May 23, 2007

ABS specialties drive customer innovations

At Chinaplas 2007 in Guangzhou, LANXESS's Lustran Polymers business unit will be showcasing its technical expertise and cutting-edge technologies for the ABS market.

"With over 50 years of experience and expertise in the business, we are committed to meeting the increasing demands of Chinese customers for high-quality ABS by backing up their innovations with the best possible support we can provide," said Chris Liggins, head of the Lustran Polymers APAC Region of LANXESS.

Having benefited from the transformation of global IT production and the boom in automotive manufacture, China has become the biggest and fastest growing market for ABS, representing over 50 percent of the global share. LANXESS supports Chinese customers with pre-colored ABS and specialties from its production site in Thailand.

Local customers are increasingly relying on innovative materials and processing technologies to deliver products with distinct features. "Lustran Polymers has strengthened its position as one of the biggest suppliers in the global ABS market. Our years of experience in pre-colored ABS materials and specialties will enable us to meet the specific requirements of the customers and help them gain a decisive competitive edge on the market," said Hans-Joachim Kogelnik, head of LANXESS's Lustran Polymers business unit.

The Lustran Polymers exhibition at Chinaplas 2007 is to focus on the business unit's capabilities as a supplier of a broad spectrum of customer-specific pigmented ABS materials and specialties. LANXESS is a supplier of ABS and SAN offering a versatile, patented technology and an expertise platform encompassing a vast range of production processes. Lustran Polymers is able to polymerize ABS using emulsion, suspension and bulk processes. ABS specialties from LANXESS are plastics with high mechanical strength, outstanding processing properties and excellent surface quality. LANXESS has now come up with new blends of polyamide and ABS under the name Triax. Triax KU 2-3050 e.g. is a material of choice for car interior parts with a matt finish. The polyamide + ABS blend yields injection-molded parts with a high-grade matt finish, therefore obviating the need to apply a subsequent surface coating. It is a particularly economical alternative to blends of polycarbonate and ABS for this application segment.

Another highlight from Lustran Polymers is mineral-reinforced Triax DP 3157, an online coatable polyamide + ABS blend (PA+ABS) for body parts, from which the fenders of the BMW 3 Series Coupé are manufactured. With its high heat deflection temperature of up to 200 °C, high stiffness, reduced water absorption and low coefficient of thermal expansion, the polyamide + ABS blend satisfies the complex requirements for the on-line painting of plastic automotive body parts.

LANXESS is also showcasing two new soft touch materials called Lustran ST 4566 and Centrex ST 4766 on the stand. Both materials have been primarily designed to be used in applications where they are co-extruded or laminated over an ABS substrate, with the purpose of providing a low gloss look and a soft touch feel. Lustran ST 4566 is an ABS-based alloy (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer), which boasts excellent durability and chemical resistance as well as improved sound dampening when used as a cap over Lustran ABS. Centrex ST 4766 is a thermoplastic alloy based on ASA (acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymer), which provides a range of properties. In addition to soft touch, low gloss, chemical resistance and durability, Centrex ST 4766 offers excellent UV stability, which makes this product particularly suited for use in exterior applications or interior parts that are to be exposed to direct UV light.

The Lustran Polymers business unit is among the world's largest producers of ABS and SAN plastics with its Lustran and Novodur brands. The portfolio of products also includes Triax polyamide + ABS blends. With Color Excellence Centers in each regional market, Lustran Polymers can develop color formulations based on customers' precise specifications. The Lustran Polymers business unit is part of the LANXESS Engineering Plastics segment, which achieved sales of EUR 1.71 billion in the 2006 fiscal year.