New Teknor Apex nylon compounds target automotive, electronics

Teknor Apex Co. has expanded its product mix with three new nylon compounds.

The new Creamid-brand materials are halogen-free, flame retardant and glass-reinforced, officials with Teknor Apex in Pawtucket, R.I., said in a news release. The compounds provide high flow for injection molding, superior surface finish and improved property retention vs. standard glass-filled, flame retardant nylon 6/6.

"We're mainly focused on under-hood automotive, as well as housings for handheld electronics," Mike Anderson, ETP commercial director, said in an interview with Plastics News. "You can make really nice-looking parts with high loadings."

The new compounds have glass loadings of 15, 20 and 30 percent. The nonhalogen flame retardant formulations comply with European Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directives, as well as internal OEM requirements.

Other potential applications include appliance and power tool housings and components for charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. One of the new compounds is already being used in an automotive engine cover, where it's met a specification for property retention after heat aging at 170° C (338° F).

In a news release, Pratik Shah, strategic initiatives director, added that the new Creamid compounds "enable engineers to meet increasingly stringent requirements for halogen-free FR formulations while finding new ways to consolidate parts."

"We continue to expand our portfolio of FR products in [nylons] and other engineering plastics … with several new grades in the final stages of commercialization," he said. "Our vision is to have a polymer-neutral approach and provide an optimized solution to the individual customer problems."

The new compounds also have value in parts that need stiffness and impact performance, Anderson said. They also can be used for metal replacement and to eliminate the need for painted parts, he added.

The new Creamid compounds are available now and are being made at Teknor Apex plants in the U.S. and around the world.

Teknor Apex recently announced it was investing more than $7 million to expand its plant in Brownsville, Tenn. The firm makes compounds based on flexible and rigid PVC, thermoplastic elastomers and nylons and also makes color concentrates, specialty chemicals and garden hoses.

Teknor Apex operates 13 plants worldwide in the U.S., Belgium, Germany, China and Singapore and has annual sales of more than $1 billion.