New polyolefin elastomers for resin modification.

An expanded slate of Engage polyolefin elastomers from DuPont Dow Elastomers, Wilmington, Del., includes new grades for blow molding and extrusion. At its new 300,000 million-lb/yr plant in Plaquemine, La., the company is now producing eight new grades, some of which were first unveiled as developmental grades last summer. They are designed to modify a broader range of polyolefins in non-automotive applications.

* Engage ENR 7086 (26 Mooney, 0.901 g/cc, >0.5 MI) is a new high-melt-strength ethylene-butene copolymer designed for modifying PP homo- or copolymers for blow molding, extrusion, and thermoforming. It can also be used to improve the melt strength and toughness of filled HDPE extrusion compounds. When blended at 15% to 20% with PP, it enables blow molding of larger parts like boat fenders and allows thermoforming with deeper draws and a much broader processing window. It also boosts impact strength of clarified PP blends for replacing PET and PS.

* ENR 7256 (2 MI, 0.885 g/cc, ethylene-butene) and ENR 8556 (2 MI, 0.870 g/cc, ethylene-octene) are both optimized for foams and extrusion of tubing, profiles, and wire/cable. ENR 7256 has a 79 Shore A hardness while ENR 8556 is 68 Shore A. Both are said to offer improved processability and faster extrusion rates. In wire and cable, they enhance physical properties when combined with fillers or crosslinked. In extruded profiles, they are said to enable faster extrusion rates and higher output. Target markets include cross-linked elastomers and flexible thermoplastics.

* ENR 7380 (48 Mooney, 0.870 g/cc) is a butene grade designed as an elastomeric extender for soft TPEs. When blended at 25% to 30% with SEBS, it reportedly maintains all critical performance properties while lowering the overall compound cost by 5-10%. Its low crystallinity and enhanced melt strength reportedly also make it an excellent modifier of PP for thermoforming.

* ENR 7270 (0.8 MI, 0.880 g/cc), ENR 7447 (5 MI, 0.865 g/cc), and ENR 7467 (1.2 MI, 0.862 g/cc) are three butene grades designed for automotive TPOs and non-automotive plastics modification. ENR 7467 is a high-performance grade with very low crystallinity; it boasts superior low-temperature toughness. ENR 7270 is a general-purpose grade that is said to offer a good cost/performance balance for modifying PP and HDPE. ENR 7447 is a high-flow, low-density grade designed for use in combination with other Engage elastomers to fine-tune PP and HDPE modification. At 5% to 10% levels in PP and HDPE, ENR 7270 and 7447 are said to significantly improve impact properties in furniture, appliances, and lawn/garden equipment. Tel: [phone] * PT Direct: 344SD