A weekly look at new products, innovations

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].

Lanxess A.G.'s Rhein Chemie Additives business unit has released two products designed to meet demand for halogen-free flame retardants by fire safety standards for buildings and the automotive and electronic sector.

Levagard TP LXS 51114 is a low-emission flame retardant the company said is highly suitable for use in polyether and polyester based flexible polyurethane foams. PU foams containing the new product can meet the strict VDA 278 standard for the characterization of non-metallic materials in vehicles with respect to volatile and condensable emissions, the company said.

Lanxess said it is addressing the trend toward halogen-free low-emission products with Levagard TP LXS 51114 as well as with the use of biopolymers in highly technical applications such as components and housings for the electronic industry, which must be supplemented with corresponding additives.

According to Lanxess, Levagard TP LXS 51114 can be used as a flame-retardant plasticizer in cellulose derivatives, particularly cellulose triacetate. It can be used in the manufacture of notebook displays, LCD screens and electronic housings in which a fire classification of UL 94 V.0 needs to be achieved, the company said.

The second product, Disflamoll 51092, is a halogen-free phosphate esterct that combines plasticizing and flame retardant properties, the company said, claiming it has a low odor and can be used in many plastics (plasticized PVC, flexible PU foams, TPU, PC-ABS and NBR-PVC blends). Applications range from coated textile fibers, tarpaulins, cables, E&E housings, furniture and automotive interiors to thermos insulated hoses, the company said.

In ester-based thermoplastic polyurethane applications such as cables, Disflamoll 51092 can be combined with Stabaxol hydrolysis stabilizers, Lanxess said, adding service life of material.

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Huber Engineered Materials, a division of J.M. Huber Corp., has launched a packaging concept implemented at its precipitated amorphous silica production facility in Havre de Grace, Md.

The multi-million dollar packaging system replaces paper bags to polyethylene bags. The company claimed that the improved bags offer stronger tensile strength, minimization of nuisance dust and greater control of moisture to maintain the integrity of the material inside.

Huber claimed the elimination of trapped air within each bag yields excellent stacking for more stable pallets during shipment, unloading and warehousing. The new packaging is recyclable, it said.

The bags has increased printing and labeling options, the company said, and are being introduced systematically across the globe with equipment in place for select production facilities in the European and Americas regions, with the intention to introduce in Asia in 2017.

Huber uses precipitated silica in seven manufacturing sites across North America, Europe and Asia.

For more information, go to www.hubermaterials.com.

Herbold USA has unveiled a new force fed granulator for size reduction of PET bottles.

Model SMS 100/160-9-2 SB3 features a rotor that is 20 percent larger than current offerings, the company said, stating that the additional size and mass of the rotor allows the granulator to operate at higher throughput rates (up to seven tons per hour).

Material is fed into the destruction chamber via a screw fed mechanism that utilizes three vertically mounted feeding screws, the company said. This feeding method offers advantages over gravity feeding including consistent feed rates, reduced power consumption, no material flyback, quieter operation, less wear on the cutting chamber and reduced fines and dust, Herbold claimed.

The knife geometry positions inclined rotor and stator knives at the same, but opposing angles provides a true double cross cutting action, according to the firm.

Herbold Meckesheim USA, a subsidiary of Herbold Meckesheim Germany, designs, manufactures, and installs size-reduction equipment, including shredders, granulators and wash-line systems for the plastics industry, specializing in the recycling of industrial and post-consumer plastics.

For more information, visit www.herboldusa.com.