Evonik Industries, one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies, will be in Düsseldorf, Germany, October 16 – 23 for this year’s K 2019 plastics trade show, where it will present its portfolio of high-performance polymers and specialty additives.
Its presence at the trade show is part of the company’s “Better Living with Evonik” campaign, which showcases how Evonik’s products and system solutions make our everyday lives safer, more comfortable, and healthier.
Evonik’s high-performance polymers portfolio encompasses its range of VESTAMID® polyamides, which have been used in the automotive industry, in industrial production, and in consumer goods for over 50 years in some cases. This year marks the 40th anniversary of polyamide 12 elastomer (PEBA), a popular, trusted material — especially in the athletic equipment industry — owing to its excellent performance and design freedom. To celebrate, Evonik will be introducing a new member of the product line, whose transparency and gloss give designers far more freedom than they have ever had with PEBA.
Evonik’s roughly €400 million investment — its largest in Germany — will increase the company’s total capacity for polyamide 12 by over 50 percent between now and 2021. Worldwide, VESTAMID® polyamide 12 and polyamide 612 are the most widely used polyamides for automotive tubing. New developments focus on conductive products and on applications for electric and hybrid vehicles.
Other products in the portfolio are chemical-resistant, transparent polyamides TROGAMID® and VESTAKEEP® PEEK for sophisticated tribological and high-temperature applications. Evonik is also a leader when it comes to developing and manufacturing innovative polymer powders for 3D printing. VESTENAMER®, a thermoplastic processing additive, allows efficient processing of waste rubber to a robust material and minimization of the degradation of properties that is associated with the use of recyclates. In this way it makes an important contribution toward closing the recycling cycle.
The specialty additives for master batch manufacturers, compounders, and processors include crosslinkers, comonomers, and dispersing agents for pigments and fillers, as well as additives for process and performance improvement. The resulting modified surface characteristics improve mechanical properties such as scratch resistance, flow, block resistance, and anticaking effects, and also help optimize fire protection properties.
Crosslinkers in the TAICROS® family, for example, are used in printed circuit boards meeting the modern 5G cellular standard, while triacetone amine derivatives are important building blocks for light stabilizers in applications such as artificial turf in stadiums. Beginning in 2018, TEGOMER® solutions for improving flow and mechanical properties such as scratch resistance have been complemented by ACCUREL® technology, which makes it possible to incorporate liquids into solids. The expanded product portfolio allows customers to implement trends like improved fire resistance, new packaging industry developments, and odor absorbers to make the use of recycling materials sustainable.
