Italian compounding company Lati Industria Thermoplastici (Vedano Olona; www.lati.com) has developed a permanent antistatic and colourable compound – “Latiohm PD02”. The new material is designed to give greater control over the electrical characteristics required in certain goods. The company explained that while highly conductive polymers allow products to comply with ATEX (the European standard for controlling explosive atmospheres), a low resistance often creates electrical, mechanical or aesthetic problems due to the presence of carbon black, carbon fibre or graphite.

Lati said the strength of the Latiohm PD02 materials resides in the adoption of intrinsically antistatic polymers. The compounds use amorphous or semi-crystalline matrices like ABS, PP and PA for the base, reinforced where necessary to deliver excellent mechanical performance, even when cold.

The adoption of conductive polymers means the PD02 formula can be coloured, instead of being just black like articles made from using carbon black or carbon fibre. In addition, noted Lati, products can be tailored with no restrictions, to meet the needs of increasingly demanding technical markets and aesthetics.

The PD02 grades do not require specific adaptations to develop moulds and the dispersal of the antistatic polymers happens spontaneously and uniformly throughout the cast mass. This ensures continuity in electrical performance throughout the manufactured item.