Songwon (Ulsan / South Korea; www.songwon.com) has announced the start of bulk manufacturing of functional monomers at its site in Ulsan / South Korea. The company says it started about two years ago to develop the monomers, which "provide resins and polymers with special functions" such as improved physical and chemical properties. Applications include resins, sealants, adhesives and engineering plastics, for use in coatings, electronic packaging and the automotive sector.

The first of these monomers produced in Ulsan are dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) phenol oligomers (known as ERM-6085 and ERM-6140) and bisphenol trimethylcyclohexane (BP-TMC). DCPD is an epoxy resin modifier in chain extending reactions and is used in the production of epoxy composites. Songwon says DCPD phenol resins are suited for the growing market for special epoxy resins, which have high dielectric constants and low dissipation factors at high frequencies. They are used for wiring boards and packaging material that meet the new standards for 5G wireless systems. Standard grade BP-TMC monomer is available for use in epoxy or epoxy novolac resins, while the high-purity grades are for high-impact, transparent PC.