Ultrapolymers expands masterbatch porfolio
Plastics distributor Ultrapolymers Deutschland (D-86165 Augsburg; www.ultrapolymers.de) has extended its comprehensive range of own-brand masterbatches and additives. The portfolio now extends from colour masterbatches through functional additives to combibatches. New products include black masterbatches with carbon black contents of 40-60% and white masterbatches with the same concentration, based on titanium dioxide and zinc sulphide.

Ticona launches second generation “Topas” COC
With its new “Topas 8007F-400”, engineering plastics producer Ticona (D-65451 Kelsterbach; www.ticona.com) has introduced an improved product grade, which it says is particularly suitable for production of blown film. The material is claimed to provide greater flexibility in production and also to allow the manufacture of high-grade specialty films. Topas COC is used in packaging film of all kinds – either as a blend component in other polyolefins or as a discrete layer within a multi-layer composite. Typical fields of application for these blown films include laminating film for flat-ended and tubular bags as well as lid and twist film.

Borealis with new “Daploy” PP flexible foam
In order to meet mounting demand for high-grade flexible used in such applications as car seats, furniture, sports shoes and protective packaging, Borealis (DK-2800 Lyngby; www.borealisgroup.com) has developed a new product called “Daploy WB 260 HMS”, a High Melt Strength (HMS) PP. According to Borealis, this material represents a breakthrough in HMS-PP development, opening up areas of application that have until now been dominated by foams based on PU, PE and PVC. The new material can be processed on standard foam extrusion lines.

Cabot introduces new additive masterbatches
With the new additive masterbatches “PlasAdd” PE9020, PE 9041 and PE9166, the US chemical group Cabot Corporation (B-3001 Leuven; www.cabot-corp.com) has introduced three slip grades that are able to reduce the natural adhesive effect of polyolefins and thereby improve their processing properties. The additives contain polyamides and erucamides in various quantities and with different migration rates and slip duration. The products are approved for food contact applications and, says Cabot, in some cases are especially suitable for processing at high temperatures.

Higher melt flow rates from Basell´s “Metocene”
Basell (NL-2132 MS Hoofddorp; www.basell.com) has extended its range of metallocene-catalyst based polypropylene (PP) resins to offer higher melt flow rates for melt blown fibre extrusion applications. The company says it has undertaken extensive pre-commercialisation runs of “Metocene” resins at its Wesseling / Germany and Bayport, Texas / USA facilities using “Avant M” metallocene catalyst systems. Pelletised “Metocene” is now available in Europe with melt flow rates of 1,200 and 2,300 g/10 min, while in North America flake grade resins with melt flow rates of 500, 1,200 and 1,800 g/10 min are available in commercial quantities for customer trials.

PBT compounds from GE as metal replacement
GE Plastics (GEP, NL-4600 AC Bergen op Zoom; www.eplastics.com) has developed two new grades of the glass fibre-reinforced LNP “Verton” PBT compounds as alternatives to glass fibre-filled PBT, PP and PA. “WF-7007” with 35% glass fibre and “WF 7010” with 50% glass fibre are claimed to offer outstanding strength and exceptional heat resistance. These properties, combined with their low weight and very good UV and corrosion resistance, make the two new compounds “excellent candidates” for the substitution of metals in exterior applications in the automotive industry, says GE.