Switzerland’s Ems-Grivory (Domat; www.emsgrivory.com) has added two transparent grades to its “GreenLine” range of bio-polyamides. PA 1010 “Grilamid” 1S XE 4281 is entirely based on renewables, while PA 6.10 “Grilamid” 2S XE 4282 has 62% renewable content. The properties of 1S are very close to those of PA 12 and the 2S grade is positioned between PA 12 and PA 6.6 or PA 6.

The company said it has overcome the problem of reduced translucency resulting from adding plasticiser and impact modifier to the materials and has introduced the high viscosity extrusion grades for flexible, transparent and impact-resistant pneumatic tubes. The materials offer a balance of flexibility and impact strength along with transparency. In addition to extruding transparent tubes, the products can be used for coloured tubes, where the transparency of the base polymer allows for intense colours and good gloss finish.