22 Jul 2004
GELOY® resin helps switch-on to future needs
Keeping pace with consumers’ desires for new styles and enhanced aesthetics is just one of the many demands faced by electrical manufacturers. A relatively new demand but one progressively growing in importance, is the requirement to ensure that their products comply with emerging EU Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). This obliges manufacturers to take responsibility for the end-of-life impact their products have on the environment.
Choice of manufacturing materials provides the key to fulfilling both consumer criteria and environmental legislation. In the electrical industry, this is being manifested in a clear market trend for manufacturers to replace thermoset materials with recyclable ones in their production processes.
As one of the industry’s global leaders, Schneider Electric España SA, has already been using engineering thermoplastics for some years because they offer a balanced combination of design freedom, ease of processing, excellent aesthetics and recyclability. To help find the material that could optimize Schneider’s ability to deliver the full range of properties required for a popular range of its electrical switch frames and sockets in Schneider’s special ‘Polar White’ color, the company turned to GE Advanced Materials. Schneider chose GELOY® resin as its solution for this ‘appearance’ part, where material color stability, gloss and surface quality are key demands.
“We were seeking an engineering thermoplastic that could provide color stability in our special ‘Polar White’ color,” explains Schneider’s Juan Vicente Carbonell. “And we wanted a solution that best met our performance, cost and aesthetics criteria for the parts. The GE Advanced Materials’ team worked with us to understand the application, helped identify the material and assist us through the color matching and molding fine tuning trials.”
An upgrade on the standard GELOY resin was selected by Schneider as offering the balance of properties and characteristics, required by Schneider. Moreover, the new GELOY resins utilize GE Advanced Materials’ halogen-free flame-resistance technology to help meet growing eco-label application demand.
Because the parts are wall-mounted and have a high visibility profile, the color stability, quality surface and gloss of GELOY resin, together with its UV resistance, provided the required high level aesthetic finish.
Moreover, to closely match performance specifications, two grades of the material were supplied: GELOY EXGY0009 resin for the frames and GELOY EXGY0010 resin for the higher temperature performance of BPT>125ºC, was specified for the electrical socket.
With wide application in electrical systems for houses, apartments, offices, hotels and hospitals, white is the principal color of choice for the switch frames and sockets among the largest percentage of end-users. Available from a full palette of colors, GELOY resin was supplied in the extreme Polar white specified by the customer, to satisfy the needs of the majority market, and in an Ivory color to satisfy a smaller, specialized consumer segment.
Reader enquiries
GE PlasticsPlasticslaan 1
4600 AC Bergen op Zoom
Netherlands
Helen Vandebovenkamp
helen.vandebovenkamp@ge.com
Tel: +31 164 29 20 97
Fax: +31 164 29 10 66
Netherlands
Notes for editors
GE Advanced Materials
GE Advanced Materials is a world leader in providing materials solutions through engineering thermoplastics, silicon-based products and technology platforms, and fused quartz and ceramics. Among its businesses are:
• Silicones, which includes GE Toshiba Silicones in the Pacific region and GE Bayer Silicones in Europe, offers silanes, specialty silicones, urethane additives, adhesives, sealants, resins, and elastomers for a variety of industries such as personal care, automotive, tire and rubber, construction, healthcare, electronics, household and institutional, agriculture, textiles, appliances, bedding and furnishings, foam control, and consumer (https://www.gesilicones.com/gesilicones/am1/en/home.jsp);
• Plastics is a global plastics materials supplier and distributor, which serves customers in a variety of industries including aerospace, appliances, automotive, building and construction, data storage and optical media, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications, computers and peripheral devices, outdoor vehicles and devices, and packaging (https://www.geplastics.com);
• Quartz produces high purity materials for the semiconductor, fiber optic, lamp making and water purification industries. GE Quartz is a leading supplier of quartz materials to the semiconductor industry (www.gequartz.com/en/index.htm);
• GE (NYSE:GE) is a diversified technology, media, and financial services company dedicated to creating products that make life better. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, television programming, and plastics, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
GELOY is a registered trademark of General Electric Company.
Related images
As one of the industry’s global leaders, Schneider Electric España SA, has already been using engineering thermoplastics for some years because they offer a balanced combination of design freedom, ease of processing, excellent aesthetics and recyclability. To help find the material that could optimize Schneider’s ability to deliver the full range of properties required for a popular range of its electrical switch frames and sockets in Schneider’s special ‘Polar White’ color, the company turned to GE Advanced Materials. Schneider chose GELOY® resin as its solution for this ‘appearance’ part, where material color stability, gloss and surface quality are key demands.
Editorial enquiries
Marianne Schouten
GE Advanced Materials
Brigitta de Vries
Marketing Solutions NV