It's Your Industry Too! - Fluoropolymers Division

FluoroNews is published
by the Society of the
Plastics Industry, Inc.,
Fluoropolymers Division.
SPI will publish brief
summaries of events of
interest to members in
the Industry Highlights
section as part of its
continuing effort to meet
the needs and interests
of the fluoropolymer
industry. Publication of
such information is
subject to FluoroNews
editorial and other SPI
policies. See page 3.
Industry Highlights
ADVANCED FLEXIBLE COMPOSITES, INC. (AFC) marks its 20 th anniversary. Founded in
1988, AFC is a world leader in the manufacture of high-performance coated fabrics. AFC sells its
products through distributors and OEMs under the trade names DuraFab®, DuraFlow®, DuraSil®,
DuraStick®, DuraLam® and DuraChef®. AFC manufactures materials out 4 facilities: Lake In
The Hills, IL; Adams MA; Mexico City, Mexico; and Runcorn, Cheshire, England. AFC has
recently introduced its new heat sealers and belting repair supplies brochure. The 4-page color
brochure details the Specialty Belting Division’s complete line of heat sealers, tacking irons
capabilities as well as parts and accessories. Contact AFC customer service at 800/334-9372 for a
copy of the brochure.
FLUOROCONSULTANTS GROUP has expanded beyond consulting services and is doing
selective custom part sourcing to support the US fluoropolymer parts manufacturers. We do not
independently import foreign made parts into the US, which could compete with the US-made
parts. We facilitate the parts sourcing for the companies that wish to do so. We only source parts
that Chinese or Indian companies already know how to make. We now have representatives in
offices in Shanghai, China and Bombay, India, which allows us to insure top quality
parts and the use of specified fluoropolymer resins. See classified ad on page 10.
SAINT-GOBAIN PERFORMANCE PLASTICS has a new brochure that details its
involvement in the oil and gas industry. The brochure contains details on its highperformance
Fluoroloy® materials used to produce seals for the harshest environments
in oil and gas exploration and production. The brochure also introduces the new
OmniSeal® LFE range that has been developed to comply with the most stringent Low
Fugitive Emission regulatory standards such as ISO15848-1 and SHELL MSE77-312.
W. L. GORE broke ground on a new 21,700 square meter facility and began renovation
on 6,000 square meters of recently leased space in Shenzhen, China in early May. The
new site will be located adjacent to an existing facility, currently leased for manufacturing
of fabrics and electronic products. The project is part of a long-term commitment to
expand Gore’s R&D and manufacturing capabilities in Shenzhen. It will also accommodate
the company’s disk drive filtration operations. The facility will result in more than
400 new jobs over the next five years.
W. L. GORE … The GORE-TEX TransRockies Run covers six days and 110 miles
through the high Colorado Rockies, including rock-strewn mountaintop trails to cold
creek crossings and idyllic trips across alpine meadows. In 2008, Salomon will be the
official footwear supplier of the GORE-TEX TransRockies Run. Salomon’s superb range of trail
running shoes will provide the ideal solution for the long TransRockies days on the trail, whether
it’s the XA Comp GTX, made with GORE TEX® XCR for ultimate waterproof breathability or the
all-new XT Wings, which premieres this season integrating a host of Salomon technologies for
ultimate trail performance.
ASAHI GLASS CHEMICALS has restructured its web site, and it looks great! Check it out at
www.agachemicals.com.
DUPONT… A new DuPont fluoropolymer production plant has begun operations in Changshu,
China. The plant, which produces polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fine-powder and dispersion for
global customers, with focus on Asia Pacific, marks a significant milestone in the company’s
strategic plan to establish a broader fluoroproducts manufacturing base in China. The Changshu
plant is the fourth DuPont facility that has installed commercial production units using DuPont
Echelon technology which produces low-PFOA content aqueous fluoropolymer dispersions.
to Industry Highlights on page 4
FLUORONEWS | SUMMER 2008 | PAGE 2
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