THE FUTURE, - Solvay

New
business
20
New business > INNOVATIONS 09
208316 208980 208993
THE PVC/SAN ALLOY AT SEIFEL FOR
ELECTRIC CASKETS APPLICATION
How to associate
contradictory properties?
THE PROJECT. The switch boxes dedicated
to the general public, and to the technicians who
calculate and approve electrical distribution
for EDF (the French national electricity company),
must satisfy very specifi c criteria that sometimes
involve contradictory properties for PVC:
resistance to heat deformation, resistance
to shocks and ability to withstand extreme
weather conditions (UV resistance).
In addition, the injection molding associated with
a relatively complicated shape has required the
development of a PVC formula exhibiting a low
viscosity when melted.
The innovation therefore consists in the creation
of a formula based on PVC associated
with several other polymers which provides
the balance required to meet those particular
specifi cations.
SBU VINYLS
> Philippe Renaut; Philippe Devesvre;
Philippe Vallot.
REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING VULCANIZED
AND E-BEAM CROSSLINKED RUBBER IN
FLEXIBLE CONNECTING PIPES IN POTABLE
WATER (POLIDAN ® PNT 0553/23)
Low microbial
development
THE PROJECT. In most countries, the supply
of potable water inside homes may require
specifi c piping, as when a washing machine or
bathtap has to be connected to the water
distribution network. This operation is made
possible through a fl exible hose, usually
manufactured in EPDM (a type of elastomer).
However, the water intended for human
consumption is usually treated with chlorine
disinfectants to reduce microbial proliferation,
and EPDM elastomers have a chemical structure
easily attacked by such water disinfection
products. This microbiological growing was too
high for EPDM hoses.
This is where the Padanaplast team came in, by
offering its customers an alternative that does not
present this defect. A new market for Polidan ®
PEX (crosslinked polyethylene) was born. It was
necessary to choose the material: a special
polymer, offering the right combination of fl exibility
and temperature resistance, both required by the
client, not forgetting the crosslinking treatment to
give the required of mechanical properties.
Another challenger was silicon, but the price
proved too high. Finally the production investment
costs have proved modest compared to the
potential gain in this new growth market for
Polidan ® .
SBU SPECIALTY POLYMERS
> Christian Miglioli; Clara Malmassari.
THE FIRST LONG GLASS FIBER VINYL
COMPOSITE; OPENING A NEW ERA OF
APPLICATIONS FOR PVC!
Recyclable fi re and
UV-resistant plates
THE PROJECT. Up to now, the only kinds
of glass fi ber (GF) reinforced PVC composites
have been made of short GF mixed with PVC dry
blend before being extruded. The process cuts
the fi bers, giving poor resilience properties to
the fi nished products, which means having a very
limited number of applications.
The innovation comes from the combination of a
new patented technology to disperse the PVC into
the long GF and of the use of special PVC resin
and formulation able to gelate without being
sheared.
The long GF (10-100 mm) are dispersed with PVC
using an electrostatic fi eld. The mixture is then
simply pressed in order to gelate the PVC, without
destroying the long fi bers. The result is a thin
plate ( Claudine Bloyaert; Claude Dehennau;
Dominique Grandjean; external partners:
Éric Forest; L. Camaro.