Topas Advanced Polymers GmbH used K 2010 in Dusseldorf to introduce new materials based on cyclic olefin copolymers.
Each of the materials extends the range of applications for COC, said Wilfried Hatke, marketing manager for the Frankfurt, Germany-based company.
First, Topas unveiled a new family of COC-polyolefin blends, designed to create polyolefins with much higher heat-deflection temperature performance than standard olefins.
The materials have already been tested in the market and received a positive response, Hatke said at the show, which ran from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3. Potential applications include steam-sterilizable medical trays, where they could replace engineering resins.
Second, Topas introduced a new COC injection molding grade with a broader processing window. Topas 6013M-07 does not require an external lubricant for injection blow molding or injection stretch blow molding applications.
Hatke said the product was made possible by advancements in Topas' metallocene catalyst technology.
Finally, Topas introduced the first-ever COC elastomer. The material is not yet commercial, but Hatke said there is “a high degree of commercial interest.”
The COC elastomers could replace conventional thermoplastic elastomers in medical devices, tubing or pharmaceutical packaging, or PVC in tubing, intravenous bags and flow meters.
The COC elastomers can be blended with olefins or styrenic-based resins, and can be gamma or e-beam sterilized.
Topas was established in 2006, and is a joint venture between two Japanese companies — Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd. of Osaka and Polyplastics Co. Ltd. of Tokyo. Its COC plant is in Oberhausen, Germany.
In the United States, Topas has operations in Florence, Ky.