French chemicals and plastics producer Arkema (Colombes; www.arkema.com) has introduced two polymer modifier grades – “Orevac” IM300 and IM800 grafted polymers – developed to affect properties including fluidity in processing, impact resistance and mechanical strength of PA compounds.

The resins, which are produced in the US, are reactive polymers due to the grafting of anhydride groups and combine improved processability and reactivity in PA, in addition to meeting the need to bring flexibility to engineering plastics. They have been developed to improve manufacturing productivity of these compounds while maintaining impact resistance and mechanical properties.

IM300 has been developed to combine fluidity with impact resistance at room temperature. Thanks to its high fluidity, it opens up opportunities in the processability of the compounds such as injection moulding of small pieces with specific geometries or glass-reinforced PA.

IM800 grafted polymer has been developed to achieve high impact resistance at temperatures down to -40 °C with a very low ductile/brittle transition temperature and is recommended for specific automotive applications, the company said.