On February 1, 2022 BASF will start marketing several polyamide (PA) and polyphthalamide (PPA) grades in Europe that it acquired as part of the takeover of Solvay’s PA66 business. These engineering plastics, previously sold as Technyl, will continue at BASF under the established brand name Ultramid. Customers globally will benefit from an extensive plastics portfolio including both PA66 grades and Ultramid One J, a PPA based on PA66/6T. Thus, BASF will support its customers in developing innovative plastics solutions across all industries, for example for E&E applications like connectors and circuit breakers, for consumer and household electronics, and for autonomous driving and emobility.
The European Commission granted BASF approval for the acquisition of Solvay’s polyamide business subject to certain conditions. As a result, BASF started to successfully sell the integrated engineering plastics in growth markets in Asia as well as North and South America. Now that the conditions have expired, BASF will bring these grades to Europe. “We are now able to offer the additional polyamides and PPAs to our customers globally,” said Abdullah Shaikh, head of the global PPA team. “We are looking forward to working together on projects that will unlock the full potential of Ultramid One J for innovative E&E components. Because of its property profile this PPA is the ideal addition to our existing plastics portfolio, allowing us to offer the perfect PPA for a wide range of product requirements, including new ones.”
Ultramid One J will be integrated into the PPA portfolio that BASF has marketed under the brand name Ultramid Advanced since 2016. It closes the gap between BASF’s polyamide and PPA grades. The high-performance plastic has outstanding mechanical and dielectric properties in presence of humidity and at elevated temperatures, while its low water absorption ensures good dimensional stability. Ultramid One J expands the range of component colors and designs, as it can be colored in different white shades, in addition to orange and grey. Its very high flowability makes it ideal for manufacturing small and complex components with electrical protection. The available UL cards show outstanding RTI and GWIT values. The flame retardant used is non-halogenated.
BASF and Solvay signed an agreement on the acquisition of Solvay’s integrated polyamide business in September 2017. The European Commission approved the acquisition in January 2019 under certain conditions, including the sale of Solvay’s polyamide 66 production plants in Europe. BASF concluded the acquisition of the polyamide business on January 31, 2020. Because of the backward integration for the key raw material adiponitrile (ADN), BASF now covers the entire value chain for polyamide 66 and improves its supply reliability. The business has been integrated into BASF’s Performance Materials and Monomers divisions.
About Ultramid Advanced
BASF’s polyphthalamide portfolio is based on the four polymers Ultramid Advanced N (PA9T), Ultramid Advanced T1000 (PA6T/6I), Ultramid Advanced T2000 (PA6T/66) and the long-standing Ultramid T KR (PA6T/6). They open the door to the next generation of lightweight, high-performance plastic components in many different sectors including the automotive industry, electronics and electric devices, mechanical engineering and consumer goods. The PPA portfolio is available globally and complemented by BASF’s Ultrasim simulation tool and extensive experience in application development. It includes more than 50 compounded grades for injection molding and extrusion, products with or without flame retardants. The compounds are available in different colors, from colorless to laser-markable black, with short-glass, long-glass or carbon fiber reinforcement, and with various heat stabilizers.
