Zeon expands production capacities

Zeon Corporation, a speciality polymer company headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, announced that it will further boost its production capacities.

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Zeon will extend production for its retardation film Zeonor Film for LCD TVs at its optical film plant in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. “The facility will build a sixth production line, which follows the completion of the fifth line that began mass production in February of this year,” said Hubert Thimm, Commercial Director of the Zeon Europe GmbH. “Once the sixth line becomes operational in January 2017, the plant’s total retardation film production capacity will increase by 24 million m² to a total of 119 million m² per year.”

Retardation film is the key component of LCDs that enables a wide viewing angle (the anterior angle of the area in which images on a display appear normal) and contrast optimisation, both of which are essential for LCD TV image quality. According to the manufacturer, the demand for Zeonor Film is increasing due to the good optical properties it possesses: high transparency, low birefringence, low wavelength dispersion, low photoelasticity, and very good dimensional stability owing to low water absorbency and heat resistance.

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In addition, Zeon has started expanding the production capacity at the Mizushima Plant for Zeonex and Zeonor Cyclo Olefin Polymers (COP), a high-transparency thermoplastic resin, from 31,000 t/y to 37,000 t/y. Major applications are in markets such as printers, LCD televisions, smartphones, digital cameras, and primary pharmaceutical packaging. The expansion in production capacity is scheduled to be completed in April 2016. Zeonex and Zeonor are fully amorphous and highly transparent thermoplastic resins. The balance of good water barrier properties in combination with high purity, good chemical resistance, high transparency and no interaction with drugs place these COPs as a good alternative to glass or other plastic solutions for vials, syringes and other customer-designed drug containers. Due to the non-polar, hydrophobic and non-reactive nature of the surface, there will be no interaction with the pharmaceutical drugs inside the prefilled container, says the company. Zeonex and Zeonor can be sterilised using steam autoclave, electron beam, gamma radiation and ethylene-oxide gas. Other handling benefits of COPs versus glass include their low specific weight and good shatter resistance. A recent development is the introduction of multilayer vials to market. These constructions combine the excellent water barrier of the COPs with high oxygen barrier and additional mechanical strength from other polymers like polyamides. Another major benefit of plastic containers versus glass containers is the freedom of design.