19 Jul 2004

ADDISIL^® – THE NEXT GENERATION OF ADDITION-CURED HCEs FROM GE – NOW AVAILABLE FOR HEALTHCARE AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

NEW TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS PROVIDE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — June 29, 2004 — GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), announces major enhancements to its ADDISIL® family of addition- and heat-curable elastomers (HCEs) for next-generation properties that provide regulatory compliance, as well as enhanced mechanical performance and superior productivity. The new ADDISIL portfolio provides a complete range of product types – including both extrusion and injection-molding grades that are available as one-component or two-component systems, and in hardnesses from 40 to 80 Shore A to cover the needs of multiple industries.

The ADDISIL product family addresses key industry trends that support adoption of addition-curable HCE. The industry is increasingly looking for alternatives for peroxide-cured HCE systems to reduce odors and costly workplace protection measures such as special venting. Price pressure from market commoditization is driving the need for new, high-performance applications and expansion into new sectors where higher mechanical performance is often required. Productivity needs and an increasing demand for shorter response times are calling for production flexibility and faster curing speeds.

“Our ADDISIL line has been engineered to give processors, fabricators, and OEMs a competitive advantage and the opportunity to generate new business from applications that require regulatory compliance and increased performance and productivity,” said Egbert Klaassen, industry manager, Consumer Goods & Healthcare, GE Bayer Silicones.

The ADDISIL portfolio includes products that meet key health and safety requirements, such as the European Pharmacopoeia VI.1.3.2, USP Class VI and DIN/ISO10993. Key healthcare applications may include catheters, minimally invasive devices, dialysis tubes, and wound drains (used for 29 days or less). The family’s industrial grades are suitable for compliance with the FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 and BfR XV food contact regulations. Main applications in this area include tubing for appliances or molded kitchenware applications.

Addition-cured ADDISIL rubber offers excellent mechanical performance vs. peroxide-cured systems, including higher elongation and tear resistance and a higher reversion resistance. Improved transparency and less yellowness enhance applications where aesthetics or clarity are important. Examples of high-performance extrusion applications are tubing for peristaltic pump tubing and halogen free cables. Molded articles include insulators, hollow cores, cable accessories for high voltage, and spark plug boots for the automotive segment.

ADDISIL’s rapid curing enables the production of applications with thicker walls and reduced cycle times. The material also provides a smooth, dry surface for excellent extrudability and reduced mold stickiness for faster de-molding. ADDISIL is offered as a one-component, ready-to-use system (eliminating the need for mixing) with a long pot life of three months or as a two-component system with a superior pot life of two to four weeks after mixing, offering greater production flexibility and reduced material losses.

GE’s global organization supports ADDISIL with comprehensive services such as compound development, color matching, technical support, customer trainings, and application development.

Reader enquiries

GE Bayer Silicones GmbH & Co. KG
Building V7
51368 LEVERKUSEN
Germany

Robert Scheib
robert.scheib@ge.com

Tel: +49 214 306 71 37
Fax: +49 214 306 71 26
Germany

+49 214 306 71 37

robert.scheib@ge.com

www.ge.com

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 (https://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 https://www.ge.com.

ADDISIL is a registered trademark of General Electric Company.

Related images

GE Advanced Materials announces major enhancements to its ADDISIL® family of addition- and heat-curable elastomers (HCEs) for next-generation properties that provide regulatory compliance, as well as enhanced mechanical performance and superior productivity. The new ADDISIL portfolio provides a complete range of product types – including extrusion and injection-molding grades – that are available as one-component or two-component systems, and in hardnesses from 40 to 80 Shore A to cover the needs of multiple industries. ADDISIL’s rapid curing enables the production of applications with thicker walls and reduced cycle times. The material also provides a smooth, dry surface for excellent extrudability and reduced mold stickiness for faster de-molding.