At MD&M West Conference and Exposition, held from 5 – 7 February 2019 in Anaheim, CA, USA, Covestro presented its portfolio of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), TPU films, polyurethane-based adhesives and foams, and polycarbonate resins, blends and films, designed for the healthcare industry.

At two major recent trade fairs for the medical industry - MD&M West in Anaheim, CA, USA, and Pharmapack EU in Paris; Trinseo highlighted its portfolio of thermoplastic elastomers for medical devices.

Huntsman’s Polyurethanes division has commercially registered the new legal entity Huntsman (Chile) SpA, based in Santiago de Chile. Huntsman now has South American polyurethanes operations in Cartagena and Bogota, Colombia, in Santiago, Chile, in São Paulo and Taboão da Serra, Brazil, and in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With the recent acquisition of Demilec Inc., the company now has a total of 17 polyurethanes locations in the Americas region.  

Huntsman has announced new strategic machinery purchases ahead of SIMAC 2019. The company revealed that it has completed a series of equipment investments to boost the research and development services it offers to footwear producers and their manufacturing partners, worldwide.

Askoll is one of Italy’s leading manufacturers of electric two-wheelers. The company has specified the use of Thermolast K from Kraiburg TPE for two precision gasketing applications on the new battery boxes of a growing range of power-assisted bikes and electro-scooters. The company based in Dueville near Vicenza is using the TPE material for an anti-rattle overmoulding of the battery connector and for water-tight sealing of the battery box. Key requirements to be met included a direct adhesion to glass-filled PBT on small contact surfaces.

Ineos Styrolution has introduced a new Styroflex grade for medical applications. The company said that the new grade provides an attractive mix of properties making it ideal for various medical tubing applications – ranging from use in traditional IV sets to more complex multi-layer tubing structures. Key material properties include good bonding performance, good kink resistance and clarity, and the ability to be processed on standard tubing extrusion equipment at superior processing rates when compared to other materials. This combination of properties makes Styroflex 4G80 an attractive option for tubing applications that historically have been developed with different polymers, Ineos said.

APS Elastomers, a TPE supplier serving markets in North America, has appointed SAW Thermoplastics as its exclusive distributor for the West Coast. Scot Wiesemann, owner of SAW Thermoplastics, will provide commercial and technical support to companies located in California, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Utah.

In order to regulate the quality of raw materials for sealing applications, there are two important certifications which are valid worldwide but especially in Europe: CSTB and RAL. Over time, CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment) has become the most important certification required by customers.

David Baker, RPC Group Industry Affairs Director, is new Chairman of the Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform (PCEP). He succeeds Eugenio Longo, Borealis Head of Sustainability and EU Affairs, who had been the Chairman of PCEP since its inception.

Smithers Rapra has published a brochure on latest automotive industry trends. It focusses on key trends and challenges facing the automotive industry today, and how testing will change as the market evolves. It looks at the core trends in the automotive industry, including: