A weekly look at new products, innovation

Editor's Note: Each week, Rubber & Plastics News will take a look at some of the rubber industry's new products and innovations on www.rubbernews.com. Does your company have a new product or new innovation? To be considered for inclusion in this recurring feature, email [email protected].

Sick Inc. has launched the AHS/AHM36 absolute encoders, singleturn and multiturn encoders that have a 270-degree rotating M12 connector or cable outlet that enables flexible, time-saving installation in limited spaces, according to the company.

The encoders have a small diameter at 36 mm. Face mount flange, servo flange and blind hollow shaft versions are available, Sick said, each with five different shaft diameters and various adapters. Intelligent diagnostic functions, such as velocity, temperature and power on counter, as well as fast data transmission rates help identify errors early, leading to improved productivity, Sick claims. The encoders are fully magnetic and are able to withstand dust, water jets and temperatures from -40° C to 100° C.

With an enclosure rating up to IP 67, Sick said the AHS/AHM36 encoders are suited for automated guided systems, industrial vehicles and utility vehicles, but they also can be used in packaging machines, logistics applications and machine building.

For more information, visit www.sickusa.com.

Huntsman Corp. has developed two UV protected grades of thermoplastic polyurethanes for use in offshore, oil and gas, and mining wire and cable applications. The two grades are: Irogran A 85 P 4394 UV DP, which has a hardness of 85 Shore A; and Irogran A 92 P 4637 UV DP, which has a hardness of 92 Shore A.

Both grades are entering final launch stage and will be available globally.

The polyether-based TPU materials, which are part of the company's Irogran product range, are designed for jacketing the cables of heavy duty pieces of equipment because they have to function in harsh, abrasive and outdoor environments and exposed to the elements.

Over time, exposure to ultraviolet light can cause cabling materials to degrade, Huntsman said, losing performance in tensile strength, abrasion and elongation. On oil rigs, offshore wind farms and in underground applications, any form of deterioration in cable quality is unacceptable and could have costly consequences, it said.

Huntsman said its latest wire and cable innovations were developed in response to requests from customers in the Americas, who were asking for increasingly demanding performance levels from their cable jacketing materials.

Huntsman's Irogran materials contain a UV package that is not listed as a substance of very high concern under REACH regulations, the company said, and is designed to increase cable longevity.

Huntsman has tested the performance of the materials extensively with both grades surpassing industry standard UV tests.

For more information, contact: [email protected] or go to www.hunstman.com.

Bluestar Silicones USA Corp. has expanded its line of flat release profile polymers, releasing the products at Labelexpo Americas 2014, Sept. 9-11.

The latest offering, Silcolease Poly 356, is an ultra-flat release coating system, Bluestar Silicones said, which targets low-platinum, solventless systems and helps label manufacturers enhance productivity and realize significant cost savings.

Silcolease Poly 356 is part of the Bluestar Silicones Optima system and is a silicone release coating, which provides premium flat release over a broad range of strip speeds, the company said. It offers the flattest release profile in the industry and enables label manufacturers to increase converting speeds, according to the company.

Additionally, Silcolease Poly 356 is designed for formulation flexibility to allow reduction in platinum catalyst and more cost-effective process conditions for pressure-sensitive applications, Bluestar said. It provides good cures at high coating line speeds, effective cure on thermally sensitive substrates and a wide range of release levels with the addition of release modifiers, the company claimed. It anchors to most substrates and has bath stability.

Bluestar Silicones also introduced two ultraviolet photo initiators: Silcolease UV CATA 243, which is a next-generation cationic photoinitiator that requires lower addition levels and is more effective than current products; and Silcolease UV CATA 102, a photoinitiator for free radical UV curing of silicone acrylate release coatings.

For more information, go to http://www.bluestarsilicones.com.