Sabic includes PVC innovations into wire production

(Plastics Today) -- A modified polyphenylene oxide (PPO) has been applied in wire harness insulation to create a product that's inherently flame retardant (FR) and free of environmentally harmful heavy metals. Nissei Eco Co. Ltd. codeveloped the insulation, called ECO-01, with Sabic Innovative Plastics (Pittsfield, MA), utilizing that company's Flexible Noryl material. Sabic IP has positioned Noryl as an alternative for OEMs looking to move away from wire-jacketing stalwart polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Selling points, according to Sabic IP, include the fact that Noryl is nonhalogenated, helping customers meet global environmental requirements that increasingly target that chemical. Sabic IP also reports that Noryl outperforms PVC in wear resistance. Using the JASO-D-608-92 abrasion test, Nissei Eco found that Noryl has higher abrasion resistance than vinyl. Sabic IP says Noryl's high-temperature performance, which satisfies UL105C, does not require additional secondary steps like cross linking through electron beam radiation, a process required for flame-retardant polyethylene (PE). Nissei Eco says that ECO-01 tubing for wire harnesses has already been specified by several Japanese home appliance manufacturers. The company is working to gain specifications for the product around the globe.

MRCMRC Reference

Sabic. The share in the Russian market in 2008:
PE - 0.2%;
PP - 0.4%;
PS - 0.2%.

Annual sales growth in Russia over the last 5 years:
PE - 33%;
PP - 62%.

(plastemart) -- Ineos was unconfirmed to have declared an ethylene force majeure and put its ethylene buyers on 80% allocation due to delays in restarting its Chocolate Bayou, cracker. Caused of the delay is unclear. Ineos initially took the steam cracker offline for a planned maintenance in early March.

As reported before (see mrcplast.com on May 11), force majeure for polystyrene was declared in Wingles, France, due to barge strike.

MRCMRC Reference

Ineos is a petrochemical group.
In Russia Ineos's interests are represented by Ineos Polyolefins and IneosChlorVinyls.

The share in the Russian market in 2008:
PVC - 4.5%;

polyethylene - 1.9%
(HDPE - 2.8%, LDPE - 1.2%);
polypropylene - 1.4%
(PP-random - 22.1%, PP-impact - 2.0%);
polystyrene - 0.9%.

Imports by polymers processing technologies:
profile extrusion;
pipe extrusion;
film extrusion;
injection molding.

KINGSPORT (Eastman) -- Eastman Chemical Company is increasing prices on the following products effective June 1: Eastman PET, Eastman AQUA PET, ParaStar PET, and Heatwave Polymer: Off-list price increase of $US 0.03/lb ($US 0.066/kg).

MRC

(plastemart) -- BP Plc plans to shut a 1.05 mln tpa ethylene plant for maintenance at its Gelsenkirchen chemicals site. Unconfirmed reports state that one of two cracking units will be halted for the work in September and October. The plant is integrated with BP's adjacent 266,000 bpd refinery that supplies feedstock.

MRC

(prw) -- This year's German-Brazilian Economic Meeting in Munich on 31 May and 1 June will focus particularly on major upcoming sporting events to be held in Brazil. Bayer MaterialScience will present ⌠innovative concepts based on plastic sheeting in its Makrolon material, addressing sports facility construction for the 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Thanks to their ⌠outstanding properties, says Bayer, solid and multiwall polycarbonate sheets support a wide range of potential applications in architecture and construction.

Excellent stability and elasticity are claimed, with high wind loadings withstood without complex substructures. Weighing just a few kilograms per square meter, says Bayer, polycarbonate panels are far lighter than comparable glass structures, but can still cope with extreme weather conditions such as hail and heavy rainstorms. The material is cited as easy to machine and handle, even on site.

Adding a UV absorber layer filters out harmful solar radiation, according to Bayer. At the same time, the highly transparent sheets allow the grass on sports fields to grow naturally. The panels comply with a range of international fire protection regulations.

According to Bayer, another key Makrolon application is noise barriers to prevent nuisance to local residents while meeting safety requirements. Polycarbonate barriers are intrinsically more visually appealing than conventional walls made of concrete and other non-transparent materials, says the company. Available in thicknesses up to 18 millimeters, Bayer cites the sheets as ⌠fulfilling all the usual statutory requirements without being a blight on the urban or natural landscape.

MRCMRC Reference

Bayer is an international chemical and pharmaceutical concern. Founded in 1863.

The share in the Russian market in 2008:
PS - 0.7% (ABS - 7.2%).

Annual sales growth in Russia over the last 5 years:
PS - (-10%).

Polymers processing technologies:
injection molding.