Düsseldorf, Germany — Vertellus Specialties Inc. went to K 2016 with new products ranging from A to Zemac.
Zemac is the name of the firm's line of copolymer additives. Vertellus also is launching a new line of masterbatch concentrates that can be used as a compatibilizer for nylon resin when combined with recycled PET. The resulting compounds have lower material and processing costs, officials said in a recent phone interview.
The masterbatches are “a new value proposition,” according to Plastics Global Commercial Development Director Ashok Adur. “They offer higher performance and the theme of sustainability. There are plenty of PET bottles available to be recycled.”
The materials can include 15 percent to 35 percent recycled PET and can be used in automotive applications such as covers and hubcaps, as well as in sporting goods, he added.
Other new products for K 2016 from Vertellus included new nylon-based concentrates with proprietary lubricants for auto applications, according to Plastics Business Director Scott Gaddis. He added that the Indianapolis-based firm is seeing growth in its Citroflex-brand bioplasticizers. Those materials can be used in specialty grades of PVC as well as in biopolymers.
Vertellus at K 2016 also promoted its microencapsulation products, which are gaining use in size regulation of microcapsules in formulations for specialty inks, fragrances, textiles, mattresses and in construction of energy-efficient buildings.
Another new product is a monomer used to produce polysulfone resins, which officials said offers one of the highest service temperatures among all melt-processable thermoplastics. The materials have found uses in specialty electronic and aerospace applications.
Vertellus recently increased Zemac production capacity by 10 to 15 percent at a plant in Zeeland, Mich., through a process upgrade. The firm has global specialty chemicals sales of more than $550 million, with about 10 percent of that amount coming from plastics applications.