7 May 2004

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

NEW ULTEM GF ATX RESIN OFFERS HIGHER FLOW AND HIGHER IMPACT STRENGTH AT LOWER COST

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.

“We are pleased with the customer response to this new resin family and have received very favorable feedback on initial customer production applications,” says Joop Groen,
GE Advanced Materials ULTEM Resin product manager for European Markets.

ULTEM GF ATX resin may provide advantages and benefits both in the production process and the finished product. When compared to typical glass filled PEI, ULTEM GF ATX may offer up to a 30% decrease in melt viscosity, and can extend flow lengths by as much as 40%. This offers the possibility to lower injection pressure for some applications or opens the way to utilize the resin in molding larger parts.

Moreover, decreased melt viscosity also allows the design of sections with potentially significant reduced wall thicknesses; as high as a 20 percent reduction may be achievable in some cases. This is complemented by a substantial improvement in the materials’ impact strength, which can be twice that of traditional glass-filled ULTEM PEI resin. The ULTEM GF ATX resin family currently comprises 20 percent and 30 percent glass-filled grades. All grades are rated UL* 94 V0, and all have been developed to meet most eco-label application requirements.

For technical details, please review datasheets provided.

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Helen Vandebovenkamp
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Fax: +31 164 29 10 66
Netherlands

+31 164 29 20 97

helen.vandebovenkamp@ge.com

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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. Headquartered in Pittsfield, Mass., GE Advanced Materials is the combined entity of GE’s former Plastics, Silicones, and Quartz businesses. Its offerings include:

• Silanes, specialty silicones, urethane additives, adhesives, sealants, caulks, resins, and elastomers for a variety of vertical markets such as personal care, automotive, tire and rubber, construction, healthcare, electronics, household and institutional, agriculture, textiles, appliances, bedding and furnishings, and foam control, as well as the consumer “do-it-yourself” market (www.gesilicones.com);

• Engineering thermoplastics resins serving 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 (www.geplastics.com);

• High-purity quartz and advanced ceramic materials for the semiconductor, telecommunications, lighting, electronics, personal care, and water purification industries. GE Advanced Materials is a leading supplier of quartz materials to the semiconductor industry (www.gequartz.com).

ULTEM is a registered trademark of General Electric Company.

UL is a registered trademark of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.