Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) Innovative Plastics, the largest exhibitor at the 22nd International Exhibition on Plastics and Rubber Industries (Chinaplas 2008) that opened on Thursday at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC), Pudong, Shanghai, has introduced its first non-halogenated FR film for the electrical electronics industry helping OEMs to reach higher environmental standards. Materials forwarded to the Saudi Gazette showed that SABIC's EFR 735 film is the company's first thermoplastic film made without the use of brominated or chlorinated flame-retardants. The new film, aside from its environmental positive effects, also supports the trend toward smaller, thinner devices by delivering high performance at very thin gauges. “Our first non-halogenated flame-retardant film has a dual purpose - to help electronics customers effectively take a strong stand on environmental protection, and to expand our robust portfolio of environmentally responsible materials,” said Josh Ayer, global product manager, Film, SABIC Innovative Plastics. “We applaud major electronics manufacturers that are demonstrating their environmental concern by limiting or banning potentially harmful substances from their products and processes. We are confident that our EFR 735 film will make it easier for them to achieve this goal while also benefiting from enhanced performance and cost savings from down-gauging.” EFR 735 film delivers VTM-0 flame resistance performance according to Underwriters Laboratories (UL 94) down to 152 microns without the use of potentially harmful halogenated additives. It also gives significantly better puncture resistance and tensile strength than flame-retardant polypropylene (FRPP). In fact, the material has triple the puncture resistance of FRPP and surpasses FRPP in tensile strength with double the performance. It also offers a higher glass transition temperature (340 degrees C vs. 265 degrees C) for high-heat environments. Further, FRPP is subject to three times greater shrinkage than SABIC Innovative Plastics' standard film. EFR 735 also offers low moisture absorption, high thermal performance, and excellent dielectric strength. Thinner-gauge EFR 735 film can replace thicker FRPP film without sacrificing performance. At gauges as thin as 0.006 in. it equals the performance of 0.017-in.-thick FRPP. Thinner gauges give designers greater flexibility to create today's flatter, lighter-weight notebook PCs and other devices. They also help to reduce material costs through down gauging. China is the world's most important and fastest growing polymers market. “We have increased SABIC's presence at Chinaplas this year, and we are pleased to introduce SABIC Innovative Plastics to the show for the first time,” said Mohamed Al-Mady, SABIC vice chairman and CEO. “SABIC Innovative Plastics was launched last year following the acquisition of GE Plastics in September, a move which takes us one step closer to realizing our strategic vision of becoming the world's preferred chemicals supplier,” he said. “We are now a major global producer and supplier of advanced highly engineered thermoplastics in addition to being a major producer of basic and intermediate chemicals,” he added. SABIC Innovative Plastics is reaffirming its commitment to the Pacific region by adding significant production capability to its Pudong, Shanghai facility. It is also creating a unique Center of Excellence focused on notebook computers in its China Technology Center in Shanghai. “Our production expansion and new Center of Excellence are two more examples of SABIC Innovative Plastics' ongoing commitment to our customers' success in Greater China and Asia,” said Brian Gladden, president & CEO, SABIC Innovative Plastics. SABIC's Vice President, Polymers, Abdulsalam Al-Mazro, said: “Our expansions in China are a sign of the confidence that SABIC places in the economic opportunities in China and strongly supports SABIC's growth strategy of being among the world's top three petrochemical companies by 2020.” In January this year, SABIC signed a Heads of Agreement with SINOPEC, for the formation of a 50-50 joint venture to establish a one million metric tons per year ethylene derivatives complex in Tianjin, China. Chinaplas 2008 runs till Sunday. The theme of this Chinaplas 2008 is “Bringing Innovation to Life and Success to Your Business,” reflecting the wide use of plastics and rubber in our daily lives, including automotive parts, packaging, building and construction, medical equipment, electronics and electrical appliances other products that are routinely used every day. __
