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LG Chem reducing reliance on Japanese battery parts as dispute escalates

▲lg chemSouth Korea's LG Chem is seeking new suppliers for automotive battery parts, including flexible pouches, as the political and trade dispute with Japan deepens, according to Reuters. The Seoul-headquartered chemicals company supplies batteries to major carmakers such as Volkswagen, Volvo and General Motors. According to Reuters, Tokyo dropped South Korea from a so-called "white list" of favored trade partners Aug, 28, potentially leading to more paperwork and on-site inspection for some Japanese exporters. LG is now testing products from South Korean pouch film maker YouIChon Chemical, stated Kim Myung Hwan, president of LG Chem, speaking at a battery conference. LG Chem has relied heavily on Japan's Dai Nippon Printing and Showa Denko KK for pouches for its lithium ion batteries, Reuters said, adding that the combined market share in the global battery pouch market of the two Japanese companies is about 70 percent. source: https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/lg-chem-reducing-reliance-japanese-battery-parts-dispute-escalates

Editor 2019-09-22

Hemp Inc. taking hemp into bioplastics

Hemp Inc. taking hemp into bioplastics▲Hemp, Inc., founded in 2008, aims to make eco-friendly products which can often replace petroleum-based products.Hemp Inc. has begun processing industrial hemp for bioplastics at a location in North Carolina.In an Aug. 22 news release, officials with Las Vegas-based Hemp said the work is being done to help fill growing demand for sustainable products and to enter the firm's third natural product venture.Hemp material now is being processed for bioplastics at an 85,000-square-foot industrial processing center in Spring Hope, N.C. The firm also operates a processing center in Medford, Ore., and a 500-acre hemp growing site in Golden Valley, Ariz.Products being processed include a proprietary blend of hemp and kenaf – a separate plant – that's specifically formulated for the hemp bioplastics industry, officials said. Hemp Inc. previously has developed two products for the CBD oil industry.Officials added that the firm's hemp bioplastic has completed positive beta testing. The blend will be provided to "multiple companies" to help fill growing demand for natural and hemp-based products for the bioplastics industry, they said.Hemp Inc. CEO Bruce Perlowin said in the release that "I have always been an environmentalist … which means being part of the supply chain for hemp bioplastic has me beside myself, walking on cloud nine.""This is a venture no one else is doing in America and what hemp was put on this earth to do," he added. "While everyone focuses on CBD, we are here focusing on the next big thing, which is the industrial part of the plant – the part that can help save the world.""As a company that has always been at the forefront of everything we do, this next venture into the hemp bioplastics industry with these products makes sense for the company…Entering hemp bioplastics is positioning the business for the early phase of expansion."source: https://www.plasticsnews.com

Editor 2019-08-25

DSM buys SRF to grow in India

Royal DSM Royal DSM is expanding its footprint in India with the acquisition of SRF Ltd.Dutch chemical company Royal DSM is expanding its presence in India with the acquisition of the engineering plastics business of leading specialty materials company SRF Ltd.The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of the year, subject to customary closing conditions, DSM announced May 13, without giving further details on the financial size of the agreement.The company described the unit as "highly complementary to DSM's business in India," helping to further consolidate its position in the country as a key player in the engineering plastics field.Driven by increasing domestic demand from a growing middle class, and the ongoing move to reduce weight and replace metal in the automotive industry, the Indian market is anticipated to grow significantly in the coming years.The acquisition, DSM stated, fits with its strategy to gain a leading position in fast-growing economies around the world. It also saves the company the capacity investment that would otherwise have been required for further growth in India.Founded in 1979, the main operations of SRF's Engineering Plastics business are located in Pantnagar, in northern India.The unit posted sales of about 33 million euros ($37.1 million) in 2018 and has seen double-digit growth in recent years.The business unit's customers are "well-known brands" in the automotive and electrical and electronics industries in India, DSM said.SRF's portfolio of the unit includes nylon 6 and nylon 6/6. traded under the brand name Tufnyl.The company also manufactures polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) engineering resins, polycarbonates, PET engineering resins and polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) polymers.The unit also has a dedicated application development facility at its plant in Manali, near Chennai, in southern India.The research unit, according to SRF, is equipped with "latest generation extruders and testing equipment" and develops tailor-made grades for its customers.DSM's total sales in India have grown 17 percent year over year to 250 million euros ($281.3 million) in 2018.DSM Engineering Plastics operates a compounding facility and a research center in Pune, in eastern India.

Editor 2019-05-15

Evonik adding nylon capacity

Evonik Industries AG Evonik says it will add capacity for transparent nylon through debottlenecking and other optimization.Evonik Industries AG is expanding production capacity for transparent nylon at its facility in Marl, Germany.The project involves debottlenecking and comprehensive optimization measures at the plant to double the production of Trogamid CX-branded nylon by the first quarter of 2020.The decision to add capacity, Evonik said in an April 8 news release, was made in response to increasing global demand for high-performance polymers.In addition to improving Evonik's market position, the added capacity is also expected to help the company develop new products, according to Ralf Düssel, head of the high performance polymers business line at Evonik.Evonik said it had been observing consistently high demand, especially in the consumer goods segment, for specialized material solutions combining transparency, quality and design freedom.The polymer range has applications in the sports, leisure, automotive, cosmetic and medical industries.As a lens material for sports and ski goggles, the high performance polymer offers clear visibility, wear resistance and high UV protection, Evonik said. The polymer is also used as a decorative material for automotive interior applications, due to its high transparency and scratch-resistance.

Editor 2019-04-22

North American polyethylene still growing amid some challenges

North American polyethylene still growing amid some challengesIHS/Global Plastics SummitVafiadasChicago — Growth opportunities are still presenting themselves to North American makers of polyethylene resin."This is a most exciting time for our industry," David Morgan of Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. said Nov. 1 at Global Plastics Summit 2018 in Chicago. "We've got new applications and new supplies of material."Morgan is senior vice president of polymers and specialties for CP Chem, which is based in The Woodlands, Texas. CP Chem is one of many firms that have used low-priced U.S. natural gas feedstock to add PE capacity. The firm has built two new PE units in Old Ocean, Texas, each with annual capacity of around 1.1 billion pounds.Morgan pointed out that CP Chem was the first firm to announce a major North American PE capacity expansion when it did so in 2011. CP Chem's Martech technology also has 80 licensees and accounts for 20 percent of global production of high density PE."These [PE] plants are 9-10 times as large as they were 40 years ago, but they have a lower environmental footprint," said Morgan, whose career began in 1979 with Phillips Petroleum. "And the U.S. Gulf Coast gives us an advantage, since it's the most well-equipped petrochemicals hub in the world."USGC advantages, according to Morgan, include feedstock availability, robust pipelines and storage facilities, rail infrastructure, access to ports and an educated work force. Overall, he said that more than 300 U.S. chemicals investments have been announced since 2010, totaling more than $200 billion in investments.By 2025, Morgan said, these investments will have created almost 800,000 direct or indirect jobs and almost $340 billion in economic output. But even with a growing global middle class consuming more plastic per capita, Morgan said that challenges remain in the form of global plastic pollution."When it comes to plastics in the environment, negative images influence public opinion, even if the costs of alternatives to plastic remain higher," Morgan said. "Single-use plastic bans are on the rise, and even though most ocean plastic pollution comes from 10 rivers in Asia, we need to collaborate on a global basis.""No one organization or trade group can do it," he added. "Everyone has to have an understanding of what the different options are. We as an industry have done a poor job of letting people know about the benefits of plastics.""It's not easy to do — it's going to take lot of work — but we're an industry of problem solvers and we can make it work."In an interview at GPS 2018, Nova Chemicals PE Senior Vice President John Thayer said that North American PE demand growth is "really strong" at 6 percent in 2018. "The market's been more balanced this year," he added.Calgary, Alberta-based Nova was the first PE firm to add capacity in the recent wave, bringing on a new production line in Joffre, Alberta, in late 2016. Nova plans to add a new PE line in Sarnia, Ontario, by the end of 2021 and is part of the Bayport Polymers joint venture that will open a new PE unit in Bayport, Texas, also in 2021."We're building in North America to supply global demand," said Thayer, who's been with Nova since 1997. "When you look at per capita consumption of polyethylene, there are a lot of great opportunities."Nova is seeing end-market growth in both durables and flexibles, according to Thayer. E-commerce is creating needs for new types of packaging, he said, and PE pouches are becoming used more widely for products ranging from sugar to pet food.On the durable side, the need for infrastructure investment is leading to growth in HDPE pipe. Interest in sustainability and lightweighting also are increasing interest in Nova's PE materials, Thayer said.Nova in August took a step toward reducing plastic ocean debris when it pledged to invest almost $2 million during the next three years to prevent plastic debris from reaching the ocean.The investment supports Project Stop, a new global initiative to reduce marine plastic pollution, especially in countries with high leakage of plastics into our oceans.Nova's investment will support the first city partnership in Muncar, Indonesia, a coastal fishing community.Project Stop was co-created in 2017 by materials firm Borealis — a sister company of Nova's — and SYSTEMIQ, a sustainable land use and energy firm. Nova may invest in two other Indonesian cities as well, Thayer said."We need to train communities in how to handle waste and find markets for recycled products," he added. "And we need a full supply chain approach to this. We want this to be an example for what needs to happen across Asia."At GPS 2018, IHS Markit analyst Nick Vafiadis provided an update of the regional PE field. He said that some North American capacity additions that had been delayed because of Hurricane Harvey and other factors now are fully operational, and more are expected during 2019.The ongoing tariff fight between the U.S. and China caused some PE exports from the U.S. to be rerouted during 2018, Vafiadis said. The issue of sustainability gained more traction in 2018 as well, he added, and could be a challenge to PE makers in 2019 if more bans take hold.The global PE market currently has a surplus, but demand is expected to grow at a 4.5 percent annual rate through 2023. Vafiadis described current market conditions as "pretty healthy," but he added that PE demand "could be threatened" by external factors.North American operating rates for low density PE are around 92 percent, with HDPE operating rates around 90 percent and those for LLDPE lower at 84 percent. Ultimately, Vafiadis said that he expects around 20 billion pounds of new PE capacity to be added in North America in the 2016-22 period."We've been talking about a [PE] renaissance for some time," he said. "And now shale gas has propelled North American [profit] margins higher than western Europe and southeast Asia."Vafiadis added that the wave of new PE capacity in North America has been "a net win for [North American] processors in pricing and demand.""Domestic [PE] sales are nine percent ahead of where they were [in 2017]," he said. "That's s solid evidence that demand is growing and that processors are benefiting. At NPE, we talked to a lot of processing machinery companies who had backlogs of orders."

Editor 2018-12-25

Evonik develops high resistant, flexible PEBA powder for 3D printing

- Evonik develops high resistant, flexible PEBA powder for 3D printingEvonik has developed flexible plastic material based on PEBA (polyether block amide) for use in 3D printing. The new high-performance powder stands out for its high elasticity and strength and is suitable for a variety of powder-based 3D printing technologies.3D printed parts made from the new PEBA powder show a high degree of flexibility, excellent resistance to chemicals and outstanding durability over a wide temperature range from -40°C to 90°C.The powder is also ideally suited for the manufacture of functional 3D high-tech plastic parts – for prototypes as well as series products.The company's PEBA material is suitable for a variety of powder-based 3D printing technologies such as laser sintering (LS), high speed sintering (HSS) or binder jetting.The flexible synthetic powder was optimized for use in EOS laser sintering systems as part of an intensive development collaboration between the specialty chemicals company and the leading technology provider for industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers. It has been successfully adopted into the material portfolios of multiple service providers. EOS marketed the powder material under the name "PrimePart ST".“Flexible polymer materials significantly expand the options for additive manufacturing because they allow us to realize new, demanding applications in attractive markets,” said Fabian Stoever, senior product manager for polymers at EOS, the global technology and quality leader for high-end solutions in the area of additive manufacturing from Germany.“In addition, the variety of materials not only enables us to produce individual high-tech functional components, but also to develop much more sophisticated 3D concepts that make use of the entire material range.”The development of the flexible high-performance powder expanded Evonik’s existing product portfolio of synthetic materials for 3D printing. The specialty chemicals company is a world leader in the production of polyamide 12 powders (PA 12), which have been used in 3D printing for over 20 years. Evonik produces the powder materials at its largest global site, the Marl Chemical Park.Source: CPRJ International

Aeyoung Park 2018-09-03

SABIC LAUNCHES STADECK™ HEAVY-DUTY PANELS

SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, announces the launch of STADECK™, its new heavy- duty panel for the building and construction industry. Made from glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin, the panel is extremely lightweight and offers significant advantages across a wide range of construction applications and building techniques where weight saving is important.Although the panels are low weight, their innovative construction and design makes them remarkably strong. Additionally, STADECK™ panels have great weather- and chemical resistance, have anti-slip properties and excellent fire behavior. STADECK™ panels are NEN-EN 12811-1 certified which makes them a good candidate for scaffolding applications.When compared to standard wooden planks, commonly used in the building industry, STADECK™ panels are a more sustainable option, due to their excellent recyclability and weight savings, which can be as much as 60 percent. Added to which, cost savings of up to 32 percent, the panels deliver significant handling advantages along with financial benefits - in addition to reducing overall construction weight.“SABIC has always played a pioneering role in the development of ground-breaking new materials,” said Mr. Peter van den Bleek, Senior Product Manager. “The addition of STADECK™ panels to our portfolio of innovative products is further testament to SABIC’s forward-looking capabilities and commitment to delivering greater productivity, safety and profitability to our building and construction customers.”Corrosion-free and moisture resistant, STADECK™ panels have been shown to have a significantly longer life than wooden planks. The new panels are particularly well suited to building applications such as scaffolding, frame works decking, fencing, floodwalls, jetties, sheathing, and wheel chair ramps, among many others. Quickly installed, STADECK™ panels are also well suited for temporary applications such as flooring at events and festivals.The panels can be produced in different colors like wood, stone and grass variated colors - and come in the following standard dimensions, although custom lengths can be supplied on request: gauge 55 mm; width 230 mm; and lengths of 3,000 mm and 6,000 mm. For more information: sfs.sabic.eu/product/lexan-building-systems.

Aeyoung Park 2018-08-20

BASF Acquires Two Manufacturers of 3D Printing Materials

- Advanc3D Materials markets high-performance plastic powders and formulations for selective laser sintering (SLS)- Setup Performance develops and manufactures innovative products for laser sintering- Research, development and distribution of SLS materials will continue under the umbrella of BASF 3D Printing SolutionsBASF New Business GmbH (BNB) has acquired all the shares of Advanc3D Materials GmbH in Hamburg and Setup Performance SAS in Lyon. Advanc3D Materials offers advanced, tailor-made plastic powders and formulations for selective laser sintering (SLS) together with process knowhow. Setup Performance, which operates a production site in Lyon, is Advanc3D Materials’ most important partner in the development and manufacture of SLS materials. BNB is integrating both companies into its subsidiary BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH (B3DPS). The acquisition is an important step forward for BASF in its expansion in the field of 3D printing.“Following our acquisition of Innofil3D last year and the consequent strengthening of our market presence in plastic filaments for layer extrusion we are now in similar fashion expanding our market access in the area of powder bed fusion. The portfolio complements our existing range, being perfectly suited to products such as polyamide 11, polyamide 12 and polypropylene,” says Dr. Dietmar Bender, Vice President Manufacturing & Technology at BNB. In April, B3DPS introduced a new PA6 material for selective laser sintering that can easily be processed on most SLS machines commonly used in the market today.Advanc3D Materials is already well established in the market, offering a wide range of products as well as comprehensive market and application expertise. A consistent, finely ground powder, UV stabilizer additions and good free flow are among the elements required to enable the materials to be used in 3D printing. Setup Performance is Advanc3D’s contract manufacturer and development partner. The company’s product & process development and production site in Lyon is noted for its high efficiency and short development cycles for new products.“We are looking forward to being part of BASF. This will enable us to expand and further develop new formulations for the industrial additive manufacturing activities of our customers all over the world,” explains François Minec, Managing Director of Advanc3D.“This know-how, the infrastructure and the advanced materials are a perfect complement for us,” says Dietmar Bender. Existing and new customers, especially in the automotive and consumer goods industries, can now benefit from the expanded portfolio of B3DPS. “This acquisition is a further step toward our objective to become a leading supplier of powder-based materials and formulations for industrial 3D printing.”3D printing is gaining in importanceThe production of individually formed plastic parts through additive layer manufacturing by a 3D printing process is becoming increasingly important in the industry. One production method is selective laser sintering (SLS). Using a three-dimensional structural design, a laser draws the shape of an object in a powder such as polyamide. The material hit by the laser melts and the required 3D object is produced layer by layer. Up until now, many complex plastic parts had to be produced by injection molding. The significant advantages of 3D printing include lower costs in small series and much faster production, because no mold is required. Parts manufacturers can thus react much faster to customer requests and meet individual customer requirements much more easily.

Aeyoung Park 2018-07-12