Biobased & copolyester blends debut at NPE.

Lots of new thermoplastic blends made news at the recent NPE show in Chicago. Among them were blends of the new Tritan copolyester from Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, Tenn., with ABS. Compounded and sold by Cleveland-based PolyOne Corp., these Edgetek XT blends reportedly can replace polycarbonate (with minimal retooling needed) in housings for handheld electronics and battery-powered tools, as well as housewares and sporting goods. The blends boast high chemical resistance and hydrolytic stability, excellent toughness, high gloss, and easy processing. PolyOne also offers special grades for medical housings under the name Trilliant XT.

PolyOne also came out with Resound biopolymer blends for heat-resistant durable applications previously out of reach for bioresins. These blends combine biopolymers such as PLA, PHB, PHBV, and biopolyesters with compatible engineering resins like ABS, PC, ABS/PC, PTT polyester, and cellulosics (the last two also being biobased). They contain at least 30% biobased content but also achieve HDTs up to 120 C/248 F and notched Izod impact resistance up to 12 ft-lb/in. (53 J/m). Applications could include computer laptops, cell phones, PDAs, and auto parts.

PolyOne's GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers business also launched Versaflex Bio TPE alloys based on TPUs, other TPEs, oils, and plasticizers. They have biobased content of 63% to 70% and hardnesses from 40 to 70 Shore A. (GLS also launched OnFlex Bio TPEs based on Pearlthane ECO biobased TPUs from Merquinsa of Spain. OnFlex Bio has at least 50% renewable content.)

Teknor Apex Co., Pawtucket, R.I., introduced its new Bioplastics Div. and its first three products, based on thermoplastic starch (TPS) technology licensed from Cerestech, Inc., Montreal. Its Terraloy line includes 100% biodegradable blends and "hybrids"--blends of TPS with conventional resins. Blends of TPS with other bioplastics like PLA are in development.

Terraloy BP-13000A is a blend of 25% to 30% TPS with PP for injection molding (photo). Terraloy BP-10000A is a blend of 25-30% TPS with LLDPE for blown film (photo). Properties of these blends are said to be similar to those of straight PP or LLDPE.

Terraloy BP-20001A for injection molding is a 100% biodegradable blend of TPS with a biodegradable (but petrochemical-based) copolyester. Since TPS costs less than the copolyester, varying the TPS level permits tailoring the compound for economy and desired level of renewable content. The blends also have greater elongation and better printability than the copolyester alone, and also are inherently antistatic.

800-EASTMAN * www.eastman.com

[phone] * www.polyone.com

[phone] * www.glscorp.com

[phone] * www.teknorapex.com

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