Ticona (Sulzbach / Germany; www.ticona.com), the engineering polymers arm of Celanese (Dallas, Texas / US; www.celanese.com), has announced that its "Fortron FX4382T1" polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) complies with plastic food-contact regulations in Europe and the US. Michaela Reuter, global business director at Ticona, said: “This un-reinforced grade is formulated to deliver long-term durability over the life of components found in food handling applications, including conveyor systems for food processing.”

Fortron FX4382T1 PPS is suitable for extrusion and injection moulding and is claimed by Ticona to be a lighter, more ductile and tougher high-performance material choice to replace metals and other thermoplastics traditionally used in food-handling applications.

According to Ticona, this particular grade of PPS offers properties such as high continuous use temperature of 165°C; exceptionally good chemical resistance at high temperatures; extremely high impact, elongation and flexibility; excellent hydrolysis resistance and low moisture absorption as well as dimensional stability.

Ticona had net sales of USD 1.2 bn in fiscal 2012. It employs more than 1,500 people at facilities in Germany, the US, Brazil and China.