BASF (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) has opened a development centre for “Elastollan” TPU in Wyandotte, Michigan / USA. The centre will offer customers around the world the opportunity to collaborate directly with BASF experts “in new and exciting ways,” the German group said.

“Customers can test and develop blown, cast or flat die sheet and film solutions as well as tubes and jackets for hoses and cables,” explained Nabarun Roy, head of Elastollan TPU product development, BASF Performance Materials North America. “We also have coextrusion capabilities that offer customers everything they need to develop new TPU solutions.” BASF added that the centre will allow customers to evaluate formulations faster, shorten development cycle times, develop production-quality samples and, ultimately, increase their speed to market.