DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 26, 2005--Bus, rail, and transportation industry executives will see how new material solutions from GE's Plastics business are bringing designers new flexibility to create vehicles with greater freedom and compliance at this week's American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Annual Meeting and Expo. Visitors to booth 1503 can experience hands-on how GE is helping companies develop lighter vehicles with greater aesthetic and mechanical freedom through the use of high-performance, thermoformable plastic sheet materials. Utilizing these advanced materials, manufacturers can create vehicles with user-friendly, compelling designs while meeting their compliance responsibilities around flame, smoke, and toxicity.
Products on display include:
-- The revolutionary Lexan(a) SLX / EXL co-extruded sheet system that provides the weatherable performance of Lexan SLX resin and the impact characteristics of Lexan EXL resin. The highly durable cap-stock material has excellent gloss retention, color stability, system performance, and chemical resistance while eliminating the need for paint or UV coatings. Through two examples (bus panel and tractor panel), designers will see how the system provides high impact strength at low temperatures via a weatherable and thermoformable material system that may also reduce system costs.
-- A new solar control family product, Lexan Margard(a) MR5 IR Sheet, GE's first new hard-coated polycarbonate (PC) sheet with infrared (IR) absorption. Available in a variety of gauges and two standard tints, this game-changing solution offers the typical impact, abrasion, and chemical resistance associated with Lexan resin while, the newly developed IR heat management system absorbs IR waves in the range of 780-1400 nm (Near Infrared) that reduces interior heat build-up.
-- Examples from Italian Railways of train ceiling panels complete with light diffusers. Lexan F2100 sheet, a flame retardant transparent PC, offers manufacturers greater ease in processing while maintaining high impact resistance, excellent formability, and chemical resistance.
-- An example of AZDEL(b) Rail-Lite(b) composite sheet for use in a train window mask which has excellent strength-to-weight ratio, low coefficient of thermal expansion, and offers excellent flame resistance; meets U.S. FRA 49 CFR Part 238 flammability and smoke emissions standards for train passenger cars and locomotive.
-- A Siemens train window panel made with GE's Ultem(a) sheet that offers ease of processing, excellent flame, smoke, and heat resistance and is one example of how the sheet can be thermoformed in window masks, cladding, walls, seating and other applications. It is a good candidate to replace polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in many interior rail applications and offers an OSU heat-release rate below 65/65.
-- Several examples of sheet products including GE's opaque Lexan F6000 sheet, which is being featured at the expo, is very durable yet easily formed into complex shapes using standard thermoforming equipment. The material also provides high impact resistance and high heat performance.
-- For designers looking to meet Federal Rail Administration (FRA) requirements for flame (ASTM E162) and smoke (ASTM E662), several examples of interior products made with Ultem resin and sheet will be on display including interior seating applications. These applications reflect the structural, aesthetic, and high-performance benefits that can be achieved by using the GE family of products.
In addition, Tom Shanahan, product manager, Train Inspection Systems for GE Transportation Rail will be presenting a paper entitled "Precision Train Inspection Methods - North American Adoption of Global Technology", in Showcase B, on Wednesday, Sept 28 at 12:15pm.
"GE can provide advanced materials solutions to the rail and bus interior industry," stated Melanie Cook, market director, Transportation, GE's Plastics Business. "Many products that worked in the past do not perform as well as today's innovative materials. This is where GE can help with expanding product technologies that continue to help give our customers a competitive edge in the segments they serve."
About GE's Plastics Business
GE's Plastics business is a leading global supplier of plastic resins widely used in a broad range of industries including automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building & construction, telecommunications, and optical media. The company manufactures and compounds polycarbonate, ABS, SAN, ASA, PPE, PC/ABS, PBT and PEI resins, as well as the LNP(a) line of high-performance specialty compounds. GE's Plastics business, Specialty Film & Sheet business is a global leader in the manufacture of high-performance Lexan sheet and film products used in thousands of demanding applications worldwide.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work - a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
(a) Lexan, Margard, Ultem, and LNP are trademarks of General Electric Company.
(b) AZDEL and Rail-Lite are trademarks of AZDEL, Inc., a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric Company and PPG Industries.
Contacts
The Americas
GE's Plastics Business, Pittsfield, Mass.
Christopher Tessier, 413-448-6926
[email protected]
or
Europe
GE's Plastics Business, Specialty Film & Sheet,
Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands
Banu Kukner, +31 164 291 605
[email protected]
or
Agency Contact
The Americas
AH&M Marketing Communications, Pittsfield, Mass.
Jim Allison, 413-448-2260, Ext. 25
[email protected]