Dow Corning Showcases Newest Performance-Enhancing Silicones, Launches New Masterbatch, Delivers Four Presentations at Chinaplas

Dow Corning, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, is showcasing here at Chinaplas 2016 (Stand #N3Q41) new advances in its rapidly expanding portfolio of materials for the plastics industry. These include several recently introduced silicone-based additives that enhance performance and processing in transparent polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA) and polyoxymethylene (POM) compounds, and improve surface quality in automotive interior parts. The company is also launching Dow Corning® MB25-035 Masterbatch, an advanced new material designed for reducing friction in form-fill-seal (FFS) packaging applications.

Stone Shi and Voly Wang, both Dow Corning application development and technical service managers, will discuss the company’s silicone technology solutions as part of a series of four short technical seminars today beginning at 10:00 a.m., in Hall N3, Floor 1. The presentations include:

• Dow Corning Next Generation Scratch Additives for Scratch Improvement of Auto Interior Talc Filled Polypropylene Parts”
• “Dow Corning Silicone Flame Retardant Helping Pass UL 94 V0 at 1mm for Transparent PC”
• “Dow Corning Silicone Additives Improving PA and POM Surface Properties: Scratch Resistance, Coefficient of Friction (COF) and Surface Noise”
• “Dow Corning Silicone Masterbatch as Slip Agent for Packaging Film”

“Dow Corning’s silicone technologies are incredibly robust, versatile and efficient, and we continue to rapidly expand our portfolio to meet our customers’ processing, material enhancement and reinforcement needs,” said Christophe Paulo, global segment leader, Plastics & Composites for Dow Corning. “We make these world-class products highly accessible to our customers in Asia and around the world, so whenever or wherever they have a plastics-related challenge that silicones can address, Dow Corning is there with the right solution.”

Newest Silicone-based Solutions

For thinner-gauge transparent PC compounds, new Dow Corning® 40-001 Additive improves flame retardancy (FR) while retaining high clarity with minimal haze, and has no impact on tensile strength or modulus. This advanced liquid siloxane additive delivers non-halogenated FR performance and achieves an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 94 V-0 rating at 1 mm with synergists, or a UL 94 V-0 rating at 1.5 mm. Further, Dow Corning 40-001 Additive enhances the processability of PC. Applications include LED lighting for consumer electronics, automotive headlamp lenses and exterior lighting.

Dow Corning’s additive technologies greatly improve the surface properties and processing performance of PA compounds. For instance, Dow Corning® 31-441 Additive is a solid silicone polymer that excels at delivering high slip performance at lower loadings than polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), so mechanical properties are maintained. It offers excellent anti-scratch properties and improves extrusion efficiency by decreasing screw torque. Key applications include automotive parts, industrial gears and bearings, and moving parts in appliances and peripherals.

Dow Corning’s expanding family of siloxane additives also greatly enhances the surface properties of POM compounds used in automotive, consumer, medical and electronics applications. These solutions improve coefficient of friction (COF) more effectively than PTFE at significantly lower dosages and with substantially better short- and long-term performance. Highlighted products include Dow Corning® HMB-1103 Masterbatch, a new-generation tribology modifier for polyacetal-based systems, and Dow Corning® Toray EP-5500 Powder for improved slip in POM-C and POM-H systems.

For better quality, feel and appearance in automotive interiors, the company offers Dow Corning® HMB-0221 Additive, which acts as an anti-scratch, anti-abrasion surface agent and reduces dust build-up. It provides a unique soft touch and silky feel. Doing double duty, this product also delivers processing improvements, including reduced COF, lower torque and enhanced dispersion of mineral and inorganic fillers.

In FFS and lamination operations, reducing COF is critical to seamless throughput, high productivity and consistent quality. New Dow Corning® MB25-035 Masterbatch provides exceptional slip performance for low-density and linear low-density polyethylene (LDPE and LLDPE) films, while overcoming the drawbacks of organics.

Chinaplas 2016 runs April 25-28 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai, China.