NEWS Victrex to make PEEK in China
UK-based performance polymer maker Victrex is to set up a manufacturing JV with Yingkou Xingfu Chemical Company to produce PEEK polymer at a site at Liaoning in China. It will be its first PEEK resin production capacity outside of the UK. Victrex will hold a 75% stake in the
JV and will invest around £32m into the project. It already has an established relationship with Yingkou Xingfu Chemical Company through its monomer supply chain and expects to benefit from its expertise in developing and operating chemical plant in China. The new plant will be commissioned
in early 2022 and will eventually be capable of producing up to 1,500 tonnes of polymer annually. Victrex will oversee the management of process know-how and intellectual property during development of the polymerisation process. Victrex said setting up a plant in China is in line with its strategy of investing in capacity ahead of demand.
WEEE Forum wants to see no “watering down”
The Waste Electronic & Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Forum has responded to the European Commission’s ongoing discussions about preparation implementing acts to lay down minimum quality standards for WEEE treatment, saying it is “strongly of the view that it is absolutely crucial to do so in strict accordance with the European standards for WEEE.”
It said that Member States and the
European Commission should acknowledge the importance of strictly implementing all requirements of EN 50625 and EN 50614, the suite of CENELEC standards covering collection, transport, re-use and treatment of WEEE, and avoid any “watering down”. �
https://weee-forum.org
6 COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2020
Aerospace brackets 3D printed in Victrex PEEK
It said it expects to see significant long term growth opportunities across several markets in China as well as a move to domestically-produced resin to meet the country’s “Made in China 2025” initiative. Jakob Sigurdsson, Chief Executive
of Victrex, said: “This investment is in line with our record of not only investing ahead of demand, but in complementing and further differentiating our range of PEEK and PAEK grades, as well as setting the
stage for specific geographic growth, whereby we can capitalise on the significant opportunities in China and the Asia Pacific region by having a competitive manufacturing presence there. “Alongside the Made in China 2025
initiative, some of our increasingly diverse application areas mean our customers require a quality and differentiated PEEK offering,” he said. “Whilst we already manufacture a range of PEEK and PAEK grades, this will enhance our portfolio, making us even better positioned in a region where we have seen strong growth in recent years and continue to see attractive opportunities, aligned to our know-how and strong technical and application development capabilities.” The move follows the initiation of a
debottlenecking project at the company’s main Hillhouse UK production facility, which will add up to 1,000 tonnes of annual capacity. �
www.victrex.com
Albis aims for fuel cells to meet EV demands
Germany’s Albis says it has developed a number of plastic compounds for use in fuel cell applications in cooling and air supply systems, which are currently being validated in projects with automotive OEMs developing battery-powered cars. Further compounds are being evaluated on a specially-installed test set-up at Albis’s laboratory in Hamburg. “Hybrid solutions which combine battery and fuel cell are a promising
solution,” said Ian Mills, Albis management board member and head of its compounding business. Among the materials under evaluation are: Altech PP compounds with
20, 40 and 50% glass fibres; Alfater XL TPVs with Shore A hardnesses of 60 and 70; Tedur L PPS compounds with 30 and 40% glass fibre plus a 15% PTFE grade for plain bearings; and several Alcom grades. �
www.albis.com
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: VICTREX
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