Saudi Basic Industries Corp. and Lubrizol Corp. have worked together to develop materials with both soft and rigid performance for consumer electronics and other uses.
In a news release, officials with Sabic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Lubrizol in Wickliffe, Ohio, said the new materials can help customers advance sustainability goals, enhance the protection of thinner and more vulnerable applications and streamline manufacturing through part consolidation.
The new materials combine Sabic's LNP-brand specialty compounds and copolymers, which function as rigid substrates, with Lubrizol's soft Estane ECO-brand thermoplastic polyurethane. The TPU materials can be two-shot injection molded onto the substrates.
The Sabic materials allow for thin-wall molding to reduce raw material consumption and can deliver chemical resistance for durability. Lubrizol's Estane ECO TPUs are made with bio-based content and are manufactured at certified ISCC-plus facilities.
Applications for these new materials include laptops, cell phone cases and other electronic devices where durability, drop protection and a non-slip surface are needed. One potential application is a laptop case featuring glass fiber-reinforced LNP Thermocomp compounds as the rigid substrate and Estane ECO TPU as the soft, overmolded polymer.
"Through our collaboration with Lubrizol, we provide material solutions with compatible chemistries that are ready to use which could accelerate time to market for our customers," Luc Govaerts, Sabic technology director, said.
Lubrizol senior business director Jane Cai added that her firm "recognized an industry need for soft and rigid thermoplastic combinations that provide high performance and good bonding strength."
"Finding the right pairing can be time-consuming for customers," she said. "Lubrizol and Sabic combined our strengths and sustainable material portfolios to deliver proven compatible solutions that can help customers reduce their development time and costs and bring new designs and concepts to the market."
Sabic employs more than 31,000 and is a global supplier of commodity and engineering resins. The firm has U.S. headquarters in Houston.
Lubrizol employs 8,600 worldwide and is owned by investment firm Berkshire Hathaway. The firm is a major supplier of lubricants and specialty plastics.