Trelleborg announced that its business area Trelleborg Sealing Solutions will invest a total of approximately SEK 120 million (~ EUR 12.6 million) during 2017 – 2020 in a new production facility for sealing solutions in Denmark. The production at the current manufacturing facility in Helsingør will be relocated to the nearby new facility, said the company. It is estimated that production will be able to commence in the new facility at the beginning of 2020.

BASF SE announced that it plans to establish the new group company BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH as of 1 September 2017. This wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF New Business GmbH will be headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, at the site of InnovationLab GmbH. It will focus on establishing and expanding the business with materials, system solutions, components and services in the field of 3D printing. The company will work closely with researchers and application engineers from BASF and external partners, such as universities and potential customers, in order to develop the right solutions for a wide array of requirements, said BASF.

The Lubrizol Corporation's Engineered Polymers business announced the launch of the new Pearlbond 1160L thermoplastic polyurethane grade for adhesive powders, webs and films. The product complements the company's current high-crystalline offering for adhesive films and PVC co-extrusion.

DuPont and The Dow Chemical Company announced that all required regulatory approvals and clearances have been received, that all conditions to closing of their merger of equals have been satisfied, and that their merger of equals will close after the market closes on 31 August 2017.

An new material development has been announced by Kraiburg TPE –  a new TPE series with outstanding adhesion to EPDM. The company will present this new series at the upcoming Fakuma in Friedrichshafen.

Clariant and Huntsman Corporation have presented a first update on the planned merger of equals to keep their shareholders informed. According to the companies, the preparations to create HuntsmanClariant, a leading global specialty chemicals company, are showing continued strong progress and are proceeding as planned with an unchanged closing targeted for December 2017 / January 2018.

The gentle touch mixing and processing technology from Lindor Products uses a rotating vessel to enable gravity to gently mix powders and granulates and to expose these to other applications like heat treatment and soaking in liquid agents. Amongst others, an Italian producer of thermoplastic polyurethanes and polyesters uses the gentle touch technology to homogenise the pellets and to add a liquid crosslinking agent. Product integrity and pure processing without product degradation lead to important performance improvements of the polymers.

Reverdia’s Biosuccinium has been used in the production of bio-based materials for Vaude’s new Skarvan range. As part of the redesigned Summer 2018 Shoe Collection, they offer consumers a sustainable choice of trekking shoes and were unveiled at the OutDoor 2017 show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Shandong Linglong Tire, a Chinese manufacturer of automotive tyres, has collaborated with the Beijing University of Chemical Technology to develop 3D-printed tyres made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Recently, the partners announced that they have successfully produced and tested a prototype of the TPU tyre.

According to APS Elastomers, top-rated pneumatic hoses and brake tubes can be easily produced using its new thermoplastic polyurethane Zythane 7045D, which is said to add abrasion/tear/cut/puncture resistance, high burst pressure, high elasticity and coil retention, long-term flexibility, oil/fuel/microbial resistance, low-temperature flexibility and hydrolytic stability.