GE Advanced Materials’ New NIAX* Silicone L-650 Surfactant Helps Reduce Use of Flame Retardants in Slabstock Foam Applications

GE’s NIAX* Silicone Surfactant for Use in Bedding and Furniture Products

GE Advanced Materials’ NIAX* surfactant, although not inherently flame retardant (FR), has been shown to deliver FR performance improvements to foam in small-scale combustibility tests. NIAX silicone L-650 offers a further 10- to 30-percent reduction by weight of flame-retardant use in slabstock foam applications, compared to earlier products. The GE surfactant can be applied in conventional foam manufacturing processes and in those that use carbon dioxide (CO2) as an auxiliary blowing agent. It is an excellent candidate for use in FR grades of foam for furniture, bedding, and automotive products, to reduce the amount of flame retardant required to pass small-scale tests like California Technical Bulletin 117 and MVSS-302. In addition to NIAX silicone’s outstanding FR improvement, this quality may also translate into reduced material costs for manufacturers who use the product. BERGEN OP ZOOM, THE NETHERLANDS — April 15, 2005 — GE Advanced Materials’ NIAX* surfactant is a brand that is a familiar one to manufacturers versed in flexible slabstock polyurethane (PU) foam applications, particularly those that require the use of combustion modification additives. Although GE’s NIAX surfactants are not inherently flame retardant (FR), they have been shown to deliver FR performance improvements to foam in small-scale combustibility tests.

DSM’S STANYL® JOINS OMNEXUS TO ACCELERATE THE REPLACEMENT OF TRADITIONAL MATERIALS IN HIGH-END APPLICATION

All services are available at: http://www.omnexus.com/pa4-6.
 DSM and Omnexus are pleased to announce that the Stanyl® polyamide 46 product line is joining the Omnexus platform to accelerate its market development.

Borealis committed to reduce CO2 emissions by using natural gas in Stenungsund, Sweden

BorealisBorealis AB, DONG Sweden and Nova Naturgas jointly announced today at a press conference the signature of a deal between DONG Sweden and Borealis to provide natural gas to Borealis in Stenungsund. Under the agreement, 35 million cubic metres of natural gas per year – enough to heat approximately 20,000 houses – will be delivered through a pipeline from the North Sea in Denmark to Sweden.

GE Advanced Materials’ Upgraded Polymer Compound Development Lab Helps Speed Customer Innovation Process

GE Technician Preparing to Measure the Viscosity of PolarTherm* Boron Nitride Filled Silicone Oil

GE Advanced Materials, Quartz has opened the doors to its newly upgraded Polymer Compound Development Lab, located near Cleveland, Ohio. GE’s investment marks a significant advance in the company’s ability to accelerate product development and innovation cycles for customers by offering joint testing capabilities and more thoroughly researched product recommendations. GE’s $250,000 (USD) investment represents a major step up in its value-added services for customers, and signifies the company’s commitment to helping drive profitable growth for its customers. BERGEN OP ZOOM, THE NETHERLANDS — April 13, 2005 — GE Advanced Materials, Quartz has opened the doors to its newly upgraded Polymer Compound Development Lab, located near Cleveland, Ohio. GE’s investment marks a significant advance in the company’s ability to accelerate product development and innovation cycles for customers by offering joint testing capabilities and more thoroughly researched product recommendations.

Distrupol adds Fusabond® modifiers to polymer portfolio

DistrupolDistrupol, a member company of Univar and leading polymer distributor, technical service and solutions provider, has added several new grades of DuPont's range of Fusabond® modifiers to the extensive portfolio of plastics materials available to its customers in the UK and Ireland.

Distrupol adds plasticizer-free, super-soft thermoplastic polyurethanes to its portfolio for the United Kingdom and Ireland

Distrupol has added Elastollan® HPM and Elastollan® SPF - two new ranges of plasticizer-free, super soft thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) - to its portfolio for the United Kingdom and Ireland. Distrupol, a member company of Univar and a leading European polymer distributor, technical service and solutions provider, has added two new ranges of plasticizer-free, super soft thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) to its portfolio for the United Kingdom and Ireland where the company is the established distribution leader. These are designated Elastollan® HPM and Elastollan® SPF.

HARRY S.P.A. EXPLOITS STRENGTH, QUIETNESS OF STANYL® PA46 FOR SELF-PROPELLED LAWNMOWER TRANSMISSION GEARS

A self-propelled lawnmower transmission gear set made of Stanyl® TW200F6, a 30% glass-fibre reinforced polyamide 4,6 (PA46) from DSM Engineering Plastics. With a dual objective of quiet, dependable operation and manufacturing cost reduction, Italian lawn and garden equipment maker Harry S.P.A. is using a self-propelled lawnmower transmission gear set made of Stanyl® TW200F6, a 30% glass-fibre reinforced polyamide 4,6 (PA46) from DSM Engineering Plastics.

GE Expands Production Capacity to Meet Strong Demand for Advanced NXT* Silane used in Silica Tires

GE Advanced MaterialsBERGEN OP ZOOM, THE NEHTERLANDS — April 12, 2005 — GE today announced that it has expanded its capacity for high technology silanes used in the production of silica tires and other high-performance products. Using a proprietary process designed by GE engineers, production start-up commenced in the third quarter of 2004, and last week additional capacity was brought on-line to meet the high demand for this new technology. GE’s NXT* silane is produced at a plant in Texas City, Texas. GE declined to disclose its investment in the new capacity for competitive reasons.