Ticona (Kelsterbach / Germany; www.ticona.com) has added its first liquid crystal polymer (LCP) for extrusion to its “Vectra” range of LCPs. The company says that “Trex” retains the properties of the existing range, including high dimensional stability, high melt viscosity and melt strength, good high-temperature characteristics and chemical resistance. The material was developed for customers who extrude semi-finished products, sheets or films that can then be thermoformed into finished components. It is suitable for use in a wide variety of industrial applications, including medical devices, automotive and aircraft construction and electrical and electronic products. The grade is also suitable for applications in the kitchenware and food industry, due to its ability to produce heat resistant vacuum-formed large-format sheets or pans with operating temperatures of up to 250 °C for use in cooking and baking.

Ticona has initially introduced a 40% mineral filled, highly viscose grade, “Vectra Trex 541”, which provides impact strengths that are claimed to be higher than those of other mineral-filled grades. The company will demonstrate the new material at K 2010 (www.k-online.de) in Düsseldorf / Germany in late October – see Plasteurope.com of 22.06.2010.