Wide range of high performance nylon materials

American Ems-Grivory (South Carolina) is a manufacturer of nylon materials. Recently, based on traditional products, it has introduced a series of grades of local aromatic nylons. These new resins have properties ranging from standard engineering thermoplastics to high-performance specialty polymers. Between things. The company also plans to expand the production of nylon resin products through technical cooperation, acquisitions or joint ventures.

Hobi, president of Ems-Grivory's subsidiary in Switzerland, said: “We are a nylon manufacturer, but we are always striving to diversify our products and expand our business scope.”

1Aiming for high-end product market

Ems-Grivory is gradually phasing out the nylon 6 and nylon 66 compounding business. This business area is constantly being seized by mixed-mix processing plants that use recycled materials to process and sell mixed products at lower prices. Hobi stressed: "We think this market phenomenon is not reasonable. We are not a manufacturer of cheap mixed materials." The strategic goal of the company is to manufacture high-end processed materials such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone) and polysulfone. , LCP (liquid crystal polymer), polyimide. A set of implementation plans has now been completed.

Ems-Grivory is also expanding its production base. The company launched a breakthrough bottleneck project, which adds 4.4 million pounds of resin annual capacity at the Sumter production plant. This will satisfy the growing market demand for barrier nylon materials in the flexible packaging and hard packaging industries. In addition, the company plans to add another production line with annual capacity of 440 to 6.6 million pounds in the next 2-3 years. The opening of a new agency to provide technical services to injection molding and extrusion processing customers is expected to start in 2005. All employees are trained.

2 Local Aromatic Nylon

The company's introduction of a topical aromatic nylon resin has become a major highlight. Its registered trademark is "Grivory" and its material properties are superior to aliphatic nylon 6 and nylon 66 materials. This is a semicrystalline resin made from the polymerization of aromatic acids such as hexamethylenediamine, terephthalic acid or isophthalic acid. These new resins are not affected by moisture (Nylon is usually hygroscopic), have excellent high barrier properties, are suitable for multilayer packaging materials, have high stiffness and can be used as metal replacement materials, have high heat resistance and can be used Process electronic component connectors; and used to process various components under the hood of a car. The Grivory G4V grade in the Grivory line is a tough, high-flow grade material, and the resulting product has an excellent surface texture. This patented nylon polymer is produced using a 6I/6T mixture (a mixture of terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid) mixed with 20% to 60% of glass fiber. The G4V grade is comparable to the enhanced MXD6 nylon material, such as Mitsubishi's Reny and Sonyville's Ixef. Applications include office equipment, automotive interior and exterior trims.

G4V nylon has high flow characteristics and can be used to machine complex thin-walled parts. The 50% glass-reinforced G4V grades have spiral flow lengths of 450mm and 325mm, respectively, compared to the equally enhanced MXD6 nylon material. According to the company, injection molding manufacturers can use G4V-grade materials to produce products with better surface gloss at lower mold temperatures. At a mold temperature of 176 degrees Fahrenheit, 50% glass-reinforced G4V grades exhibit 70% gloss, while the MXD6 has only 30% gloss. In addition, G4V also has better impact strength.

Other new grades of local aromatic nylon series materials, respectively, there is a UV stability grade, and a flame retardant grade, the latter added high-temperature polyphthalamide (PPA) material, of which PPA DuPont selected ZytelHTN or Sony Amodel from Vail. GrivoryXE3876 grade nylon is a 30% glass-reinforced 6T/66 copolymer, free of halogen and red phosphorus. Can be applied to lead-free soldering. The company is still exploring the use of other flame-retardant PPA materials to further develop high-glass-fiber-filled reinforced nylon grades. GrivoryGV-5HL is a UV-resistant grade made from a 50% glass-reinforced 6I/6T copolymer with the advantages of weatherability and outdoor gloss retention. Applications for this grade include materials for the housing of communication devices, as well as lawn and garden fences and benches.

3 new barrier solutions

Another major area of ​​growth for Ems-Grivory is barrier packaging, with the introduction of MXD6/MXDI copolymers for the processing of co-extruded films and stretch blow-molded multilayer plastic bottles. Recently, Grivory HB5299 grade oriented film processing materials were produced. Under high and low humidity conditions, oxygen permeability was 4 cc-m2-day-bar, and carbon dioxide permeability was 15 cc-m2-day-bar. This grade is a potential replacement for MXD6 and EVOH. GrivoryHB

The 5299 grade has a melting point of 220°C and can use lower co-extrusion temperatures than MXD6 and other barrier materials. The lower crystallinity maintains optical transparency and strong orientation properties. High heat resistance is more suitable for the manufacture of sterilizable medical devices and food packaging containers.

GrivoryXS05-01 grade is a multi-layered PET bottle processing material that can be used to package carbonated soft drinks and fruit juice beverages. It has the same barrier properties as HB5299 and has a lower delamination peeling tendency due to the lower crystallization rate. In addition, the XS05-01 grade maintains its transparency in high humidity environments.

4 highlights of transparent materials

Ems-Grivory also manufactures nylon 12 materials, which are mainly used to process transparent products, especially optical lens sheets. The new GrilamidTRXE3805 grade, which is replacing polycarbonate, is used to process non-corrected lenses. The amorphous nylon 12T grade is said not to produce stress cracking, which is a common defect when assembling PC lens lenses with screws. The company is working hard to develop a nylon 12 grade that can be used to process automotive air ducts.

In the field of automotive applications, exhaust pipes made exclusively for diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars have been patented for designing inventions. This rigid and flexible exhaust pipe uses an extrusion blow molding process. The hard part of the pipe is processed with Grilon EB50Hnylon6, while the soft part is processed with Grilon ELX50HNZ nylon elastomer. The new pipeline consists of three parts, named Moax, which can be used as an alternative to traditional aluminum/thermoset rubber structural pipes up to 7 layers. This type of pipe part, which is entirely made of nylon material, can control the expansion and deformation very well under the conditions of heat and pressure. In the direction of possible expansion, it can reach the softness through the integrated design of the flat part area. Stiffness balance. (Translated by Zhong Wen)

Source: Foreign Plastics