SOLVAY ADVANCED POLYMERS’ AMODEL POLYPHTHALAMIDE SUCCESSFULLY POSITIONED AT VALVE RELATED CONTROLS

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SOLVAY ADVANCED POLYMERS’ AMODEL POLYPHTHALAMIDE SUCCESSFULLY POSITIONED AT VALVE RELATED CONTROLS
09 October 2003 - Solvay Advanced Polymers Llc

A valve positioner isn’t exactly a top-of-mind item for most people. But for Ed Lester, president of Loveland, Ohio’s Valve Related Controls, Inc. it is an essential component of the products VRC manufactures for nearly every industry segment imaginable. VRC products are found in a broad range of applications including food processing, jet engine testing, oil and gas production, pharmaceuticals, power generation, and sugar processing.

In an industrial environment, valve positioners are used to meter and control the low of liquids, slurry (semi-liquids), gases, and other chemicals through a valve. Halfjokingly, Lester notes that valve positioners are even used in the production of pizza dough!

Once installed, the positioners are expected to be maintenance-free and meet
exacting performance requirements. They must do this while operating under rugged conditions such as: extreme temperature fluctuations, high or constant vibrations, corrosive environments, or other harsh outdoor conditions, generally associated with extended use in plant operations.

For more than eight years, parts used in the valve positioners have been made by Cincinnati-based Performance Plastics, Ltd. Per Flem, Chief Engineer and founder of Performance Plastics, comments, “VRC teamed with PPL to develop a echnologically superior product and we found AMODEL PPA had the best balance of properties for the job. This material has given us excellent results in many heavy-duty applications like this”. AMODEL polyphthalamide, a high-performance polymer produced by Solvay Advanced Polymers, L.L.C., is essential to the success and economy of the product.

Ed Lester added that at times it has been an “uphill battle” to introduce a plastic valve positioner into markets where metal or cast aluminum parts were normally used. While the lower cost of a composite plastic may be the initial motivation, he noted that the high performance of AMODEL PPA adds value and features that can actually become a more important consideration over the longer term.

“This material has been a real winner for us,” Lester said. “I have not found any situation where it was not compatible with any process where our equipment is installed.”

He continued to say AMODEL PPA is superior in every significant performance measurement he can think of including greater heat and impact resistance, better dimensional stability, and superior resistance to moisture, chemicals, weathering, UV rays, scratches, and cracking.

AMODEL PPA is a unique semi-crystalline engineering polymer that bridges the cost-performance gap between traditional engineering thermoplastics, such as polycarbonate, polyamides, polyester and acetal, and higher-cost specialty polymers, such as liquid crystal polymers, polyphenylene sulfide and polyetherimide.

http://www.solvayadvancedpolymers.com

About: Solvay Advanced Polymers Llc
Solvay Advanced Polymers Llc is a subsidiary of Solvay America Inc, the US holding company of Solvay SA. The company produces high-performance polymers that are used in a wide range of demanding applications in the automotive, aerospace, industrial, foodservice, medical, and electronics industries worldwide.

Solvay SA is an international pharmaceuticals and chemicals group with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, employing about 30 000 people in 50 countries. In 2003, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 7.6 billion, generated by activities in its three major business sectors: chemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals. Solvay SA is listed in the Euronext 100 index of top European companies.

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