New thermoplastic polyurethanes for laser sintering

(Plastech) -- Bayer MaterialScience and Solid Composites GmbH are partnering to develop thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powders for selective laser sintering.

This innovative method for fabricating three-dimensional structures is based on the use of a laser beam to sinter powdered starting materials. The start-up company based in Voerde, on the Lower Rhine, will be awarded a brand license to market the new high-tech materials under the name Desmosint.

This opens the door to numerous potential applications, for instance in the automotive industry, in sports goods, robotics or aerospace engineering. Solid Composites is a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT).

Selective laser sintering is becoming a firmly established digital manufacturing method in the additive manufacturing of plastic parts. A part is made from a thermoplastic powder based on the part’s structural design data. Guided by CAD software, a laser fuses successive layers of a powder bed at selected points where the part is to emerge. In other words, the part “grows” layer by layer.

“The method eliminates the use of molds, and that cuts costs considerably. Furthermore, in contrast to injection molding, even parts having complex geometries with cavities and undercuts can be rendered,” explains Marcus Rechberger, general manager of Solid Composites.
MRC

(Reuters) - Belgian PVC window frame maker Deceuninck on Thursday posted an increase in second-quarter sales, aided by strong demand in Russia, Turkey and the United States.

In the United States, where sales increased 15.5 percent at constant exchange rates, Deceuninck said it saw solid demand from the renovation market, while new construction was still at historic lows.

Sales for the second quarter came in at 156.3 million euros (USD191.46 million) a 2.6 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The group, which has not yet given a full outlook for 2012, said that the economic environment remained challenging for its European markets.

Deceuninck said that while the costs of PVC resin hit a high in April, costs eased towards the end of the second quarter.

The group will publish profit figures for the first half on August 23.
MRC

(equities) -- Petrofac has secured an EPC contract for Saudi Arabia s Rabigh II petrochemicals expansion project. The contract is worth USD500 million.

The contract was awarded by a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Japan s Sumitomo Chemical, Petro Rabigh.
Petrofac will have to build two units under a utilities and offsites contract.

Recently, Korean EPC firm GS Engineering and Construction had announced EPC contract at Petro Rabigh for the package worth around a USD1.78 billion. It comprises of the production of ethylene-vinylacetate and low-density polyethylene, ethylene propylene and other materials.
MRC

(basf) -- BASF has been named the world’s most transparent chemical company, in a new global ranking by non-governmental organization Transparency International. BASF was also the top rated German-headquartered company of any industry.

Transparency in Corporate Reporting scored 105 of the top publicly-traded companies based on their public commitment to transparency. Company scores were based on public availability of information about anti-corruption systems, transparency in reporting on how they structure themselves, and the amount of financial information they provide for each country they operate in.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about EUR73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year.
MRC

(cen.acs) -- Evonik Industries has picked Singapore as the location of a new plant for nylon 12, a specialty polymer used to make automotive brake and fuel lines. The company announced the decision as it attempts to recover from a plant explosion that has severely limited supplies of the polymer.

The Singapore plant will have 20,000 metric tons of annual capacity and should be completed in 2014, Evonik says. The company currently makes nylon 12 in Marl, Germany.

Nylon 12 supply was already tight on March 31 when an explosion occurred at an Evonik plant in Marl that makes cyclododecatriene (CDT), a critical precursor for nylon 12. Two workers were killed in the explosion. The plant supplies both Evonik and Evonik’s main rival in nylon 12, Arkema.

Weeks after the accident, automakers and their parts suppliers convened an emergency meeting near Detroit over a looming nylon 12 shortage (C&EN, April 23, page 6). There, Evonik and Arkema offered customers substitute nylons. That same month, the auto industry drafted guidelines for the fast-track approval of nylon 12 replacements in applications such as connectors and multilayer tubing.

Evonik says the CDT plant should be repaired in the fourth quarter, enabling nylon 12 supplies to return to normal soon thereafter.
MRC