UNFILLED POLYETHERIMIDE/POLYESTERCARBONATE BLENDS OFFER HIGHER FLOW AND HIGHER IMPACT STRENGTH AT LOWER COST

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UNFILLED POLYETHERIMIDE/POLYESTERCARBONATE BLENDS OFFER HIGHER FLOW AND HIGHER IMPACT STRENGTH AT LOWER COST
07 May 2004 - GE Advanced Materials

GE Advanced Materials has announced the extension of its ATX series of unfilled polyetherimide/polyestercarbonate Ultem resin blends.

GE Advanced Materials has announced the extension of its ATX series of unfilled polyetherimide/polyestercarbonate Ultem resin blends. The series now includes glass-filled offerings that may provide a cost-competitive alternative to glass-filled PEI and high performance semi-crystalline materials. This resin family has design applicability for a broad range of electronics, telecommunications, and automotive components that require high flow and impact performance combined with the potential for substantially lower cost than glass-filled PEI.

“We are pleased with the customer response to this new resin family and have received very favourable feedback on initial customer production applications,” says Joop Groen, GE Advanced Materials Ultem Resin product manager for European Markets.

Ultem GF ATX resin may provide advantages and benefits both in the production process and the finished product. When compared to typical glass filled PEI, Ultem GF ATX may offer up to a 30% decrease in melt viscosity, and can extend flow lengths by as much as 40%. This offers the possibility to lower injection pressure for some applications or opens the way to utilize the resin in moulding larger parts.

Moreover, decreased melt viscosity also allows the design of sections with potentially significant reduced wall thicknesses; as high as a 20% reduction may be achievable in some cases. This is complemented by a substantial improvement in the materials’ impact strength, which can be twice that of traditional glass-filled Ultem PEI resin. The Ultem GF ATX resin family currently comprises 20 and 30% glass-filled grades. All grades are rated UL* 94 V0, and all have been developed to meet most eco-label application requirements.

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About: GE Advanced Materials
GE Advanced Materials is a world leader in providing materials solutions through engineering thermoplastics, silicone-based products and technology platforms, and fused quartz and ceramics. Among its businesses are:

• Silicones, which includes GE Toshiba Silicones in the Pacific region and GE Bayer Silicones in Europe, offers silanes, specialty silicones, urethane additives, adhesives, sealants, resins, and elastomers for a variety of industries such as personal care, automotive, tire and rubber, construction, healthcare, electronics, household and institutional, agriculture, textiles, appliances, bedding and furnishings, foam control, and consumer (http://www.gesilicones.com/gesilicones/am1/en/home.jsp);

• Plastics is a global plastics materials supplier and distributor, which serves customers in a variety of industries including aerospace, appliances, automotive, building and construction, data storage and optical media, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications, computers and peripheral devices, outdoor vehicles and devices, and packaging (http://www.geplastics.com/);

• Quartz produces high purity materials for the semiconductor, fiber optic, lamp making and water purification industries. GE Quartz is a leading supplier of quartz materials to the semiconductor industry (http://www.gequartz.com/en/index.htm);

Established in 1968, GE Advanced Materials’ Specialty Film & Sheet business is a leading supplier of high-performance engineering film and sheet products to the United States, Europe, Africa, India, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and operates a worldwide network of sales, research, manufacturing and technical services facilities.

Today, GE Advanced Materials, Specialty Film & Sheet employs about 600 people, and manufactures engineering sheet and film products at 12 facilities in 9 countries worldwide.

Recent investments:
• 2003 New Roofing Structures Line in Italy, Europe
• 2003 New Coating Lines in China & Malaysia, Pacific
• 2002 Acquisition of Plastech, China
• 2001 New Film Lines in USA and Europe
• 2001 Acquisition of Carboron, Malaysia
• 2000 Acquisition of Matraplast, Canada
• 2000 Acquisition of Nim Plastics, USA

Products:
GE Advanced Materials offers a variety of film materials are to meet different type of applications such as graphic film, coated products, electrical & electronic products, and specialties. The key film materials available today include:
• Lexan* Polycarbonate film
• Ultem* film
• Lexan* SLX film
• Valox* film
• Lexan* Illuminex* film

GE Advanced Materials’ sheet product line includes a wide range of structures from solid sheet, multi-wall sheet and corrugated sheet through to coated sheet and laminates and combinations of each of these.

The key sheet materials available today include:
• Lexan* Polycarbonate sheet
• Lexan* Solar Control IR sheet
• Margard* coated sheet
• Lexgard* laminated sheet
• Ultem* sheet
• Lexan EXL* sheet

GE Advanced Materials, Specialty Film & Sheet, serves customers in a variety of industries including aircraft, appliances, automotive, building and construction, business machines, electrical & lighting, furnishing, greenhouse, industrial roofing, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications and packaging.

In January 2004, in line with GE Corporate’ new brand architecture, GE Advanced Materials has announced the change of GE Structured Products business naming to GE Advanced Materials, Specialty Film & Sheet.

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