DuPont and Lanxess announce plans to double the compounding capacity of their joint venture for the production of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).The partners will together invest approximately ten million Euros in the DuBay Polymer GmbH facility, located in Hamm-Uentrop, Germany, with construction due to commence shortly and commissioning of the new expansion stage scheduled for early 2012.
Today’s announcement reflects DuPont’s long-term commitment to customers who depend on the reliable supply of DuPont™ Crastin PBT for their growing requirements. Crastin PBT is a product family of high performance PBT compounds often tailored to specific market needs. Consequently, customers are finding new and innovative uses for these materials, which fuels growth” said Björn Hedlund, director of DuPont Performance Polymers in Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA).
“This capital investment is the two partners’ response to the mounting worldwide demand for PBT compounds. This growth is being driven in particular by the international automotive and electrical/electronic industries, where sales of these high-performance thermoplastics are growing not only organically but also as a result of the many new and innovative applications,” said Dr. Michael Zobel, head of semi-crystalline products at Lanxess.
Investment in the DuBay Polymer GmbH plant willextend DuPont’s ability to cost-effectively deliver a differentiated PBT product to the market in the form of Crastin® PBT thermoplastic polyester resins, a core product within its material portfolio. By making physical and technical modifications, DuPont is able to offer over 100 different grades of Crastin® PBT that are ideally suited to a wide range of industrial applications, including electronics, electrical, automotive, mechanical engineering, chemical and apparatus engineering, domestic and medical appliances and sporting goods.
Among the many features of the Crastin® PBT grades are mechanical and physical properties of stiffness and toughness, heat resistance, friction and wear resistance, excellent surface finishes and good colorability. Crastin® PBT is the material of choice for electrical/electronic applications due to its excellent electrical insulation characteristics and availability in high arc-resistant grades.
DuPont and Lanxess have been engaged in a manufacturing joint venture for the basic plastic polybutylene terephthalate in Hamm-Uentrop since 2004. It is one of the largest of its kind in the world and was previously expanded to include a compounding capability for high-volume compounds in 2007.
