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World
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Du Pont Engineering Polymers
: 20 October, 2004 (Company News) |
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The first commercial application for the new paintable grades of DuPont |
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The handle is moulded from Delrin® DS500 and painted with DuPont™ Cromax® water-borne paint system supplied by DuPont Performance Coatings. The part can be painted in virtually any colour to suit customer tastes, including aluminised or chrome-plated finishes, using DuPont’s proprietary etching system. This system does not contain chromium and does not deteriorate the moulded part’s properties, as may be the case with other etches for plastic parts.
The ‘Premium Touch’ washing machine is made by Gorenje, one of Europe’s leading domestic equipment makers and Slovenia’s biggest exporter. According to Mrs Uršula Menih Dokl, Gorenje’s spokeswoman, this is the world’s first washing machine which accepts the user’s instructions via a touch screen and which offers numerous other innovative solutions to make it exceptionally user-friendly.
The ‘Premium Touch’ incorporates ,UseLogic‘ technology, in which sensors collect and process information about the washing process, constantly checking parameters such as the quantity of laundry, water purity and the amount of foam.
Gorenje and Seca Plast, the local DuPont licensee for painting parts in Delrin®, had several reasons for their choice of this resin.
For ‘white goods’ of this kind to be cost-competitive, the number of components and manufacturing assembly operations must be reduced to a minimum. “When we realised that a well-designed door handle with integral latching system, moulded in Delrin® and in a single part, could replace the previous complex construction made of ABS and metal, it was an easy decision to adopt this solution,” says Franc Košec, member of Gorenje’s board and responsible for development and quality.
According to Andrej Sadar, general manager of Seca Plast, Delrin® has the metal-like behaviour needed for a part that must withstand heavy use—and even abuse. “It has high fatigue resistance, its properties are not affected by the wet environment of a washing machine, and its precision-moulding characteristics ensure that the locking system works smoothly under all conditions,” Sadar says.
Delrin® DS500 is one of a new range of paintable engineering polymers developed by DuPont. It brings together functionality and aesthetics in a way that was not previously available. Other applications being developed using paintable Delrin® include cosmetics parts, sporting goods, medical appliances and buckles for apparel. In each case, the value for customers is a combination of functionality and aesthetics.
DuPont™ Cromax® is an advanced water-borne paint system by DuPont Performance Coatings, based on concentrated tints mixed with water-based binders. Cromax® satisfies current and forthcoming European emissions legislation. |
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