Ampacet Corp. and several other compounders and concentrates makers have debuted new products this year to better serve their customers.
Tarrytown, N.Y.-based Ampacet now offers halogen-free flame retardant masterbatch concentrates. The new materials feature outstanding flame retardancy in polyethylene film at low addition rates, officials said, and comply with health and environment safety protection regulations. The masterbatches also provide excellent optics and film clarity and can be colored with masterbatches from Ampacet's color portfolio.
The materials are being sold under the Halofree trade name and are suited for a broad range of flexible uses, including carpet backing, industrial packaging materials, ceiling insulation and under-roof liners for homes, railway stations and stadiums.
Teknor Apex Co. of Pawtucket, R.I., has launched a new series of thermoplastic elastomers for overmolding that have excellent adhesion to engineering plastic substrates while meeting the stringent requirements for use in medical devices, officials said.
The Medalist-brand MD-30000 Series medical TPEs bond effectively to multiple resins, including polycarbonate, ABS, acetal and polystyrene. The new grades can be processed for multishot or insert molding and are usable in wearable devices, "soft-touch" or cosmetic grips for device housings, hand-held devices, instruments, and seals and gaskets.
Three of the new compounds were introduced earlier this year after successful completion of a joint project with Covestro LLC. In that project, the materials were overmolded onto medical grades of PC and PC alloys and tested for adhesion, processability and chemical resistance.
Americhem Inc. of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, earlier this year teamed up with WeatherTech's PetComfort feeding systems to develop an antimicrobial and antifungal additive for TPE and polypropylene. Americhem designed and developed masterbatches in 11 colors to be used in multiple shapes and sizes that are FDA and NSF compliant.
Officials said that the new masterbatch concentrates also can be used in automotive applications in high-touch areas. They added that Americhem can develop pre-colored TPE compounds or custom color and additive masterbatches for multiple polymers.
RTP Co. of Winona, Minn., has seen continued use of its CCX Conductive Masterbatches line of conductive compounds, which debuted in mid-2019. Officials said that the materials are setting a new standard for safe, productive and reliable solutions for environments that are prone to electrostatic discharge.
CCX Conductive Masterbatches are available in a variety of resins and can be formulated with four distinct additive technologies: Stainless Steel Fiber, Carbon Nanotubes, Carbon Black and PermaStat-brand dissipative polymer technology.
Stainless Steel Fiber CCX Masterbatches are made with RTP's own long fiber manufacturing process. They allow for the highest level of conductivity, providing EMI shielding for sensitive electronics, colored parts and components and FDA-compliant applications. The masterbatches are available in most resin systems and have similar shrinkage and mechanical performance to the unfilled base resin, making them well suited to injection molding and compatible with existing molds and tooling.
Avient Corp. of Avon Lake, Ohio, recently introduced Artisan-brand pre-colored materials. The first Artisan grade available is based on nylon 6. The materials are high-gloss, scratch-resistant and formulated to replace paint. Parts molded from Artisan pre-colored thermoplastics offer excellent scratch resistance compared with painted plastic and minimize the appearance of scratches, officials said. Replacing painted metal parts with Artisan materials also improves corrosion resistance.
Outdoor consumer applications for Artisan materials include powersports, lawn and garden and marine body panels and housings.