Plastics Additives & Compounding January/February 2004

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NewsINDUSTRY

PolyOne and Merquinsa enter TPU partnershipPolyOne International andSpanish company Merquinsahave signed a partnership anddevelopment agreement todevelop and distribute newthermoplastic polyurethane(TPU) speciality compounds.The new TPU product rangewill be marketed under theOnFlex™-U thermoplasticelastomer compounds brand.The companies say that underthe agreement, PolyOne willdevelop OnFlex-U TPUcompounds based onMerquinsa's Pearlthane® TPUspeciality elastomers. Inaddition, the alliance is said toprovide plans to coordinateresearch and developmentefforts to expand OnFlex-Uapplications and to develop awide range of novel TPUcompounds for extrusion andinjection moulding markets.OnFlex-U thermoplasticelastomer compounds are

claimed to offer excellentabrasion resistance and retainsflexibility at low temperatures.It offers good tensile strengthand has high resistance to cutand tear.The partnership is said to createa complementary product lineto the PolyOne portfolio thatalready includes OnFlex-S andBergaflex® (TPE-S), andOnFlex-V (TPE-V)thermoplastic elastomercompounds. The alliance alsoenables Merquinsa toconsolidate its position as aworld leading thermoplasticpolyurethane (TPU) specialityproducer by having access to abroader range of specialitymarkets and applications for itspolymers.Typical applications of theseOnFlex-U compounds arefound in cable sheathing andautomotive wire, where halogen-free flame-retardant compounds

with increased abrasionresistance, and improvedresistance to oil and hydrolysis,are advantageous. Other possibleOnFlex-U applications includepower cable, hose and conveyorbelts, cable jackets, gaskets, hosesand profiles."This agreement offers ourcustomers a wider range of TPEcompounds and supportsPolyOne's continuing efforts todevelop our TPE productplatform," said Marc Setzen,TPE product manager forPolyOne. "Customers willgreatly benefit from thecombination of PolyOne'sformulation and compoundingexpertise, and Merquinsa'sPearlthane TPU technology." Speaking for Merquinsa, Jean-Marc Galvez, global businessmanager, TPU elastomers said:"The market for TPUcompounds is growing fast inautomotive, industrial and

ergonomic applications. We seegreat value in working withPolyOne, a strong market-development partner for high-performance elastomerscompounds. This agreement isan example of Merquinsacontinuing commitment toinvest in and strengthen itsPearlthane TPU specialtyelastomers business, whichincludes a full technologyportfolio of TPU tailor-madesolutions for the global marketplace."The companies say thatproduction of OnFlex-Ucompounds will begin inEurope and Asia during 2004.

Contacts:PolyOne Th. Bergmann GmbHTel: +49 7225 68020E-mail: onflex@polyone.comMerquinsaTel: +34 93 572 1100E-mail: info@merquinsa.com

Rauwendaal Extrusion Engineering joins withItalian companiesUS-based RauwendaalExtrusion Engineering (REE,Inc.) has signed an agreementwith OMG S.p.A. and RCT srlto develop, manufacture andsell special extruder andinjection moulding screws forthe Italian and Swiss markets.These screw designs willincorporate patented screwgeometries developed at REE. REE, OMG, and RCT willprovide high performancescrews for extrusion andinjection moulding. REE addsthat it has developed the CRD

mixer technology that useselongational mixing forimproved mixing and productquality. According to thecompany, CRD mixing screwshave been introduced into theItalian marketplace withconsiderable success. Morerecently REE developed theVIP mixer technology that usesa floating sleeve withprotruding pins that fullyintermesh with the screw. TheVIP is claimed to allow veryeffective distributive mixingover a short distance. The

CRD and VIP technologiesallow extruders and injectionmoulders to achieve significantimprovement in performance.OMG is a major screw andbarrel manufacturer located inCamignone (BS), Italy and ispart of the Spreafico Group.The group is the largest screwand barrel manufacturer inItaly and one of the biggest inEurope. RCT is an engineeringfirm located in Vedano Olona(VA), Italy that specializes inextrusion, compounding andrecycling. RCT is the exclusive

representative of REE in Italyand Switzerland. REE is anengineering companyspecializing in the design ofextruder screws located in LosAltos Hills, California-USA;the company supplies customextruder screws, consultingengineering and offers anumber of trainingprogrammes. Contact:Rauwendaal ExtrusionEngineering, IncTel: +1 650 948 6266Website: www.rauwendaal.com