Cyclic oligomer yields PBT-based TPE. (Keeping up with Materials).

Cyclics Corp. Rensselaer, N.Y., has, for the first time, created a PBT-based thermoplastic elastomer by reactive extrusion. The process combines Cyclics' liquid, low-molecular-weight PBT oligomer with other unidentified polymers. The advantage of this approach is that it allows fast and easy production of a wide range of soft and hard copolyester-ether block copolymers directly in the extruder. "We are excited about our ability to both create elastomeric materials with properties not currently attainable and to tailor those properties to customer specifications simply by adjusting the ratio of inputs before extrusion," says Cyclics CEO John Ciovacco.

Copolyester-ether elastomers are block copolymers composed of alternating hard PBT and soft polyether glycol segments. Familiar brands include DuPont's Hytrel and DSM's Amitel. Cyclics Corp. is developing markets for its proprietary cyclic oligomers. These innovative products have a water-like processing viscosity but they react in the mold to form high-molecular-weight engineering thermoplastics. Its first product is a PBT precursor called CBT Resin.