Rhodia Engineering Plastics launches TECHNYL® SI “Super-Impact” polyamides

Lyon, October 20th, 2004 - Today, Rhodia Engineering Plastics - polyamide specialist- announced the launching of TECHNYL® SI, a new range of high toughness polyamides with exceptional impact resistance/stiffness balance.

The high mechanical properties of impact modified polyamides bring benefits to applications as diverse as power tools or sports articles. Characteristics such as high toughness, good surface aspect and easy processing are key value drivers.

In the specific case of power tools, polyamides are used in housings, where in combination with part designs they play a critical role in their structural and protective qualities.

Stiffness brings better structural characteristics to parts and improves screw retention, eliminating the need for inserts and resulting in better assembling performance, higher productivity and lower overall cost.

When choosing amongst conventional high impact polyamides, power tool manufacturers often have to compromise between high impact resistance and stiffness. In most cases, highly toughened materials lack stiffness and show difficulties in processing.

TECHNYL® SI is a new line of “super impact” modified polyamide 6, aimed to fulfill the increasing needs for higher impact performance without sacrificing stiffness. These materials have been conceived to push the limits in impact/stiffness balance and create new opportunities for polyamide in applications such as machine components, power tools, sports and others.

TECHNYL® SI is produced via an innovative patented polymer modification technology, which allows a highly efficient impact modification that translates into Significant improvements in the impact/stiffness balance of polyamide 6 compounds.

“The superior impact/stiffness balance of TECHNYL® SI pushes the limits and allows manufacturers to benefit from formulations that show Significantly higher levels of impact without looSIng stiffness or other mechanical properties“ noted Alejandro Zarate, CIG Marketing Manager for Rhodia Engineering Plastics. (Figure 1,2)

One market leading appliance manufacturer evaluated 2 formulations of TECHNYL® SI in a high demanding application, to test performance and processing. The impact modified TECHNYL® SI used for this trial not only probed to outperform the material normally used in terms of impact resistance but also showed improved stiffness, high dimensional stability, good surface aspect, and equivalent cycle time and moulding conditions.

“Moreover, The high flexibility of TECHNYL® SI modification technology allows to produce materials with impact levels Similar to those found today in the market” said Zarate “The higher stiffness of those products can allow designers to reduce part weight by reducing wall thickness, while not losing structural and impact performance” he added.

This new range of polyamides includes three “super impact” unfilled grades. Two “super-impact” glass fibre filled grades will be introduced to market by the end of 2004.

Reader enquiries

Rhodia Engineering Plastics
Avenue Ramboz
F-69192 Saint-Fons Cedex
France

+33 4 72 89 29 24

jerome.pisani@​eu.rhodia.com

www.rhodia.com