Caflon® surfactants from Univar now available across Europe, offering substitutes for banned nonylphenol ethoxylates

UnivarROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, 15 April 2005 – The European Union ban on nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) and its intermediate, nonylphenol (NP), at one time threatened compromises in surfactant performance for makers of products from detergent to biocides. That situation has changed: Univar N.V., a world leader in chemical distribution, has begun distributing its Caflon® brand of substitutes for NPE surfactants and NP-free intermediates throughout Europe.

Introducing Quadrum®: Multi-purpose display system enhanced by Spectar® Frosty Sheet

The material used for the modules is 2 mm new Frosty Sheet made with Spectar® copolyester from Eastman. CAPELLE A/D IJSSEL, THE NETHERLANDS - An innovative multi-functional modular display system has been introduced by Netherlands-based international design company Visuality’s. The company selected new Frosty Sheet made with Spectar® copolyester from Eastman Chemical Company to create exciting new design opportunities.

GE’s PolarTherm* XLR Boron Nitride Fillers Offer Outstanding Thermal Conductivity to Help Electronic Devices Beat the Heat

SEM Image of GE’s PolarTherm* XLR Spherical Agglomerates of Boron Nitride Crystals

GE Advanced Materials has introduced PolarTherm* XLR boron nitride fillers to help electronics manufacturers effectively dissipate heat from semiconductors where high temperatures can reduce the performance of computers and other electronic devices. GE’s PolarTherm XLR materials are spherical agglomerates of boron nitride crystals that, when loaded into a polymer, can deliver up to two-times the thermal conductivity of other boron nitride fillers. The new products are available from GE in two grades: PTX25, a 25-micron mean-particle size grade, and PTX60, a mean particle size of 60 microns. BERGEN OP ZOOM, THE NETHERLANDS — April 21, 2005 — A major challenge facing electronics manufacturers in moving to smaller and faster devices is effective heat dissipation from semiconductors. High temperatures in semiconductors can reduce the performance of computers and other electronic devices. GE Advanced Materials has developed PolarTherm* XLR boron nitride fillers to help overcome these challenges. GE’s PolarTherm XLR materials are spherical agglomerates of boron nitride crystals which, when loaded into a polymer, can deliver up to two times the thermal conductivity of other boron nitride fillers.

ClimaCool Heating/Cooling System from Wavin RCS Makes Temperature Control of Concrete Ceilings a Matter of Minutes

System Schematic
Heating – Cooling – Storing: The pipes of the new ClimaCool CCW hybrid system for concrete ceilings are incorporated in close proximity to the ceiling surface, providing for room temperature control within minutes.
 Targeted at further reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions, European Directive 2002/91/EC calls for a clear improvement in the “entire energy efficiency” of buildings. By January, 2006, the Directive is to be translated by all member states of the European Union into national legislation that treats a building as an overall energetic system. This will require new heating and cooling concepts. The ClimaCool CCW system from Wavin RCS offers architects and their clients, today, an innovative as well as integral solution for comfortable heating and cooling ceilings at minimised energy consumption and reduced system costs.

Owens Corning Unveils New Development Support Lab to Deliver Next-Generation

Owens Corning Composite SolutionsRio Claro, (São Paulo) BRAZIL, April 13, 2005 – Owens Corning, a world leader in the building materials and composites industries, is expanding its global technical service infrastructure with the opening of a Development Support Laboratory (DSL) at the company’s Rio Claro site north of São Paulo, Brazil. The US-based Fortune 500 multinational’s new facility will focus on creating solutions and fine-tuning designs and processes for new and existing products for customers in Latin America.

Glass-free AZDEL* VolcaLite* composite from AZDEL helps combine formability, acoustic performance and improved incineration waste management for automotive headliner

A further advance in composite sheet performance from AZDEL, Inc. comes with the introduction of glass-free reinforced AZDEL VolcaLite composite which brings the added benefit of improved post-consumer incineration waste management in response to specific automotive industry needs. BERGEN OP ZOOM, THE NETHERLANDS – A further advance in composite sheet performance from AZDEL, Inc. comes with the introduction of glass-free reinforced AZDEL* VolcaLite* composite which brings the added benefit of improved post-consumer incineration waste management in response to specific automotive industry needs. AZDEL VolcaLite composite is produced and distributed by AZDEL Inc., a 50/50 joint venture of GE Advanced Materials and PPG Industries established in 1986.

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.