GE ADVANCED MATERIALS PROVIDES “BUMPER TO BUMPER” SOLUTIONS FOR AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

GE turned imagination into reality with LEXAN® resin glazing that can provide panoramic roof systems with integrated features in complex shapes that glass cannot deliver. LEXAN® resin glazing offers weight savings of up to 50 percent versus glass and metal systems, while helping to lower the center of gravity for greater stability. Offering bumper-to-bumper engineering thermoplastics materials as well as Silicones and Silane solutions, GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), is committed to addressing the emerging needs of major OEMs and tiers with technologies that enhance vehicle aesthetics, efficiency and performance. From Plastics solutions for Body Panels and Glazing to Under-the-Hood, Components, Structures and Lighting, GE Advanced Materials provides industry leading application development and technical support to bring new concepts to market while attempting to drive cost out. In the Silicones and Silanes segments, GE Advanced Materials offers best-in-class Elastomers, Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, Urethane Additives and Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) products for longer lasting, higher performance.

LEXAN® THERMOCLEAR® SHEET SELECTED FOR STADIUM ROOFS FOR THE UEFA EURO 2004™ TOURNAMENT IN PORTUGAL

The opening game of the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament will be held at the Dragão stadium. It has a 50,000-seat capacity, incorporates 280 tonnes of metal in its structure and has an array of pillars to support its translucent roof, which has been termed a veil because of its impressive design. The roof incorporates 35,200m² of LEXAN® THERMOCLEAR® X-structure that for this installation is 32mm thick and has UV protection on both sides. BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — June 9, 2004 — Whether a design demands either transparent or light diffusing materials, GE Advanced Materials Structured Products’ LEXAN® polycarbonate sheet remains a popular choice for stadium roofing and other associated stadium applications. One of the best and most recent examples of this is the specification of LEXAN® THERMOCLEAR® sheet as the roof glazing material for six of the stadiums that host the UEFA Euro 2004™ football tournament in Portugal. LEXAN THERMOCLEAR sheet provides excellent light transmission, high impact resistance and good weatherability – and will require minimal maintenance. For these particular stadiums, more than 74,000m² of both side UV protected LEXAN THERMOCLEAR sheet has been installed at the six venues In Portugal.

GE ADVANCED MATERIALS DRIVES LEADING SOLUTIONS FOR PAINTED AUTOMOTIVE BODY PANELS

GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), today announced that fenders for the recently launched BMW 6 Series are the latest application success in a series of painted body panels molded from NORYL GTX® resin. The resin, a modified high-performance PPO®/PA alloy, was selected by BMW for its broad chemical resistance, stiffness, impact strength, and superior high-heat performance.  BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands - GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), announced that fenders for the recently launched BMW 6 Series are the latest application success in a series of painted body panels molded from NORYL GTX® resin. The resin, a modified high-performance PPO®/PA alloy, was selected by BMW for its broad chemical resistance, stiffness, impact strength, and superior high-heat performance.

GE ADVANCED MATERIALS REDEFINES WEATHERABLE RESIN PERFORMANCE WITH NEW OPAQUE, MOLDED-IN-COLOR PRODUCTS FOR INJECTION MOLDING

GE Advanced Materials has expanded its LEXAN® SLX weatherable resin product line with two new opaque resin grades – LEXAN SLX EXRL0124 and LEXAN SLX EXRL0125 resins – that have been designed for injection molding. The new products were developed to address environmental issues and the costs associated with painting plastic parts in applications that require long-term retention of color and gloss in demanding outdoor use. One of the first commercial uses of LEXAN SLX resin is for the housing of a new wireless infrastructure product from NexGen City. The resin was selected for this application – a homeland security device that supports first-responder (fire, EMT, and police) emergency personnel – for its chemical resistance, weatherability, light weight, design flexibility, thermal stability, impact resistance, and processability. BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), today expanded its LEXAN® SLX weatherable copolymer resin line with two new opaque grades specifically designed for injection molding. The new materials – LEXAN SLX EXRL0124 and LEXAN SLX EXRL0125 resins – were developed to address environmental issues and costs associated with painting plastic parts in applications that require long-term retention of color and gloss in demanding outdoor use.

GE ADVANCED MATERIALS LAUNCHES ULTEM® GF ATX RESIN FAMILY AS AN ECONOMIC ALTERNATIVE TO GLASS FILLED PEI

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), has announced the extension of its ATX series of unfilled polyetherimide/polyestercarbonate ULTEM® resin blends. The series now includes glass-filled offerings that may provide a cost-competitive alternative to glass-filled PEI and high performance semi-crystalline materials. This resin family has design applicability for a broad range of electronics, telecommunications, and automotive components that require high flow and impact performance combined with the potential for substantially lower cost than glass-filled PEI.

XYLEX™ RESIN FROM GE ADVANCED MATERIALS FINDING INCREASED USE IN POOL AND SPA FILTERS, LIGHTING

XYLEX™ X8210 and X8300 resins, two new polycarbonate/polyester alloys from GE Advanced Materials, are finding increased use in a range of important pool and spa applications, such as this pool cleaner from Zodiac Pool Care, Inc. of Pompano Beach, Fla. The resins are proving to be a great option for cleaner housings, light lenses, spa remote controls, pump covers, designer caps, filter parts, and control panels due to the properties they offer. These include excellent transparency, impact strength, weathering performance, and resistance to pool and spa chemicals, as well as superb gloss retention and UV resistance. Both the resin grades are commercially available worldwide. BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), is seeing increased validation and use of its XYLEX™ X8210 and X8300 polycarbonate/polyester alloys for a variety of pool and spa applications. These resin grades are proving to be a great option for pool and spa accessories due to the materials’ transparency, good impact strength, weathering performance, and resistance to chemicals like Baquacil® and BaquaSpa® water conditioners, bromine, and chlorine. Both the XYLEX X8210 and X8300 resins are commercially available worldwide.

NEW GE ADVANCED MATERIALS RESIN FOR RETORT PACKAGING TRAYS ENABLES OEMS TO INCREASE RACK/SURGE CAPACITY; REDUCE SYSTEMS COSTS, TRAY BREAKAGE

A new thermoplastic alloy, designed for use in large retort packaging sterilization trays, offers OEMs the ability to increase rack/surge capacity for higher output, double service life, and lower systems costs, helping to improve productivity for food processors. NORYL PPX® 615 resin – an alloy of polyphenylene ether (PPE) and polypropylene (PP) – is targeted at the large trays used to handle retort pouches during sterilization and conveyance due to its special balance of broad chemical resistance, excellent thermal and hydrolytic stability, and stiffness with ductility. The new material also offers good surface appearance, a wide processing window, and fast cycle times, all of which can help molders improve their bottom line.  BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — A new thermoplastic alloy, designed for use in large retort packaging sterilization trays, offers OEMs the ability to increase rack/surge capacity for higher output, double service life, and lower systems costs, helping to improve productivity for food processors. Introduced today by
GE Advanced Materials, NORYL PPX® 615 resin – an alloy of polyphenylene ether (PPE) and polypropylene (PP) – is targeted at the large trays used to handle retort pouches during sterilization and conveyance due to its special balance of broad chemical resistance, excellent thermal and hydrolytic stability, and stiffness with ductility. The new material also offers good surface appearance, a wide processing window, and fast cycle times, all of which can help molders improve their bottom line.

New Product Introductions GE Advanced Materials

Press Kit "Plastics for Industry"

NEW CYCOLOY® CY8620 RESIN FROM GE ADVANCED MATERIALS BRINGS A HIGHER LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE TO AUTOMOTIVE INSTRUMENT PANELS

GE Advanced Materials has launched CYCOLOY® CY8620 PC/ABS high-impact amorphous resin. Developed specifically for automotive interior applications, CYCOLOY CY8620 resin has a particular fit in instrument panel components, bringing a new level of performance through key property improvements over earlier generation materials. CYCOLOY resin has proven itself to be one of the foremost materials in meeting automotive OEMs’ stringent specifications for instrument panel applications, and GE Advanced Materials has progressively fine-tuned the resin line to help ensure that these materials continue to deliver cost-effective solutions to the industry. BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands – GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), has launched CYCOLOY® CY8620 resin, adding a new and important grade to its family of CYCOLOY PC/ABS high-impact amorphous resins. Developed specifically for automotive interior applications, CYCOLOY CY8620 resin has a particular fit in instrument panel components, bringing a new level of performance over earlier generation materials.

LNP DRIVES LEAD-FREE SOLDER PROCESSING FORWARD WITH NEW HIGH-HEAT, IR-SOLDERABLE FR CONNECTOR MATERIALS

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — A range of new grades of high-heat connector materials introduced today by LNP Engineering Plastics have been specially designed to resist the thermal challenges of infrared (IR) reflow soldering, offer the shrinkage characteristics of widely used thermoplastic polyesters for easy drop-in replacement, and are formulated with a halogen-free, flame-retardant package that can be used in eco-label applications. These glass-reinforced grades – called THERMOCOMP® HT Solder composite and STARFLAM® composite – are positioned to replace lower-temperature materials used in lead-free solderable connector applications in the computer peripherals, telecommunications, and datacommunications industries.

GE ADVANCED MATERIALS DELIVERS NEXT STEP IN SOLUTIONS FOR AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING APPLICATIONS

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), has introduced an array of new resin grades specifically designed to help bring higher performance benefits to automotive lighting applications.