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January 2013: Connecting With Coupling Agents Latest Developments in Pelletizers Bubbling Up: New Foam Formulations
January 2013: Connecting With Coupling Agents Latest Developments in Pelletizers Bubbling Up: New Foam Formulations
96 EV-10C
www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 5
news
PolyOne has acquired
Glasforms, a manufacturer
of glass and carbon bre
reinforced polymers and
advanced composite
products. It paid US$34
million for the company
which had revenues in
excess of US$50 million in
scal year 2012.
The purchase marks
PolyOnes entry into the
advanced composites
market. Glasforms
manufactures standard and
custom proles, tubes and
panels using pultrusion,
lament winding and
continuous resin transfer
moulding processes.
Its products are used in
demanding applications in
the electrical, energy,
transportation, healthcare,
and defence markets.
Our acquisition of
Glasforms marks yet anoth-
er important milestone in
PolyOnes transformation,
as we further broaden our
specialty solutions portfolio
to include these new and
adjacent technologies and
applications, said Stephen
Newlin, chairman, presi-
dent and CEO of PolyOne.
Glasforms will continue
to operate from its Birming-
ham, Alabama site. The
company employs approxi-
mately 300 people, and its
founder and president,
Peter Pfaff, will continue in
his leadership role along
with other members of the
management team.
www.polyone.com
PolyOne
moves into
composites
Global masterbatch supplier
Americhem has acquired
Innity Compounding, a
producer of lled and rein-
forced engineering thermo-
plastics based in Swedesboro,
New Jersey, USA. The deal
was completed on 28 Decem-
ber 2012.
The acquisition expands
Americhems activities, adding
technical compounding to its
core business of colour and
additive masterbatch manu-
facturing.
Rick Juve, CEO of Ameri-
chem, said: This move
broadens the technology base,
opens new markets and
expands geographical reach
for both organisations.
Carlos Carreno, president
of Innity Compounding,
added: As part of the
Americhem Group, Innity
Compounding will be able to
offer new products and
technologies to our customers
including best-in-class colour
capabilities. We are also
excited about Americhems
global manufacturing and
marketing reach, in particular
China, which is already a grow-
ing market for Innity.
Innity will continue to
operate independently with its
existing management team.
The company serves the
medical, electrical/electronics,
business machine, disk drive,
industrial, aerospace and
military sectors.
It operates ve compound-
ing lines at its Swedesboro
plant with a total capacity of
around 2,200 tonnes/year.
Americhem acquires
Innity Compounding
Carreno told Compounding
World that the company plans
to add another compounding
line in the third quarter of
2013, bringing an additional
600 tons of annual capacity.
Innitys product ranges
includes: Instruc structurally
reinforced compounds, Inlube
internally lubricated com-
pounds, Inelec electrically
conductive resins, and Incolor
pre-coloured resins.
Americhem is a privately
owned company with master-
batch plants in the US, the UK
and China. Its sales and produc-
tion in 2010 were estimated at
US$190 million and 30,000
tonnes. The companys main
markets are automotive,
building products, bres, PET
bottles and general moulding.
www.americhem.com
www.innitycompounding.com
UK masterbatch maker Wells
Plastics has received a
E1.8 million follow-on
investment from private equity
house Key Capital Partners
and its current shareholders.
Wells plans to use the funding
to invest in new machinery to
Wells Plastics plans expansion
increase its production
capacity by around 25%.
It says that one of the
drivers for its growth is
increasing demand for its
Reverte oxo-degradable
additive masterbatches which
have experienced a 20% rise in
sales over the past 12 months.
Key Capital made its initial
investment in Wells in
February 2011. The master-
batch maker employs more
than 40 people and has a
turnover of E12 million.
www.wellsplastics.com
Americhem is diversifying into technical
compounds with the acquisition of Innity
Ininity Compoundings
Carreno is excited about
Americhems global reach
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com 6
news
Invista buys Dutch compounder
Burmeister. We continue to
see opportunities to leverage
contractors capacities,
locations and competencies
while simultaneously extend-
ing our reach through this
acquisition.
The Born plant has
approximately 30 employees
and they will all transfer to
Invista. The facility has been
compounding and recycling PA
for around 20 years. It was
operated by VSL SiloLogistics,
which is primarily focused on
logistics services for the
chemical and food industries.
www.invista.com
Polyamide 66 producer Invista
has acquired VSL SiloLogistics
compounding and recycling
operation located at Born in
Sittard-Geleen, the Nether-
lands. The deal was completed
on 21 December 2012.
Invista will use the plant to
produce its engineering
polymer brands, including its
Torzen PA 66 resin. It plans to
mainly manufacture prime-
based compounds at the Born
site, but the facility also has
the capacity and capability to
produce high-quality recycled
products.
Kurt Burmeister, executive
vice president at Invista
Engineering Polymers said:
Europe is a critical region for
automotive manufacturers and
other global decision-makers
within the industry. The Born
sites expertise, location,
employee values, and position
as a trusted compounder
made them the right t for our
company.
Invista, which claims to be
the worlds leading producer of
PA 66, was acquired by Koch
Industries from DuPont in 2004
and it re-entered the engineer-
ing plastics market in 2009
following the expiry of a
US-based extruder
manufacturer NFM has
appointed Jan van Bak-
ergem as global managing
director for compounding
systems. He took up his
new role on 7 January.
Van Bakergem was
previously global industry
director petrochem at Mac
Process, and he was CEO
and president of Coperions
North American operations
from 2003 to 2009.
NFM reports strong
sales growth for its TEM
compounding systems
primarily in the US
market. It now plans to
increase its market share
through global sales and it
has been increasing its
manufacturing capacity.
www.nfm.net
NFM picks
Jan van
Bakergem
Epsan increases compounding
capacity with Coperion line
Epsan Plastic has added a new
twin-screw extruder at its
plant in Bursa, northwestern
Turkey. It increases its total
polyamide compounding
capacity from 15,000 to 22,000
tonnes/year.
The new line is based on a
Coperion ZSK 58 Mc
18
twin-
screw extruder, taking Epsans
total number of Coperion
machines to ve. In addition to
its plant in Bursa, the indepen-
dent polyamide compounder
also operates a separate
production facility in the
nearby town of Gemlik.
Epsan distributes its PA 6
and PA 66 compounds under
the Eplamid, Eplon and Epimix
brandnames to customers in
Europe and North America.
The companys global sales
director, Arda Efe said: The
capacity increase will help
produces a range of formula-
tions including ame retar-
dant, reinforced, stabilized and
coloured grades.
The main target markets
for Epsan include the automo-
tive and the electrical and
electronic sectors.
www.epsan.com.tr
ve-year non-competing
clause in the acquisition
contract. In 2011 it announced
that it was planning to add its
own compounding capacity
either through acquisitions or
investing in new plants.
The company uses a
network of toll compounders
to supply PA 66 grades and it
says that it will continue to use
these companies alongside its
newly acquired in-house
production.
Our business model now
includes internal compounding
production as well as contract
manufacturers, explained
Epsan to focus more on fast
growing Asian markets as well
as strengthen our position in
existing ones.
Established as a plastics
trading rm in 1978, Epsan
began PA compounding in
1998. It now employs around
100 people worldwide and
Epsan has added a new Coperion compounding line at its Bursa
plant in Turkey
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com 8
news
ECHA considers cadmium ban
Further restrictions apply to
the use of cadmium as a
stabilizer in PVC compounds
used in a range of applications
including: packaging materials;
ofce and school supplies;
furniture ttings; apparel and
clothing accessories; oor and
wall coverings; textile fabrics;
imitation leather; gramophone
records; tubes, pipes and their
ttings; swing doors; road
vehicle components; steel sheet
coating; and wiring insulation.
For any colorant and
stabilization applications which
escape the above limitations,
there is still a limit of 0.1%
cadmium metal by weight in
nished plastics articles. The
The European
Commission has
asked the European
Chemicals Agency
(ECHA) to examine
the case for expand-
ing REACH restric-
tions on cadmium to
cover all plastics
materials. Annex XVII
of the chemicals
legislation currently list
16 specic plastics materials
where cadmium is restricted.
The ECHA is asking for
evidence to help identify the
impact of this potential
expansion. Comments from
interested parties need to be
submitted by 11 February 2013
using an online question-
naire which can be accessed at
http://bit.ly/ECHACd.
The 16 resins covered by
existing restrictions on the use
of cadmium as a colorant
include PVC, PUR, LDPE, PET,
PS, PP and XLPE. However,
there is an exemption for
LDPE masterbatch.
Clariant is selling off three
of its non-core businesses
to the US private invest-
ment rm SK Capital for a
total of CHF502 million
(E405 million).
The deal includes
Clariants Textile Chemi-
cals, Paper Specialities and
Emulsions businesses. It is
expected to be completed
by the end of the second
quarter of 2013.
The company announced
in early 2012 that it was
considering options for
these business lines. It is
still carrying out the review
process for Leather
Services and Detergents &
Intermediates.
www.clariant.com
Clariant
sells off
divisions
Demand for graphene is
predicted to grow at 40% per
year from US$9 million in 2012
to reach US$126 million in
2020, according to a new
report from Lux Research. The
study says that this growth is
less than some of the hype
surrounding the wunderkind
material might suggest,
drawing potential parallels
with the commercialisation of
carbon nanotubes.
It forecasts that the bulk of
the market will belong to
graphene nanoplatelets, used
mainly in composites and
energy storage applications.
Despite being a hot research
area, the commercialisation of
graphene lms will be delayed
by a large number of technical
and economic challenges, says
the study.
The rocky history of carbon
nanotubes shows that a
research and patent boom
along with impressive
technical performance is far
from a guarantee of commer-
cial success, said Ross Kozar-
sky, Lux Research senior
analyst and the lead author of
the new report. Major
challenges like high costs,
processing issues, and
competing materials loom
large, he added.
The report, which is entitled
Is Graphene the Next Silicon
... Or Just the Next Carbon
Nanotube?, identies XG and
Vorbeck as leading players
among the graphene nano-
platelet start-ups.
www.luxresearchinc.com
Graphene growth could fall short
restrictions do not apply to
articles coloured for safety
reasons.
Some cadmium compounds
are still used as pigments in
plastics, and industry associa-
tions say that suitable
alternatives may not be
available for certain applica-
tions, such as colouring
engineering plastics. They
include cadmium zinc sulphide
yellow, cadmium sulphosel-
enide red and cadmium
sulphoselenide orange.
Further background informa-
tion, including the full Annex
XVII document can be read at:
http://bit.ly/CdPDF.
www.echa.europa.eu
Despite being hyped a wunderkind material, Graphene still
faces hurdles to commercial success
European
users of
cadmium in
plastics
should
contact the
ECHA quickly
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com 10
news
UMass Lowell inaugurates new
Technovel lab for compounding
moulding and blown lm
extrusion. In addition, it
features facilities for nano-
technology and biomedical
materials R&D.
The 84,000 ft
2
(7,800 m
2
),
four-storey Emerging Tech-
nologies and Innovation Center
was ofcially opened in
October and was formerly
named and dedicated to
benefactors Mark and Elisia
Saab in December.
Mark Saab graduated from
UMass Lowell in 1981 with a
degree in plastics engineering.
The University of Massachu-
setts Lowell has ofcially
opened the new Technovel
Compounding Laboratory as
part of its US$80 million Mark
and Elisia Saab Emerging
Technologies and Innovation
Center.
The Compounding Labora-
tory was funded through
UMass Lowells partnership
with Technovel, the Japanese
manufacturer of compounding
extruders. It features two
Technovel lab-scale lines, one
based on a Micro twin-screw
extruder and the other built
around the companys novel
Quad four-screw design. Both
extruders have screw diam-
eters of 15 mm.
Technovels Micro twin-
screw intermeshing co-rotat-
ing machine, which can
operate at speeds up to 4,400
RPM, boasts a high-torque
drive system and a pressure-
resistant barrel. The modular
screw can be congured for an
L/D ratio of 45:1 or 60:1.
The WDR Quad extruder
features four parallel inter-
meshing co-rotating screws for
the improved mixing of
materials. It provides longer
retention times, lower heat
generation and improved
venting, according to Technovel.
Part of the Universitys
Plastics Engineering Depart-
ment, the new Compounding
Laboratory will be used to
develop innovative formula-
tions including bioabsorbable
polymers and nanocomposites.
The Emerging Technologies
and Innovation Center also
includes a high bay for plastics
processing with the ability to
run large-scale injection
He is president of Advanced
Polymers, a manufacturer of
medical device components
which he co-founded with his
wife Elisia Saab and is now
part of Vention Medical. The
couple live in Lowell and have
become the largest individual
donors to UMass Lowell.
I have always felt strongly
about giving back to UMass
Lowell and being involved in
the plastics engineering
program. Im grateful for the
specialized education that has
led to my success and I want to
help todays students discover
the path to their own future,
said Mark Saab.
The faculty, students and
staff of UMass Lowells
Plastics Engineering Depart-
ment cannot thank Mark and
Elisia Saab enough for their
continued and extremely
generous support, said
Professor Robert Malloy,
department chairman. Their
support for this building will
take our ability to conduct
materials and manufacturing
research to a new level.
www.technovel.co.jp
www.uml.edu
UMass Lowell graduate student Melissa Egan demonstrates the
equipment in the Technovel Compounding Laboratory
Arsenal Capital invests in Dash Multi-Corp
New York-based private equity
rm Arsenal Capital Partners
has acquired Dash Multi-Corp,
a US manufacturer of formu-
lated polyurethane, vinyl
plastisols, specialty coatings
and recycled rubber products.
The St. Louis, Missouri-
based company has annual
sales of more than US$100
million. Concurrent with its
acquisition by Arsenal Capital
from its founder and owner
Marvin Wool, Dashs coated
fabrics operations will become
a separate entity owned by
Marlen Textiles.
Dashs MarChem plastics
and chemicals business
produces polyurethanes, vinyl
plastisols, specialty coatings
and adhesives used in a variety
of processes ranging from
medical device moulding to
niche ooring applications.
In 2012, Arsenal also
invested in IGM Resins,
Plasticolors, Evoniks Colo-
rants business and Fluoro-
Seal Holdings. Its previous
investments in the sector
include Genovique, IDQ,
Novolyte, Sermatech, Velsicol,
and Vertellus.
www.arsenalcapital.com
www.dashmulticorp.com
Image courtesy of: Chemson press photo
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www.compoundingworld.com January 2013 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 13
Coupling agents | additives feature
Coupling agents and compatibilizers
are nding new roles as the
requirements for thermoplastic
composites and blends evolve to
full emerging applications.
Pat Toensmeier reports
Silanes and other coupling agents or compatibilizers
can be used to molecularly bond organic polymers and
inorganic llers and reinforcements. In addition, they
can function as surfactants and dispersion agents, as
anti-agglomerates, or as adhesion promoters.
Such properties make the additives indispensable in
a range of established formulations, but recently they
have been applied to new and evolving applications with
their own performance needs. As a result, the chemis-
try and use of coupling agents is moving beyond
conventional workhorse applications and into markets
that are increasing the versatility and variety of grades
available.
These applications include areas such as:
G improving the properties of recycled materials,
barrier packaging and advanced composites;
G the formulation of new versions of copolymers and
terpolymers by compounding normally immiscible
resins;
G meeting environmental rules for non-halogenated
ame retardants and low-VOC (volatile organic
compound) processing;
G the cost-efcient production of price-sensitive parts
through formulation changes;
G and efforts to improve rolling resistance in tyres as a
fuel economy measure.
These developments could, experts believe, promote
a degree of innovation in coupling agents that the
compounding industry hasnt seen in some time. With
the amount of work that is underway to blend materials,
the interest in coupling agents as modiers is increas-
ing, says Jose Torradas, senior technical consultant for
DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers. The number
of applications and market segments [they make
possible] is growing signicantly all over the world.
The materials that DuPont supplies are good
examples of the evolving state of coupling agents and
related modiers. The company has produced two main
product lines in this area for some time, Fusabond and
Elvaloy, which are described as compatibilizing resins.
Fusabond is based on maleic anhydride-grafted
polyolen copolymers, while Elvaloy, a broader product
line, comprises polyethylene (PE) terpolymers PE
and reactive comonomers and epoxy groups and
ethylene acrylate copolymers.
When added to compounds at various loadings (3.5 to
Coupling
agents make
new connections
COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2013 www.compoundingworld.com 14
additives feature | Coupling agents
where scrap is reintroduced as a structural layer. The
grade links the normally immiscible major (up to 90%
PE) and minor (PA or EVOH) components to improve
dispersion, along with elongation, toughness and other
mechanical properties in containers.
Meanwhile, compounders use Fusabonds compati-
bilizing and dispersion properties to reduce the cost of
commodity products such as PP containers, while
maintaining mechanical properties. Calcium carbonate
(CaCO
3
) is used in these containers for rigidity. Accord-
ing to Torradas, a small amount of Fusabond
increases CaCO
3
loading, reducing PP use and saving
the compounder money, without affecting properties.
Elvaloy grades are for neat and glass-reinforced
polyesters polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and
polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). The PTW grade is a
soft E-nBA-GMA (ethylene/n-butyl acrylate/glycidal
methacrylate) terpolymer that bonds to and disperses
consistently throughout polyester. It is especially
compatible with glass and so toughens reinforced PBT.
Elvaloy AC has similar properties in glass-reinforced
polyesters, but as a copolymer it increases melt ow
over terpolymer versions, thereby improving process-
ability.
DuPont tweaks the chemistries of these resin
modiers to meet the coupling agent needs of evolving
and emerging applications, and to create enhanced
formulations with otherwise incompatible polymers and
llers. There are fewer new polymers and more
interest in blending whats available, Torradas says in
explaining this trend.
Another company using resin chemistry as the basis
for coupling agents is Chemtura. John Yun, technology
manager at the company, says Polybond coupling
agents are comprised of polyolens and their deriva-
tives, which are grafted with reactive
functional chemical groups such as maleic
anhydride and acrylic acid. The additives
are primarily for blending non-polar
polymers like PP, PE and their deriva-
tives with polar llers, such as glass
bres, CaCO
3
, talc, mica, natural bres
and others.
The coupling agents achieve this,
Yun adds, by carrying polar functional
groups along the non-polar polymer
backbone. This nature of bipolarity in
Polybond coupling agents gives rise to
afnity at the interface of polymers
and llers, he explains. The
functional groups form covalent bonds
or secondary bonds while the polymer
part imparts physical entanglement
DuPonts
Fusabond
polymer
modiers are
used as
coupling agents
in exible pipe
and other
end-uses
This blow
moulded
polyolen
agrochemical
bottle for Brazil
uses a DuPont
Fusabond
coupling agent
7% is typical), the materials raise or help maintain
select properties of commodity and engineering
thermoplastics, and also compatibilize streams of
mixed recyclate.
Fusabond A560, for example, improves adhesion
between glass reinforcements and polyamide (PA) 6 and
66 resins, owing to its maleic anhydride group, which
reacts with PA and ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH).
DuPont says this can increase the notched Izod impact
strength of glass-reinforced PA by 30 to 50%. A560 also
contributes to reduced melt viscosity in highly lled
compounds and to retention of tensile strength,
modulus and heat-deformation temperature.
In addition, Fusabond grades reportedly work well as
coupling agents in highly lled polyolens. One
important area is formulations with ame-retardant
mineral llers. Here the use of Fusabond as an additive
enhances ller dispersion, improving compound
homogeneity, elevating ame-retardant loadings and
maintaining tensile strength and elongation-at-break
properties.
One Fusabond grade, M603, is
touted as a compatibilizer for
PE-based recycling streams and
production of polymer lumber. In the
latter, M603 strengthens the
composite and reduces moisture
absorption by cellulose bres in
the compound. Torradas says
that the grade can also be used
with polymer lumber materials
that are not fully dried, saving
compounders time and money.
In another reclaim application,
Torradas says M603 can improve
the in-house recycling of PA or
EVOH during the injection
moulding or blow moulding of
PE-based barrier containers,
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