14 Nov 2006
Ultem* Resins Help Areva Power the Energy Industry
Ultem* 2200 – 1000 resins chosen to help keep electrical power
The present consolidation of AREVA represents the combination of five companies: AREVA T&D, COGEMA, FRAMATOME ANP and TECHNICATOME. The result has yielded a company of 78,000 employees worldwide. From power plants to local energy distribution and transmission services, Areva and its employees are committed to technological innovation.
GE’s Plastics business and AREVA, Inc.
A French business daily once compared the company structure of Areva to "a Cistercian abbey that weds perfect symmetry to great dignity". This symmetry has helped to create their relationship with GE Plastics in producing the best materials candidate for Areva’s safety switch bearings.
The Challenge: Developing a high performance material specific
to safety for the electrical equipment industry.
“We were looking to replace existing materials with higher performance substances to broaden our range of applications. GE Plastics had the best materials solution for our specific needs and their added application develop-ment support was first rate,” says Dr. Laetitia Dalmazio, Project Leader in Materials Development for AREVA.
Safety switch bearings used in power plants are critical elements in controlling the heat conducted between current connections.
If temperatures become perilously high, the bearing automatically disengages the connection.
The Solution: GE Plastics’ Ultem resin
Ultem resins offer:
• Limited shrinkage
• Hydrolitic stability
• Good conductivity
• Good processability
• Good high temp performance
• Dimensional stability
• Halogen free
• Low moisture absorption
Areva chose Ultem 2200-1000 resin for its safety switch bearings. This demanding application required that the material have excellent hydrolytic stability, high temperature resistance and good structural integrity in harsh environments. With its extensive range of properties, this high performance resin can be used in applications for power plants in all parts of the world. This adds value and potential cost out as only one materials solution is translated into one application that can be used in various environments.
In addition to electrical safety bearings, Ultem resins are used in a multitude of applications including tableware, medical equipment, aircraft mechanisms, automotive parts and lighting, molded interconnect devices for the telecom industry, and HVAC fluid handling components.
The Value-Added Services: Technical, Marketing, and Sampling Support
GE Plastics’ is not only a supplier of high performance engineering thermoplastics, but a provider of quality customer service geared toward each client’s particular needs. The specialists of GE not only assisted Areva in application development support but also in the moulding process. Technical expertise was also given through materials testing and by providing samples of Ultem’s 2200-1000 resin for material trials.
Details at: www.areva.com
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Notes for editors
About GE Plastics
GE Plastics (www.geplastics.com) is a leading global supplier of plastic resins widely used in a broad range of industries including automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building & construction, telecommunications, and optical media. The company manufactures and compounds polycarbonate, ABS, SAN, ASA, PPE, PC/ABS, PBT and PEI resins, as well as the LNP* line of high-performance specialty compounds. GE Plastics, Specialty Film & Sheet is a global leader in the manufacture of high-performance Lexan* sheet and film products used in thousands of demanding applications worldwide.
As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to a successful Games. From providing power, lighting, security and modular space solutions at Olympic venues to supplying ultrasound and MRI equipment to help doctors treat athletes, GE works closely with the Organizing Committees, local municipalities and other Olympic Partners to understand their needs and then deliver solutions that only GE can. NBC Universal, a division of GE, is the exclusive U.S. media partner of the Games. The GE and NBC Universal partnerships extend through 2012.
* Ultem, LNP and Lexan are trademarks of General Electric Company.
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