ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 25, 2010)—Momentive Performance Materials Inc. has started building a liquid silicone rubber plant at its complex in Leverkusen, Germany.
The facility will help Momentive meet growing demand for LSR from its global customers and emerging markets, the company said. The first phase of the project should be completed by the end of the year.
Momentive didn't reveal details of the investment or how much capacity will increase at Leverkusen, which already houses production of a number of the firm's silicone and sealant product lines.
The chemical company has launched a number of innovations in elastomer technology over the past two years that it said has increased demand for LSR products. Those include the Silopren LSR 7000 series, a highly transparent LSR that can replace thermoplastics in specific optical applications; a fully fluorinated LSR that exhibits high resistance to fuels and flex fuels; a fiber-reinforced LSR; and StatSil antimicrobial elastomers, a silver based material that can help prevent the spread of microbial infections from medical devices to the human body.