German specialty chemicals company Lanxess AG has commissioned a new production line for the manufacture of specialty compounds at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany.
According to the Cologne-based company, the 7 million euro ($8.6 million) investment was in response to growing demand for engineering plastics.
The new line has an annual capacity of up to 10 kilotonnes per year, complementing the compounding lines designed for the production of Durethan nylon compounds and PBT compounds of the Pocan brand.
“We are responding in particular to the development of new forms of mobility such as electromobility,” said Michael Zobel, head of Lanxess's high performance materials business unit.
Zobel went on to say that the additional capacity would also address the trends in the electrical and electronic industry such as the Industry 4.0, which are leading to a growing demand for complex thermoplastic compounds.
The new production line includes a high-performance twin-screw extruder with a modern raw material feeding, precise dosing and an a cooling and classifying technology.
Commenting on the added compounding capabilities, Stefanie Nickel, head of compounding in the high-performance materials business unit said the line was very well suited for glass fiber-reinforced nylon, which are used in lighter structural parts for cars.
Additionally, it is suitable for the production of compounds with high mineral content, which are used in thermally conductive housing parts, for example for the miniaturization of electronic assemblies.
“We also see great potential in flame-retardant compounds, for example for components in electric drives,“ Nickel added.
Lanxess operates two compounding sites in Germany, in Krefeld-Uerdingen and Hamm-Uentrop.
Additionally, it has compounding lines in Wuxi, China, in Jhagadia, India, in Gastonia, N.C., and in Porto Feliz, Brazil.
The company also announced plans for a 20 million euro ($24.6 million) compounding plant in Changzhou, China, set to be open in 2019.