Plastics News 2017 Show Daily - October 17, 2017 - 7

Plastics News, October 17, 2017 * 7

FAKUMA SHOW DAILY

BASF showcasing new materials
for auto, construction markets
By Frank Esposito
Plastics News Staff
Fresh off a major acquisition, materials giant BASF SE is at Fakuma
with a wide portfolio of plastics
materials.
In September, Ludwigshafen,
Germany-based BASF announced
that it was buying the nylon business of Solvay SA of Brussels for 1.6
billion euros (US$1.9 billion). BASF
officials said at the time that the
Solvay nylon unit will complement
BASF's engineering plastics portfolio and will be integrated into its
performance materials and monomers divisions.
A BASF spokeswoman said a detailed integration plan for the Solvay nylon business will be developed in a discovery phase after the
deal closes.
She added
BASF SE
that it was
too early in
Hall B4
the process
Booth 4306
to comment
on other details.
For full year 2016, the Solvay nylon unit had sales of 1.315 billion
euros (US$1.57 billion). The business employs nearly 2,400 globally,
operating 12 production sites, four
research locations and 10 technical
support centers.
In another growth move, BASF
and Kolon Plastics are working together to build the world's largest
acetal (POM) plant in Gimcheon,
South Korea. The plant is set to
open in the second half of 2018
with annual production capacity
of 70,000 metric tons (154 million
pounds). Commercial quantities of
acetal, which BASF sells under the
Ultraform brand name, already are
available.
At Fakuma, BASF is focused on
multiple materials for the construction, furniture, automotive
and packaging sectors, including
what officials are calling "the superhero for engineers," a new grade
of Ultramid-brand Advanced N
polyphthalamide (PPA) resin for
challenging applications.
In the auto sector, BASF is presenting engineering plastics for
car interiors, chassis and powertrains. The company is publicly
showing two special nylons for car
interiors for the first time. Officials
said those materials open up new
design perspectives for high-gloss
surfaces, back-lit structural and
functional elements.
BASF also is displaying structural components that were developed together with leading automotive suppliers and optimized
with the help of the simulation tool
Ultrasim. These include engine
mounts, transmission crossbeams
and transmission adapters made
from glass-fiber-reinforced Ultramid-brand nylon resins.
The BASF booth at Fakuma includes a floor covering made from
Elastollan-brand
thermoplastic
polyurethane. The floor offers great

flexibility and durability, officials
said, and is particularly suitable
for areas of buildings with high foot
traffic. The 100 percent recyclable
floor covering is marketed by Tarkett under the name IQ One and is
certified with Cradle to Cradle gold
and with the Blue Angel eco-label.

The booth also features three
different chair designs that used
Ultramid SI nylon. These are the
Belleville from Vitra, the Metrik
from Wilkhahn and the A-Chair
from Brunner. In addition to the
stability typical of nylons, officials
said Ultramid SI offers a particular-

ly high-quality surface appearance.
Ultramid co-nylons also are
being used in film applications.
Ultramid Flex F38L is partially biobased and can make films that are
soft, transparent and tear-resistant
even at low temperatures and low
humidity. This makes the resin

particularly suitable for industrial
films or soft packaging, as is used
for food, officials said.
BASF, a global leader in chemicals and plastics, employs more
than 110,000 worldwide and posted sales of 57.5 billion euros
(US$67.5 billion) in 2016.

www.kraussmaffei.com
Live at Fakuma,
hall A7, booth 7303

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Plastics News 2017 Show Daily - October 17, 2017