MATERIALS: PC/PET "Stars" In First Electrical Application

What is said to be the first electrical application for a PC/PET blend, at least in Europe, now makes up the glossy, high-impact housing of the power distribution units used in industrial and food-processing areas  manufactured by a leading German electrical plug and socket provider.

             The manufacturer reached out to Styron, Berwyn, Penn., through that company’s European distributor Resinex after having ongoing issues during the production its power distribution units. Originally, the molds were developed for PC, but the specific PC used fell short in terms of chemical resistance. This resulted in the manufacturer switching to a PC/PBT for improved stress-cracking resistance. However, this material presented dimensional stability issues—due to PC/PBT’s higher shrinkage, the final dimensions of the box were different, causing the blockage of the locking mechanism inside the box.

            Styron’s Emerge PC/PET 9500 CR, a blend initially developed for use in the medical industry for applications that require enhanced chemical resistance to aggressive disinfectant agents, proved to be the solution: a material that behaves like a standard PC in terms of shrinkage, suitable for their molds, and offers enhanced chemical resistance, high toughness, nicer surface-finishing and ignition resistance.  (888) 789-7661 • styron.com

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