Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The innovative field of styrene-butadiene (SB) block copolymers is
still in its infancy in comparison to other plastics. And yet,
BASF
already has two milestones to commemorate in this realm.
20 years of Styrolux in Antwerp
Styrolux, an SB block copolymer, was produced on an industrial
scale for the first time about 30 years ago in Ludwigshafen,
Germany. In 1990, just ten years later, a second plant was built in
Antwerp, Belgium, and this was followed by another production site
in Altamira, Mexico. Worldwide, BASF now has an annual production
capacity of 110,000 metric tons.
The plastic stands out for its transparency, toughness and
stiffness. This property combination can be ascribed to the
capacity of the material to self-organize on the molecular level.
Styrolux can be blended very well with standard polystyrene and it
is easy to process. It is primarily extruded into films and
deep-drawn to create many different parts, although it can also be
employed in injection molding. One of the most recent variants is
Styrolux 3G46, a highly transparent material that is found, for
example, in high-end display packaging. Styrolux HS 70 is the
newest product, developed especially for the production of shrink
film. Shrink film made of the HS 70 grade returns virtually to its
initial shape, even after being stretched to six times its original
size under exposure to heat. Consequently, films made of this
material are particularly well-suited for shrink wrapping round
bottles and other containers with a wide array of shapes.
15 years of Styroflex
A special variant from this product family, the thermoplastic
elastomer (TPE) Styroflex, was launched onto the market just 15
years ago, upon the occasion of the K 1995 plastics trade fair.
This material differs from the classic SB block copolymers in that
it combines transparency, high elasticity and processing stability.
This product has recently made its way into the manufacture of
stretch hoods. Even after being stretched by 220 percent, a
composite packaging film having a thin central layer made of
Styroflex once again clings to the packaged items, holding them
securely on the pallet.
Originally developed as an alternative to soft PVC, Styroflex is
now being employed in numerous fields. Transparent meat packaging,
for example, is often made of stretch or cling film containing TPE.
As a toughness modifier, it improves the application properties of
HIPS (impact-resistant polystyrene) and ABS. In multilayered films,
it also serves as a bonding agent in combination with polyolefins
and other styrene plastics. In addition, Styroflex is the soft
component in the multi-component injection-molding of soft-touch
systems such as baby toys and wet electric shavers. Its polarity
ensures that the material can be easily printed on and adheres well
to many materials such as PC, PMMA, polyolefins as well as other
styrene copolymers.
Thanks to this multifaceted product line, BASF has succeeded in
becoming a leading supplier in the field of SB copolymers. The
ongoing refinement of these products will continue to be part of
this division's strategy, contributing to the strong growth of this
class of materials. Thus, at BASF's stand at the plastics fair
K2010 new developments, demanding applications and processing
methods of SB polymers will be addressed.
Photo caption: a special feature of the thermoplastic elastomer
(TPE) Styroflex, a BASF styrene-butadiene (SB) block copolymer, is
its puncture resistance. Films made of this transparent plastic can
be found in many different kinds of packaging.
SOURCE