New antistatic technology for PP, PS, PE. (Keeping up with Materials).

Prostat Corp. in Bensenville, Ill., a manufacturer of portable instruments for sensing electrostatic charge, along with resin producer Carmel Olefins of Haifa, Israel, have formed a venture to exploit their jointly developed static-control technology. Their Nova Electropolymer technology is said to produce polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene compounds with permanent static control for electronic, medical, and aerospace applications. Their techniques entail modifying the polymer itself and incorporating proprietary additives and compounding technology. Resulting materials are said to feature a stable surface resistance of [10.sup.7] to [10.sup.9] ohms that is not dependent on moisture. They will compete with carbon-filled polyolefins and PS that have typical surface resistance around [10.sup.4] ohms and also with antistatic compounds containing traditional organic additives that migrate to the polymer surface and interact with moisture.

Nova Electropolymer compounds for injection molding, extrusion, and thermoforming will be custom formulated by Carmel Olefins and marketed internationally by Prostat. Typical price range for static-dissipative compounds will be $3 to $4.50/lb. Specialty alloys, non-halogen UL 94V-0 grades, and compounds for cleanroom environments will sell in the $6 to $7/lb range. Tel: [phone], www.prostatcorp.com