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HIGH-HEAT PERFORMANCE PROVIDES KEY TO NEW AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING DEMANDS
09 April 2004 - GE Advanced Materials
| GE Advanced Materials has introduced an array of new resin grades specifically designed to help bring higher performance benefits to automotive lighting applications. |
GE Advanced Materials has introduced an array of new resin grades specifically designed to help bring higher performance benefits to automotive lighting applications. These developments, which embrace Ultem PEI resin, Lexan PC resin and Valox PBT resin, represent a technology step to keep tier suppliers aligned with upcoming demands from the industry for process, performance, and cost optimisation. Ultem XHT (Xtreme Heat) resin is designed for applications such as fog lamp reflectors, which require high heat resistance. Based on GE Advanced Materials’ proprietary X GEN resin technology, Ultem XHT resin has been developed to be the highest heat, injection-mouldable amorphous resin available in the marketplace. The X GEN resin technology is a recently launched portfolio of products that pushes high-end polymer performance to even greater levels. Offering heat resistance to 247C, Ultem XHT resin is characterised by exceptional dimensional stability, strength, and durability. It is also flame retardant, recyclable, and can be processed using standard equipment. This extreme-heat resin supports the automotive industry’s trend toward hotter, brighter bulbs packaged into smaller design envelopes. To help satisfy the broadening range of demands made on materials by the design complexity, size, and performance requirements of headlight bezels, GE Advanced Materials has developed two new resin grades. Lexan 4401R resin is a high-heat polycarbonate resin that provides a step improvement in the balance of flow and heat resistance compared to alternatively available resins. In addition to excellent heat stability to 158C, Lexan 4401R resin offers increased melt flow vs. similar high-heat polycarbonate resins, allowing for potentially faster cycle times and higher productivity. Moreover, Lexan 4401R resin can be directly metallised and exhibits excellent surface aesthetics. Valox EH7020HF resin, a 20%, mineral-filled PBT/PET blend, is an improved version of the current grade (Valox EH7020 resin), which has established a significant position in applications utilising filled PBT for headlamp bezels since its introduction in 1999. Valox EH7020HF resin delivers improvements in flow and thermal performance allowing for increased design flexibility and the potential for thinner wall sections, which can lead to shorter cycle times, while maintaining the excellent post-metallisation surface quality experienced with the current grade. According to John Cameron, automotive lighting market director, GE Advanced Materials, “These new grades, each with a unique property profile, represent significant advances. They are part of our ongoing materials development program designed to provide automotive tier suppliers with global material solutions that help improve processing as well as final product quality and performance.”
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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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• For April 2004
• From GE Advanced Materials
• For Engineering Plastics
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