This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
news


EPO upholds DSM's Diablo heat stabilisation patent


The European Patent Office (EPO) has upheld an appeal by DSM against an earlier decision to revoke a patent covering its Diablo heat stabilisation technology for polyamides.


The decision by the Board of Appeal at the EPO in Munich on 29 October confirms DSM’s intellectual property rights


over the technology, which is used to improve long-term temperature resistance of its Stanyl and Akulon polyamides. Typically used in automotive industry applications where high temperature resistance is required over extended periods, the Diablo technology is also licensed for use to a number of other polyamide


suppliers. According to DSM, the


long-term heat-ageing of materials using Diablo differentiates them from competing materials. The company claims that stable mechanical performance is maintained over 3,000 hours continuous use at tempera- tures higher than 200°C. “If you do not see a drop in


An automotive inlet manifold produced in DSM’s Stanyl Diablo 46 polyamide


performance in these condi- tions, then the chance is high that DSM’s Diablo technology is being used, whether or not it is correctly licensed,” said Kurt Maschke, Global Segment Manager Air/Fuel. “I strongly recommend part makers to check the legal situation before starting an expensive part validation process.” ❙ www.dsmep.com


Axxom to buy Thornton assets


Axxom has entered into an asset purchase agreement with bankrupt plastics distributor and brokerage firm Thornton & Co. (TCI) of Connecticut, US, under which it will acquire substantially all of the business of Thornton for $3.7m. The agreement (under Section 363 of the US Bank- ruptcy Code) was reached in early November subject to the receipt of higher or better offers ahead of an auction on 23 November. However, as none were forthcoming it now appears certain the Axxom deal will go ahead. TCI is expected to resume normal


6


resin brokerage operations as a part of Axxom. The bid comprised $2.7m


from Axxom’s owner, Chemical Resources (CRI) of Princeton, New Jersey, and $1m from Thornton’s management. It includes all of Thornton’s inventory and IP but not its accounts receivable or other litigation assets. CRI was reportedly ap-


proached by Boston-based Tiger Group, which was running the liquidation process. It said that it saw synergies between Thornton’s activities and its own, which include compound- ing plants in Chesapeake,


COMPOUNDING WORLD | December 2015


Virginia, US, and Guangdong, China, plus a recycling plant in Jacksonville, Florida, US. Thornton generated an annual turnover of $200m in 2014 on sales of around 135,000 tonnes of PE and PP. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August, citing the fall in petrochemical prices since 2014 for a 20% decline in sales. Its main bank, People’s United, declined to accept a proposed repayment plan but later reached an agreement with it to continue operating and sell off inventory. ❙ www.chemres.comwww.axxomchemical.com


Techmer PM Design & Innovation Lead Shashi Caan


Techmer PM, the Tenness- see, US-based producer of colours and additives for plastics and fibres, has appointed Shashi Caan to the newly created post of Design & Innovation Lead. The appointment


formalises an ongoing partnership, the company said, and “further promotes direct collaboration with designers”. Caan will act as a sounding board to designers as Techmer PM seeks to translate their work into high performance materials.


Caan was global


president of the Interna- tional Federation of Interior Architects/Designers from 2009 to 2014 and is also the former chair of the interior design department at Parsons The New School of Design in New York. She previously founded the SC Collective, an architecture and design firm, in 2002. ❙ www.techmerpm.com


www.compoundingworld.com


Techmer PM strengthens design


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92