Compounding
Dow to Buy Rohm and Haas
Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Rohm and Haas of Philadelphia.
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Composites Embrace Mass Production
The focus this year at the international JEC Composites Show in Paris was not so much on brand-new processes as on adapting existing processes and materials for mass production, especially of large parts with critical structural demands. Attracting the most attention was wind energy, where composite material usage is growing more than 17%/yr, according to Gurit (formerly SP Systems), a Swiss-based global prepreg supplier with U.S. operations.
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Enhancing Biopolymers: Additives Are Needed for Toughness, Heat Resistance & Processability
Plastics are going “green,” but they will need some help to get there. Biodegradable polymers derived from renewable resources are attracting lots of interest and publicity, but that enthusiasm is counterbalanced by persistent questions of availability, cost, performance, and processability. All these issues are inter-related: Increasing demand will lead to more capacity, which will presumably lead to lower prices. But the foundation is market demand, which ultimately depends on whether biopolymers will have the performance properties and processability to compete with existing non-renewable plastics.
Read MoreClariant and Bayer Partners In Nanotube Compounds
To take advantage of the electrical conductivity and mechanical strength afforded by carbon nanotubes (CNT), Bayer MaterialScience AG in Germany (U.S. office in Pittsburgh) and Clariant Masterbatches (U.S. office in Winchester, Va.) signed a long-term cooperation agreement for development, production, and sales of CNT/thermoplastic compounds and masterbatches.
Read MoreBaerlocher Gets Chemtura’s OBS Stabilizers for Rigids
Germany’s Baerlocher (U.S. headquarters in Dover, Ohio) has acquired the proprietary organic-based heat stabilizer (OBS) business of Chemtura Corp., Middlebury, Conn., for rigid PVC applications.
Read MorePolyOne Makes New Moves
A new compounding alliance, expansion in liquid colors, and two new business units are the latest headlines from PolyOne Corp., Cleveland.
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Disk Pump Helps Compound Long-Fiber Thermoplastics
Already a familiar sight on European store shelves, the eye-catching appeal of "IML" is gaining traction among North American injection molders. The latest tooling and automation designs can handle the higher volumes needed here.
Read MoreCustom Compounds Of Carbon Nanotubes
WEB EXCLUSIVE A Japanese maker of injection molding presses has started a material compounding service to provide a range of thermoplastics enhanced with carbon nanotubes.
Read MoreActivator Improves Processing of Azo Exothermic Blowing Agents
WEB EXCLUSIVE A new activator/kicker is said to be the most effective of its kind for reducing the decomposition temperature of azodicarbonamide exothermic blowing agents.
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TIME TO LEARN ABOUT Dynamic Optimization of Extruder Barrel Temperatures
Determining the optimum barrel-temperature profile is one of the most important tasks in extrusion.
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