Thermoplastics

THERMOPLASTICS

DIRECTORY AND DATABOOK

Compiled by David Bashford Materials Consultant ERA Technology Limited Leatherhead Surrey UK

CHAPMAN cSt HALL London· Weinheim . New York· Tokyo· Melbourne· Madras Published by Chapman & Hall, 2-6 Boundary Row, London SE18HN, UK

Chapman & Hall, 2-6 Boundary Row, London SEI 8HN, UK Chapman & Hall GmbH, Pappelallee 3,69469 Weinheim, Germany Chapman & Hall USA, 115 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003, USA

Chapman & Hall Japan, ITP-Japan, Kyowa Building, 3F, 2-2-1 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102, Japan

Chapman & Hall Australia, 102 Dodds Street, South Melbourne, Victoria 3205, Australia

Chapman & Hall India, R. Seshadri, 32 Second Main Road, CIT East, Madras 600 035, India

First edition 1997

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

§ Printed on acid-free text paper, manufactured in accordance with ANSIINISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper). CONTENTS

PREFACE vi The Structure of this Book vi Notes on Thermoplastics Technology vi Polymer Abbreviations and Symbols viii Acknowledgements viii

PART ONE: REVIEW OF THERMOPLASTICS 1 Introduction 3 Thermoplastic Groups 5 Further Sources of Information 27

PART TWO: DIRECTORY SECTION 29 Introduction 31 Manufacturers and Compounders: Thermoplastic Products 32 Thermoplastic Products: Manufacturers and Compounders 41 Manufacturers and Compounders with Agents, Suppliers and Distributors 48 Multisource Distributors and Suppliers 65 Contact Details 73 Companies by Country 116 Useful Names and Addresses 123

PART THREE: DATABOOK SECTION 135 Introduction 137 List of Test Method Standards 138 Key to Data Sheets and Properties 139

Polyolefins 143 Low Density Polyethylene (LOPE) 143 Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) 147 Medium Density Polyethylene (MOPE) 150 High Density Polyethylene (HOPE) 151 Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW PE) 162 Crosslinkable Polyethylene (XLPE) 163 Chlorinated Polyethylene (CPE) 164 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) 164 lonomers 167 Polypropylenes (PP) 168 Polybutylene (PB) 185 Polymethylpentene (PMP) 186 Highly Crystalline Polyolefin (HCPO) 187

Styrenics 189 Polystyrenes (PS) 189 Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) 201 Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) 208 Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylic (ASA) 221 Styrene Maleic Anhydride (SMA) 222 Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS) 223 Styrene Ethylene Butylene Styrene (SEBS) 225

Vinyl Chlorides 227 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) 227 Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC) 234 Poly Vinylidene Chloride (PVDC) 235 iv Contents

Fluoropolymers 237 Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) 237 Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) 241 Perfluoro-alkoxy copolymers (PFA) 241 Tetrafluoroethylene and Perfluoromethylvinylether copolymer (MFA) 242 Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymers (ETFE) 243 Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) 243 Ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymers (ECTFE) 247 Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) 247

Acrylics 249 Polymethylmethacrylates (PMMA) 249

Polyacetals 255 Polyoxymethylene; Polyacetals (POM) 255

Polyamides (Nylons) 269 Polyamide 6 (PA6) 269 Polyamide 11 (PA11) 290 Polyamide 12 (PA12) 293 Polyamide 46 (PA46) 299 Polyamide 63 (PA63) 300 Polyamide 66 (PA66) 301 Polyamide 610 {PA610) 321 Polyamide 612 (PA612) 322 Polyamide Copolymers (CoPA) 324 Polyarylamide (PAA) 328 Polyamide PA6-6-T 328 Amorphous Polyamide (PA6-3-T) 329

Polyurethanes 331 Polyurethanes (PUR) 331

Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) 339 All TPE products, irrespective of type, are listed alphabetically by manufacturer's name with the first appearing on the following pages: Polyurethane based (PUR or TPU and Polyether or Polyester chemistry) 339 Polyester based 341 Polyamide based: Polyether Block Amides (PEBA) 344 Styrenic based 346 Olefinic based 349

Polymer Alloys 353 Blends 353

Polyphthalamides 373 Polyphthalamides (PPA) 373

Aromatic Polyesters 377 Polycarbonates (PC) 377 Polyethylene Terephthalates (PET) 394 Polybutylene Terephthalates (PBT) 399 Copolyesters 424 Polycyclohexylene Dimethylene Terephthalate (PCT) 424 Liquid Crystal Polymers 425

Aliphatic Polyketones 431 Aliphatic Polyketones (APK) 431 Contents v

Polyarylene Ethers 433 Polyphenylene Oxides (PPO) 433 Polyphenylene Ethers (PPE) 440

Aromatic Polyketones 443 Polyketones 443 Polyaryletherketone (PAEK) 444 Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) 445 Polyetherketoneetherketoneketone(PEKEKK) 448

Sulphides I Sulphones 449 Polyphenylenesulphide (PPS) 449 Polysulphones (PSU) 460 Polyethersulphones (PES) 464 Polyarylsulphone (PAS) 468

Polyimides 469 Polyamideimides (PAl) 469 Polyetherimides (PEl) 470 Thermoplastic Polyimide (TPI) 473

PART FOUR: APPENDICES AND INDEXES 475 Appendix A - Multilingual Vocabulary 477 Appendix B - Conversion Factors and Units 481 Index of Trade Names 482 Index of Thermoplastics with Abbreviations 492 PREFACE The overall aim of this book is to aid the process of sourcing and selecting appropriate thermoplastic polymers. There are now a wide diversity of thermoplastics offered for commercial uses. At one end of the range are the high-volume commodity materials for short life consumer applications. Whereas at the other end are the high• value engineering materials; with significant levels of mechanical, physical and electrical performance.

Within this publication, the generic groups of thermoplastics can be identified, along with their respective attributes and limitations. All thermoplastics are available in different grades. The constituents selected to form a grade are chosen to modify aspects of material behaviour, both during processing and in the final moulded form. The directory addresses materials which can be obtained in granular, powder or paste form for subsequent processing. Information is not provided directly on semi-finished product forms, such as films, fibres, sheet or profiles, other than when inferred from the processing descriptions of specified grades.

The directory covers virgin or compounded material. It does not specifically address reclaimed or recycled grades. Data is provided for the mechanical and physical properties of moulded grades as processed by the route intended by the primary manufacturer (M) or compounder (C). Material grades can be obtained from a number of sources; either the original polymer manufacturer or a recognised compounder who produces a range of grades.

Greater emphasis is given to providing comprehensive data and information on the engineering thermoplastics than on the commodity materials. The number of individual grades offered for the later is in some cases enormous and cannot all be covered. For these, indicative data is provided and manufacturers should be approached for more details of all the material options available.

The Structure of this Book The book is divided into four main parts:

o Part One - Review of Thermoplastics: Provides a broad introduction to thermoplastics which are covered by seventeen (17) generic groups. o Part Two - Directory Section: Contains comprehensive listings of primary manufacturers and compounders; their products, trade names and contact details. Plus the identity of subsidiaries, agents and distributors. o Part Three - Databook Section: Covers all the generic groups of thermoplastics and provides data for individual grades offered by each manufacturer and compounder. o Part Four - Appendices and Indexes: Includes a multilingual vocabulary, index of trade names and an index of thermoplastics. Thermoplastics can be identified and selected from any of the following:

o Trade name index, see pages 482 to 491. o Listing of manufacturers and compounders, see pages 32 to 40. o Listing by polymer types, see pages 41 to 47. o The index of thermoplastics at the back of the book, see pages 492 to 493. The page number(s) for the data tables can be identified from each of these.

Notes on Thermoplastics Technology

Groups of Thermoplastics The various materials can be broadly grouped to differentiate between engineering thermoplastics and the commodity materials; although some polymers can fall into both categories:

o High-performance engineering thermoplastics: Fluoropolymers (PTFE, FEP, PVDF), liquid crystal polymers (LCP), polyphenylene oxides or ethers (PPO, PPE), aromatic polyketones (PEEK, PAEK), polyphenylene sulphides (PPS), polysulphones (PSU), polyether sulphones (PES), polyamideimides (PAl), polyetherimides (PEl), polyimides (TPI). Preface vii o Engineering thermoplastics: Polyacetals (POM), polyamides (PA, nylons), polyphthalamides (PPA), polycarbonates (PC), polybutylene terephthalates (PST). o Engineering (and commodity) thermoplastics: Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ASS), polymethylmethacrylates (PMMA), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), polyethylene terephthalates (PET). o Commodity (and engineering) thermoplastics: High density polyethylenes (HOPE), polypropylenes (PP), ethylene vinyl acetates (EVA), ionomers, polyvinyl chlorides (PVC). o Commodity thermoplastics: Low density polyethylenes (LOPE), polystyrenes (PS), cellulose acetate (CA). This directory and databook covers over 65 polymers, classed by their generic chemistry.

Applications The development and use of thermoplastics is aligned to different commercial sectors. The major ones are:

o Automotive: under bonnet uses (radiators, hoses, electrical components, housings, etc.), external (bumpers, lights, trim, spoilers, fuel tanks, etc.) and interior fittings (dashboards, fixtures, trim, etc.). o Electrical and electronic products: domestic appliances (refrigerators, microwave ovens, coffee makers, kettles, etc.), office equipment (telecommunications, computers, fax machines, etc.) and entertainment (televisions, hi-fi, personal stereos, computer games, etc.). o Health care: Surgical implements, catheters, implants, syringes, steralized components, tubing. o Building and construction: pipework and fittings (gas, water, drainage, etc.), electrical cabling and ducting, sheeting, panelling, windows, storage containers, bulk handling, geotextiles, tools. o Packaging: films, shrink-films, plastic bags, blister packs, containers. o Consumer goods: furniture, toys, cosmetics, houseware, leisure and sports.

Processing Methods Thermoplastics can be processed in a number of ways to optimise product output:

[J Injection moulding (multiple cavity, large cavity, reaction and foaming).

[J Slow moulding. o Rotational moulding. [J Compression and transfer mOUlding. [J Extrusion and extrusion coating [J Co-extrusion.

[J Film (extruded, cast and blown).

[J Drawn filaments and spun fibres. [J Hot dip, electrostatic and fluidized bed coating. [J Plastisols. The resulting product form can be secondary processed by: thermoforming, welding, calendering, embossing, metallizing, shrinking and bonding. Thermoplastics must, therefore, have both the desired processing characteristics and the required moulded properties. The base virgin resin is normally compounded with other constituents to achieve the desired overall performance, including: reinforcements and fillers, other polymers and elastomers, antioxidants, UV stabilisers, fire retardants, colourants and lubricants.

Author's Note The material characteristics and thermoplastics property data in this book have been compiled from technical data sheets obtained from manufacturers, to whom I extend my gratitude. Great care has been taken to ensure that the information is accurately represented here, but no responsibility can be taken for errors or omissions either in original documentation or by transference to this directory. The data presented is for guidance only and additional information should be sought on the current commercial availability of materials and their properties. viii Preface Polymer Abbreviations and Symbols

With the diversity of thermoplastics available, and the considerable length of the full chemical names, abbreviations are widely used for each polymer. These are not necessarily consistent across the world, given the language constraints and different industrial sectors involved.

An international system of symbols has been devised, ISO 1043-1 (Part 1), which provides a structured means of describing polymers and rubbers. It will also allow special characteristics to be allocated where the polymer has been modified in some way, e.g. chlorinated, plasticized or crosslinked. Parts two and three of ISO 1043-1 cover symbols for fillers and reinforcing materials, and plasticizers respectively.

This directory does not fully follow ISO 1043-1, but in some cases uses the most common abbreviations found in the polymer industry, or in general use.

Some examples are provided below where common abbreviations are used, in comparison with the formal approach put forward by ISO 1043-1.

Material ISO 1043-1 Common Abbreviation Unplasticized polyvinyl chloride PVC-U uPVC or UPVC Chlorinated polyethylene PE-C CPE Linear low density polyethylene PE-LLD LLDPE Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene PE-UHMW UHMWHDPE High impact polystyrene PS-HI HIPS

Blends or alloys between two polymers types are indicated as: PC/ABS, in this case polycarbonate and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene.

If more than one abbreviation is used for a polymer by different manufacturers or suppliers, this is shown in this publication. A particularly confusing group of materials are the polyurethanes, which can be abbreviated as TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), PUR (polyurethane rubber) or polyurethane TPE (thermoplastic elastomer). The range of possible polyethylenes are also considerable, depending on whether density, molecular weight, copolymerization or blending have been optimised to obtain particular properties.

An index is provided at the back of this publication which fully describes each abbreviation. It also offers a quick means of locating information and data on a polymer as page numbers are given against each one.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Jo Wilson and Bob Hussey of RJ Technical Consultants for their considerable support and patience in helping with the production of this book. Not least with data entry, lay-out and the finer pOints of word processing whilst miSSing out on fine summer days sitting at computers.