolit EP 150 and EP 200 do not migrate out of the resin material; instead they bind with the polymer and
May 2012