Polyplastics to Highlight Expanded Product Portfolio at K 2022

At the upcoming K 2022, engineering thermoplastics manufacturer Polyplastics Group will showcase the latest developments in it Duracon POM, Topas COC, and Laperos LCP product lines and will address the demanding end-use requirements in the medical, electrical/electronics, and automotive industries. With full acquisition by Daicel in 2020, Polyplastics has expanded its options for growth and geographical market coverage. It has expanded LCP sales to EMEA and the Americas while making timely investments in capacity to better respond to market growth. Among the materials to be highlighted are three introductions made this year, as previously reported:

 ▪  Duracon Polyacetal: The newly expanded Duracon POM PM series was developed for drug contact and delivery applications, and complements the company’s Topas COC (cyclic olefin copolymer) product—a high-purity material for a range of medical applications.

The newest Duracon PM line offering is high-flow grade PM27S01N, which reportedly offers reduced wall thickness, miniaturization, and lower weight for various medical devices that are becoming increasingly complicated and highly functional. The PM series also includes Duracon PM09S01N, a standard viscosity grade.

 ▪  Plastron LFT-PP: This long-fiber-reinforced-thermoplastic (LFT) made with specially formulated regenerated cellulose fibers reportedly provides weight reduction plus mechanical strength, enabling manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint and meet today’s sustainability demands. Cellulose is a promising material to help reduce CO₂ emissions but its insufficient strength is a limiting factor. Polyplastics has addressed this problem by using regenerated cellulose in the development of LFT resins with an excellent balance of physical properties.

A comparison of long-fiber cellulose-reinforced PP resin versus long-fiber glass-reinforced PP resin at the same flexural modulus shows that cellulose-reinforced resin has lower density than glass-filled resin. While long-fiber cellulose-reinforced PP resin has a flexural modulus roughly 3% higher than that of 30% long-glass reinforced PP resin, it exhibits higher values for Charpy impact strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength, thus indicating potential for upgraded strength.

 ▪  Durast 3D powders: This new series of engineering plastic fine powders are compatible with a broad range of manufacturing methods. The company has expanded its lineup with Durast Powders which go beyond traditional injection molding and extrusion and are targeted for low-volume production of complex parts utilizing sinter forming, compression molding, and 3D printing. Durast Powders made of POM, PPS, PBT, and LCP reportedly have a unique spherical shape and are controlled for fine, narrow particle size distribution (10 μm-200 μm). Engineering plastics in powder form permit the use of manufacturing methods that were previously impossible with pellet shapes, making it possible to impart the strengths of engineering plastics and additional performance attributes

Polyplastics will also highlight its expanded global supply capability which includes planned construction of a new polyacetal manufacturing plant in Nantong Economic Development Zone, Jiangsu Province, China. The production capacity is planned to be 330.7 million lbs in total in two stages. The new capacity will satisfy growing demand for POM, improve lead times, and reduce transportation costs. The initial start-up of 198.4 millon lbs is expected in November 2024.

Buoyed by strong growth in electrical/electronics, Polyplastics’s LCP business plans to construct a new polymerization plant with production capacity of 10 million lb/yr at Polyplastics Taiwan Co., Ltd. It is expected that LCP applications will continue to expand with the full-scale adoption of 5G and millimeter-wave devices.

Polyplastics will also highlight the strong growth for COC (particularly for use in medical devices) which will be supported by construction of a new production facility in Leuna, Germany. The new plant, to be operated by local Polyplastics subsidiary Topas Advanced Polymers GmbH, will have a capacity of 44 million lb/yr, adding significant room for growth beyond the current output. The facility will be operational by latter half of 2024.