PITTSFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2003-- One of a Kind Polymer Processing Development Center Boasts New State of the Art Capabilities in 15th Year of Operation Leadership in the science of polymers--beginning with the 1953 discovery of LEXAN(R) resin by scientist Dr. Daniel W. Fox--has long been a hallmark of GE Plastics, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) headquartered here.
But equally critical to the engineering thermoplastics industry is the technology of processing polymer materials into useful parts for automobiles, computers, cell phones, DVDs and sports equipment. And thanks to the Polymer Processing Development Center (PPDC), a massive 96,000 square foot facility filled with state of the art plastic processing equipment, GE Plastics (GEP) is a leader in this important area as well.
The company demonstrated much of the equipment today during a press briefing celebrating 15 years of operation for this one of a kind center of excellence.
In Application Technology, our mission is to help our customers maximize their productivity and cycle time by optimizing ways to process our materials, said Les Goff, Manager of Global Application Technology for GEP.
Over the last 15 years, we have continuously invested in the equipment and technology here at the PPDC and at our satellite centers around the world to help us deliver on this mission.
In the end, if our customers optimize their processing, they can make better parts and the consumer can get a better product.
GEP opened the PPDC in 1988 as part of an initiative to research and improve upon the processability of it's growing portfolio of engineering thermoplastic materials. Since then, the company has invested nearly $75 million in application technology, and the PPDC receives between 2500 and 3000 visitors per year.
Today, there are satellite centers in Southfield, Michigan; Louisville, Kentucky; Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands; Moka, Japan; Shanghai, China; and Bangalore, India.
PPDC Innovations
Among the processing breakthroughs that the PPDC has been involved with that have helped bring to market products that consumers now take for granted are:
-- The first automobile bumper system made entirely of engineering thermoplastic (XENOY(R) resin).
-- Thinwall technology that allowed materials like LEXAN(R) resin to be processed in parts with reduced thickness and weight while maintaining impact strength. Thinwall design is used today in laptop computers, cell phones, and personal digital assistants.
-- Blow molding material, design and process technology that enabled 5-gallon water bottles used in commercial and residential water coolers to be manufactured out of LEXAN resin. This replacement of glass reduced weight made the bottles safer and less costly through improved durability.
-- The Optical Media Development Center, opened within the PPDC in 1998, has been responsible for improvements in the processing of CDs and DVDs that have cut manufacturing time in half
The Future
Among the many projects currently on the agenda at the PPDC is processing development for one of GE Plastics newest materials, LEXAN(R) SLX, a film that may some day replace paint on automobiles.
LEXAN SLX film is molded through a process known as thermoforming. It is then applied to body parts like fenders and hoods through a injection molding process. The finished part needs no painting.
LEXAN SLX is a great example of how we help our customers understand how to take advantage of a new resin technology, says Goff. The quicker we can deliver this knowledge to our customers, the faster LEXAN SLX could be specified on future car models.
The PPDC now utilizes a new Virtual PPDC technology that enables customers to participate in processing application testing conducted at the PPDC through the internet, real time, from nearly anywhere in the world.
Launched in 2002, the Virtual PPDC can conceivably allow every business function involved in bringing a product to market--product design, engineering, sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, quality--to all view the processing testing at the same time.
Potentially, this can greatly reduce the cycle time in getting a new product into the market. The Virtual PPDC is a big thing for us, says Goff. Of course, we still encourage our customers to visit, but the Virtual PPDC allows us to touch more customers than ever before.
GE Plastics is a leading producer of engineering thermoplastics with major production facilities worldwide.
GE Plastics materials, including LEXAN(R) polycarbonate, are used in a wide variety of applications such as CDs and DVDs, automobile parts, computer housings, cookware, outdoor signage, cell phones, bullet-lresistant shielding and building materials. Through its LNP Engineering Plastics business, the company is a worldwide leader in the custom compounding of engineering thermoplastics.
GE Plastics is also a global distributor of sheet, film, rod and tube products through GE Polymershapes and GE Structured Products. In 2003 GE Plastics is celebrating 50 years of innovation and the 50th Anniversary of LEXAN polycarbonate, discovered in 1953 by GE chemist Dr. Daniel W. Fox.
The company's web site is located at www.geplastics.com, and to learn more
about LEXAN visit www.gelexan.com.
LEXAN AND XENOY are registered trademarks of General Electric
Company.
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CONTACT: GE Plastics
Jay Pomeroy, 413/448-7481
[email protected]