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PRESS
European Plastic Product Manufacturer - May 2010
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Unbelievabowl
UK-based indepent materials specialist PTS has announced its Flexisoft materials are being used exclusively on the new Vital Baby range launched in June 2009 in a wide variety of applications from soft-feel grips on drinking cups to children's cutlery.
The new Unbelievabowl is an exciting addition to the Vital Baby product line and has been designed to stick to the baby's highchair or tabletop with ultimate super suction power - making mealtimes less stressful and less messy.
The Unbelievabowl has been nominated for the prestigious Kind and Jugend innovation award and in November 2009 was awarded the bronze award by Practical Parenting and Pregnancy magazine in the best feeding equipment category.
Developed specifically for Vital Baby under a confidentiality agreement, these steam-sterilisable Flexisoft grades are also used by Vital Baby to manufacture a variety of private label brands worldwide.
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European Plastic Product Manufacturer - December 2009
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Flame Retardant Synergist in Plastics
Perkalite is an organically modified synthetic clay based on magnesium-aluminium layered double hydroxides (LDH), also referred to as hydrotalcite. Upon compounding in polymers, Perkalite can be delaminated to nanoscale level, resulting in improved polymer properties such as thermo-mechanical, flame retardant, barrier and rheological properties.
Focusing on the increase in demand for Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) compounds, one of the quickest growing classes of halogen free flame retardants is the mineral flame retardants ATH (aluminium trihydrate) and MDH (magnesium hydroxide) which are widely used in wire & cables and building & construction applications.
Although mineral flame retardants offer a cost effective solution for many LSZH applications, high loadings of ATH or MDH (typically 50-70%) are required to achieve the required flame retardant rating resulting in a deterioration in mechanical properties.
Perkalite acts as a flame retardant synergist, enabling the reduction of ATH or MDH in a compound or achieving better flame retardant rating. As a result, the mechanical and processing properties of the compound can be improved.
Perkalite also acts as a char promoting agent which, when burnt, leads to a thicker layer of char at the surface of the compound providing a better barrier against heat radiation and the evaporation of volatile compounds and thus reduces the burning behaviour (see pictures).
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Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 16th October 2009
PTS adds to polymer portfolio
Recent addition to the product portfolio of Wiltshire-based distributor Plastic Technology Service (PTS) include:
PTS Polyamide 9T: Semi-aromatic high temperature polyamides melting at 304 degC. Properties cited for these grades include high dimensional stability, low water absorption and good mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. Cross-linking grades are also available - the first cross-linkable high-temperature polyamide material, obviating thermal melting problems.
PTS-Crealen: High impact polypropylene with up to 40% reinforcement; claimed to bridge the gap between standard PP and long glass fibre-reinforced PP.
AkzoNobel Perkalite: A new generation of synthetic organoclays for improved performance in terms of mechanical, flame retardancy and gas barrier properties.
AkzoNobel Armoquell: A non-aromatic non-blooming high-performance flame retardant that can prevent corrosion to processing equipment and discolouration of the end product.
European Plastic Product Manufacturer - May 2009
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Dynamically Crosslinked TPEs
In edition to its well established standard PTS-Thermoflex range, Wiltshire based PTS continues to develop new TPE products to meet the ever-changing demands of the plastics industry.
New products include PTS-Thermoflex-V, which is an unusual TPV produced by dynamically crosslinking completely new TPS materials. In this PTS-Thermoflex V range, the crosslinking takes place in the elastic centre block and the rigid end block, giving rise to previously unattainable properties including the best elastic behaviour of all know TPE's. Even after 1000 hours at 120oC, the compression set of unannealed material is still only about 40% but by annealing at 120oC for 24h, the values can be improved further.
The PTS-Thermoflex H family continues to expand and at 80oC, these materials have about twice the tensile strength of previous high-molecular weight SEBS grades. They have no intrinsic odour and are suitable for use in medical and food applications. They are also widely used in the automotive industry and despite the low hardness, soft grades like PTS-Thermoflex 10H (10 Shore A) can now be used as gaskets at temperatures up to 100oC. In addition, the very soft PTS-Thermoflex H grades (5-20 Shore A) are increasingly being used as a foam rubber replacement as the geometry of the sealing contours can be freely selected so gives designers optimum design scope.
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Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 20th March 2009
Teonex PEN ready to take on glass, says PTS
PTS believes that the properties which have enabled Teijin's Teonex PEN polymer to penetrate the Japanese school tableware market at the expense of polycarbonate and win applications in containers for preservative free cosmetics will also resonate in the UK.
Teonex has benefited in the Japanese market from concerns over BPA and possible endocrine disruption to win share from PC in school tableware.
The polymer is also used for small cosmetic bottles where pasteurisation is carried out at temperatures in the 100 degC area where is provides good gas and vapour barrier, low migration and UV screeing.
A PTS spokeswoman says these properties make it suitable for pharmaceutical containers: "Its use is expected to expand into other applications for replacement of glass containers due to these unique properties," she says.
Teonex sits alongside Teijin's Panlite polycarbonate in the Japanese group's polymer range; both materials are supplied in the UK by PTS.
European Plastic Product Manufacturer - January/February 2009
PEN Resin as Replacement for PC and Glass
PEN (Polyethylenenaphthalate) has become a popular material for school lunch tableware in Japan. About a decade ago, PC (Polycarbonate) resin was popular for the application. However as concern about BPA was raised in Japan, PEN replaced PC for school lunch tableware because it is considered as safe. PEN is free from materials concerned as endocrine disrupters. PEN also withstands multiple washing at high temperature. In addition, food stains such as curry or ketchup are easy to remove. Those stains generally tend to remain in tableware during multiple usages. Even after 5 years of actual use, PEN tableware still has good appearance.
PEN is also used for small cosmetic bottles that require heat stabilisation for heat pasteurization. Although PEN does not withstand 121 degC pasteurization, it will withstand around 100 degC pasteurization. PEN also has unique properties such as good gas and vapour barrier, low migration and UV screening. Therefore PEN bottles have been used as containers for preservative free cosmetics in Japan.
The above-mentioned properties are also useful for pharmaceutical containers. PEN pharmaceutical bottles are already available in the market and its use is expected to expand into other applications for replacement of glass containers due to these unique properties.
Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 22nd August 2008
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PTS-Thermoflex V takes TPE performance to new level
Wiltshire-based PTS is continuing to expand the frontiers of its PTS-Thermoflex range with the PTS-Thermoflex V material, which the company claims offers, "previously unattainable properties including the best elastic behaviour of all known TPE's". The properties are based on the crosslinking which takes place in the elastic centre block and the rigid end block. Even after 1,000 hours, at 120 deg C, the compression set of unannealed material is still only about 40% but by annealing at 120 deg C for 24 hours, the values can be improved further, PTS says.
The PTS-Thermoflex H family also continues to expand and at 80 deg C, the materials are claimed to give about twice the tensile strength of previous high-molecular weight SEBS grades. They have no intrinsic odour and are suitable for use in medical and food applications. They are also widely used in the automotive industry and despite the low hardness, soft grades like PTS-Thermoflex 10H (10 Shore A) can now be used as gaskets at temperatures up to 100 deg C.
In addition, the very soft PTS-Thermoflex H grades (5-20 Shore A) are increasingly being used as a foam rubber replacement as the geometry of the sealing contours can be freely selected to give designers optimum design scope.
Other elastomers in the range include the PTS-Gammaflex family of radiation crosslinkable TPE's that exhibit no thermoplastic behaviour after crosslinking and as a result, achieve substantially improved chemical resistance and compression set properties (see graph), as well as Desmoflex TPU blends which can be developed from all products in the Desmopan 100-900 series.
PTS is currently supplying soft Desmoflex grades with hardness values between 50-85 shore A, with optimised processing properties and chemical adhesion to PA, ABS, PC/ABS, PS etc. Typical applications include office furniture, automotive interiors and power tool handles (see photo).
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Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 8th August 2008
Vyncolit - the silent challenger
The Vyncolit range of engineering thermoset moulding materials, distributed in the UK by PTS, offer weight savings of up to 75% in the automotive sphere, the company says, based on their scope for metal replacement in exhaust, air and power transmission systems drawing on the materials' exceptional temperature, chemical and mechanical resistance.
In addition to this saving, the range offers other advantages in terms of quieter running than metal at all engine speeds and avoidance of need for anti corrosion treatment.
In fuel pumps, for example, high dimensional stability, tight moulding tolerance and low fuel absorption of Vyncolit materials is claimed to provide a 30% advantage over their traditional counterparts while in water pumps, impellers and thermostat housings, the superior surface finish offers significant improvements to cooling efficiency.
The Vyncolit family is based on three resin types of phenolic, polyimide and epoxy, with a variety of fibres used to increase strength while additives enhance special properties.
Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 1st August 2008
Timecut lives up to its name
With the unprecedented pressure on costs which processors are now experiencing, the properties of the Timecut PP range available from Plastic Technology Service are particularly apposite, the company says.
These nucleating masterbatches, dosed at levels as low as 1-3%, can provide cycle time reductions of as much as 40% depending on the wall thickness, PTS claims. The advantage is best seen in thick walled parts and profiles but even with thin walled mouldings, the cycle time may be lowered by 10-20%.
The benefits result from an increase of up to 10 degC in the crystallisation temperatures, which means the parts become dimensionally stable at higher temperatures and hence accept a higher ejection temperature.
Timecut PP, sourced by the Wiltshire based distributor from its sister company PTS Marketing in Germany, also offers finer crystal structure, increased thermal stability, an increase of some 10% in stiffness (E modulus), better impact strength at low temperature, improved creep resistance under pressure and a reduction in sink marks.
British Plastics & Rubber - May 2008
PP moulds faster with Timecut
A nucleating masterbatch for polypropylene from Plastic Technology Service is said to reduce cycle times by up to 40 per cent. Timecut PP can be dosed at levels down to 1-3 per cent and works by increasing the crystallisation temperature by around 10 degC, enabling parts to become dimensionally stable at higher temperatures and therefore able to be ejected hotter.
Other advantages claimed for it include: a higher level of crystallinity and finer crystal structure, increased crystallisation speed, increased thermal stability, 10 per cent increase in stiffness (E Modulus), improved low temperature impact strength, improved resistance to creep under pressure and a reduction in sink marks.
Timecut PP is most effective in thick-walled parts but PTS says that in thin-walled parts cycle time reductions of 10-20 per cent can be achieved.
European Plastic Product Manufacturer - May 2008
PTS Innovations
Wiltshire based Plastic Technology Service (PTS), is a specialist distributor of engineering plastics, elastomers and polymer additives and assists customers not only in the home market but, increasingly, also outside of the UK. Recent successes with leading global brands range from elastomers for a new range of oral hygiene products to components for motor vehicles emission controls.
Recent innovations by PTS include the PTS-Thermoprene A10 grades, a new addition to their speciality TPV-EPDM+PP range that is available in hardness from Shore 40-85A. These grades have been developed under a new patent with Ticona especially for hard/soft mouldings that require adhesion onto Hostaform polyacetal (POM). The highest level of adhesion is achieved with impact modified POM grades such as Hostaform S9064 and S9244 but adhesion is also possible onto standard Hostaform C9021. Typical applications include loudspeaker grills for automotive interiors to provide anti-vibration and sound dampening properties.
Other new TPE products include the PTS-Thermoflex V family, which is produced by dynamic crosslinking of a completely new TPE material and has unsurpassed elastic behaviour at elevated temperatures.
Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 28th March 2008
PDM Preview - Materials and Distributors
Wiltshire based distributor PTS will be highlighting the range of phenolic engineering compounds from the newest name on its line-up of suppliers, Vyncolit. The materials offer outstanding dimensional stability and creep resistance at high temperatures. Recent additions to the portfolio include the new BXE dust free series as well as Vyntec short carbon fibre reinforced polymers intended to form, "the next step in composites advancement breaking old boundaries and establishing a new generation of materials that can outperform metal," the firm says.
Other recent PTS products include the PTS-Thermoflex V family, produced by dynamic cross-linking of a completely new TPE material which has what is described as "unsurpassed elastic behaviour at elevated temperatures."
The development of PTS-Thermoprene adhesion modified grades patented jointly by Ticona and PTS means that it is now possible to produce TPV seals with good adhesion to Hostaform polyacetal.
British Plastics & Rubber - March 2008
PDM Exhibition Preview
Alongside materials from manufacturers including PTS-Marketing, Teijin, Akzo Nobel, Accurel Systems, Engineering Chemicals, Neopreg and Sasol, PTS (3 D20) will be introducing high performance materials from its latest supplier, Vyncolit.
These include engineering phenolics which maintain dimensional stability and resistance to creep under dynamic and static loads at elevated temperatures and the Vyntec short carbon fibre-reinforced polymers intended to outperform metals for demanding applications in aggressive environments.
New PTS-Thermoflex products being introduced this year include a range of oil resistant, crystal clear elastomers with good adhesion to PMMA, PC and SMA and universal bonding TPEs that adhere to both polar and non-polar thermoplastics.
Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 15th February 2008
Focus on Traders and Distributors
Plastic Technology Service has added engineering phenolic compound Vyncolit to its stable of suppliers, highlighting new products such as Vyntec short carbon reinforced polymers, the "next step in composite advancement breaking old boundaries and establishing a new generation of materials that can outperform metal," says the Wiltshire distributor.
Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 14th December 2007
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Plant Cleaning and Maintenance
With Supernova and InstaPurge, Wiltshire based PTS offers a brace of purging agents, the former a high performance odourless chemical cleaning compound for a full range of processing equipment, the latter a mechanical type that dislodges residues of colours and screws.
Supernova operates at temperatures between 120-420 deg C and works by causing chemical reactions that remove the plastic residues from cylinder wall and screw. After use all that is left is a residual material of a polymer filled with inert minerals which can either be disposed of as plastic waste or recycled as mineral filled plastic.
InstaPurge, introduced last year, is targeted at reciprocating screw injection moulding systems as well as twin screw extruders and is a commodity grade compound which works in combination with a high level of agitation during the purging process to dislodge contaminants, using an exclusive ingredient that gives it lower adhesion to metal than other resins of similar viscosity.
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 Effect of InstaPurge Cleaning Compound
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Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 14th September 2007
Investment Widens the PTS Portfolio
Wiltshire based distributor Plastic Technology Service has strengthened the range of hard/soft combination resins that it can offer following new investment at its sister company in Germany.
PTS Marketing GmbH has installed speciality production lines as well as laboratory and R&D facilities which have provided the materials that have been developed with the intention of giving maximum adhesion with PTS elastomers.
The speciality thermoplastic portfolio now includes PTS-Creamid PA6 and PA66 compounds, V-PTS-Creamid radiation cross-linkable PA6, PA66, PA11 and PA12, PTS-Createc PBT, PTS-Crealon PC, PTS-Crealen PP and PTS-Creablend PC/ABS, PC/PBT and PA/ABS blends.
Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 24th August 2007
New Grades From PTS
Wiltshire based PTS is introducing PTS-Thermoprene A10 grades, a new addition to its speciality TPV(EPDM+PP) range, which are available in hardness from Shore 40-85A.
These grades have been developed under a new patent with Ticona especially for hard/soft mouldings that require adhesion onto HostaformŽ polyacetal (POM).
The highest level of adhesion is achieved with impact modified POM grades, such as HostaformŽ S9064 and S9244, but adhesion is also possible onto standard HostaformŽ C9021.
Typical applications include loudspeaker grills for auto interiors to provide anti-vibration and sound dampening properties.
PTS now says it has arguably the largest range of speciality TPE's in Europe, with grades that adhere to most engineering thermoplastics. The German partner company has recently expanded its production, adding new compounding lines for TPE's,enhanced laboratory and R&D facilities.
European Plastic Product Manufacturer - June 2007
New PTS-Thermoflex Grades
Plastic Technology Service (PTS) has continued to expand its range of PTS-Thermoflex thermoplastic elastomers with new grades for the automotive industry that offer improved wear and scratch resistance compared with competitive materials, according to the company. These innovations, which are designated PTS-Thermoflex "S", are available in a hardness range shore A50-A70 and will enable leading European manufacturers to offer operators of commercial vehicles a more pleasant and hard-wearing working environment for truck cab interiors.
In response to consumer demand, automobile manufacturers are seeking to further reduce the aroma that is associated with the interior of a new car by specifying materials that comply with German VDA 271 test methods. PTS has developed its new Shore A50-A85 PTS-Thermoflex "M" grades, which combine low-odour with excellent aesthetic appearance, UV resistance, choice of grip, ease of processing and end-of-life recyclability for overmoulding to a variety of hard substrates including PP, PA, ABS, PC/ABS and PC.
To keep pace with the demand for PTS-Thermoflex elastomers and engineering thermoplastics for two-shot moulding, PTS has announced an expansion of production capacity at its Steinsfeld manufacturing site in Germany, which will be on stream during 2007. This will also include enhanced research and development facilities for customer-specific grades in addition to the existing multi-shot facility that is currently available for customer's tool and process development.
The full range of PTS-Thermoflex thermoplastic elastomers is available from PTS UK, who are able to provide designers and processors with expert technical assistance about all aspects of the use of these innovative products.
Information No 77
British Plastics & Rubber - May 2007
Antistat is easier to handle
An improved version of its Armostat anti-static agent has been introduced by Akzo-Nobel. Armostat 2000 is a lauric diethanolamide (LDA), and suffers from a characteristic of LDA which is severe caking when used as a particulate material at temperatures as low as 25-30 degC.
For the new Armostat 2002 grade, Akzo-Nobel developed a new shaping technology to produce pellets with significantly reduced tendency to cake, even at temperatures up to 35 degC. This improves dosing to processing equipment.
Armostat is typically used for polyolefin films and highly mineral-filled injection moulded articles. UK agent is PTS.
Factfinder 106
Plastics and Rubber Weekly - 16th February 2007
Supernova CX is a Clear Choice
Wiltshire based PTS has added Supernova CX, the new cleaning compound claimed to be the first chemical purging agent especially designed for clear polycarbonate processing, to its range.
Also suitable for use with other glass-clear thermoplastics, Supernova CX removes residue from screws, cylinder walls and downstream components quickly and easily without leaving any cloudiness behind.
The agent also saves time and money by dramatically reducing downtime and material waste - and with regular use, can eliminate degradation and teardown altogether, according to PTS.
Supernova CX is a blend of filled plastic pellets that feed quickly and easily, just like the polycarbonate processed. In addition to its "cloud-free" performance, it is also free of chalky dust and will not clog screens or leave powdery residue in dies, manifolds or heads.
Other attributes of the chemical purging compound are its safety and effectiveness for all types of polycarbonate processing including injection moulding, blow moulding and extrusion equipment of any size.
Certified in compliance with FDA regulations, the product is odourless, non-toxic and ammonia-free, with only water vapour and carbon dioxide produced as by-products.
PTS highlights the risk of tell-tale specks and streaks of material contamination which Supernova CX can eliminate.
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