CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 25, 2003-- New ULTEM(R) XHT Resin Exceeds the Durability and High Heat Resistance of Standard Amorphous Polyetherimide Resins
GE Plastics, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), today announced the development of ULTEM(R) XHT resin, a new extreme high heat resistance, high performance polymer.
This breakthrough product utilizes technology that increases the heat resistance capability by 54 degrees F (30 degrees C) while retaining injection-molding processability with standard equipment.
GE Plastics is featuring this new innovative product in the GE Plastics' booth at the National Plastics Exposition in Chicago (McCormick Place, South Hall, Booth #2215) from June 23-27.
With ULTEM XHT resin, we are offering product designers a combination of high chemical resistance, inherent flame retardancy and transparency with exceptional dimensional stability and high heat resistance unique to the industry today, said Tim Rash, general manager, global High Performance Polymers business.
This new halogen and phosphorous-free polymer can provide many benefits of metal, steel and aluminum such as durability, strength, flame retardancy and dimensional stability, while enabling design freedom, weight savings, recyclability, easy part integration and assembly.
This extreme performance made ULTEM XHT resin part of GE Plastics' new X GEN(TM) resin portfolio, a new group of resins offering extreme product capabilities to customers.
Leveraging unique polyetherimide technology, the molecular architecture of ULTEM XHT resin is formed with thermally stable, rigid units connected by flexible linkages that allow for improved melt flow.
With its extreme high heat performance, weight savings, and environmental responsiveness, ULTEM XHT resin can replace costly traditional manufacturing processes in many automotive, electronic, food service, fluid engineering, HVAC and other applications.
We expect this new resin to find a fit in many applications that are today dominated by traditional materials, such as glass, metal and thermoset resins. ULTEM XHT resin opens up areas once unimaginable for thermoplastics, added Rash.
We expect ULTEM XHT resin to benefit OEMs in several diverse industries and for specific applications from engine sensors and headlight reflectors to food baking trays, fluid handling containers and flexible printed circuits.
Some key applications include:
-- Automotive Lighting: ULTEM XHT resin can be a good fit in a heat-dominated area such as automotive lighting. Typical applications are headlight reflectors, fog light reflectors, and light bulb sockets where ULTEM resin can provide high heat resistance up to 477 degrees F (247 degrees C). Product performance characteristics include direct metallization without primer, integration possibilities for mounting and adjustment fixings, infrared transparency allowing heat dissipation and low creep sensitivity and a low, uniform coefficient of thermal expansion.
-- Food Catering: For food and airline catering, ULTEM XHT resin can provide a cost-effective way to make custom color containers that can be moved from the cooler to convection and/or microwave ovens. Catering containers made from ULTEM XHT resin are stain resistant to many foods, detergents and cooking oils and, are reusable. In addition, these containers can be recycled after their service life, making them more responsive to environmental concerns. Potential applications include food trays, soup mugs, steam insert pans, utensils, microwavable bowls, ovenware, cooking utensils and re-usable airline casserole.
-- Flexible Printed Circuits: ULTEM XHT resin can provide value-added performance for flexible printed circuit applications such as substrates, stiffeners, and solders masking tapes and labels. This new resin technology can benefit manufacturers via thin film melt extrusion and provides excellent dielectrics, while withstanding today's soldering temperatures.
-- Electrical Markets: Its unique plating capabilities make ULTEM XHT resin the material of choice for electrical applications in molded interconnect devices. The material allows the combination of electrical functions with the advantages of injection molded three-dimensional mechanical components in applications such as electrical control units, computer components, mobile phone internal antennae and semiconductor chip trays.
ULTEM XHT resin is available in colors (both opaque and transparent), filled and unfilled versions, with and without mold release.
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, automobile parts, computer housings, cookware, outdoor signage, cell phones, bullet-resistant 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 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.
ULTEM and LEXAN are registered trademarks of General Electric
Company.
X GEN is a trademark of General Electric Company.
Note: A photo is available at URL:
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CONTACT: GE Plastics
Cecilia Siu, 413/448-6959
[email protected]
or
Banu Kukner, 413/448-7040
[email protected]