Torlon®/Press Release
For Immediate Release
China Array Plastics Certified as Injection Molder of Solvay Advanced Polymers' Torlon®PAI
High-Performance Products for Automotive, Oil & Gas, and Industrial Are Targeted for Domestic and Export Markets
ALPHARETTA, Ga., May 20, 2009 – Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC, announced today that China Array Plastics, LLC, has been added as a certified injection molder of the company’s Torlon® Polyamide-imide (PAI) resin in China. China Array, based in Pittsfield, Mass., will mold a range of high-performance products for the automotive, oil and gas, and industrial markets at its 15,000-sq-ft facility in Wuhan, China.
“We are very pleased that China Array will mold products made of Torlon PAI in one of the fastest-growing regions in the world,” said Brian Stern, Solvay Advanced Polymers’ senior global market manager for ultra polymers. “In today’s global economy, manufacturing continues to relocate to this region and our goal is to further penetrate the growing Chinese domestic market and global exports.”
China Array specializes exclusively in custom molding of engineering thermoplastics. Along with materials such as PAI, PAEK, and PEI, China Array molds many high-performance and ultra-performance thermoplastics from Solvay Advanced Polymers including Udel® polysulfone (PSU), Radel® R Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), and KetaSpire® Polyetheretherketone (PEEK). The new capability expands and reinforces China Array’s offering in the high-performance plastics tier.
“Along with a handful of other materials, Torlon PAI sits on the top tier of high-performance plastics and we wanted to include it in our range of expertise,” explained Carl Olson, China Array’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We want to be known as experts in molding of high-performance and ultra-performance plastics.”
Torlon PAI provides the highest strength and stiffness of any thermoplastic up to 275 C, along with superior resistance to creep and wear. It has outstanding resistance to strong acids and most organics, and is ideally suited for severe service environments.
High-strength grades are well-suited for precision components used in repetitive-use, load-bearing operations. Wear-resistant grades provide an effective alternative to metal in high-temperature friction and wear applications in dry and lubricated environments. The material will be supplied from Solvay Advanced Polymers’ Greenville, S.C. plant.
China Array is expected to mold thrust washers and seal rings for automotive and heavy-duty transmissions and torque converters; tappets, poppets, and control valves for braking systems; and bushings and bearings for various industrial applications.
The molding facility in Wuhan is located in a heavily concentrated industrial area, which is home to several universities and technical institutions, a skilled labor pool, a well-developed infrastructure, and excellent distribution routes. Wuhan straddles the Yangtze River at the center of primary river, rail, and highway routes running north/south and east/west across China.
Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC
4500 Beginnings Ferry Road
Alpharetta, Georgia 30005-3914
800.621.4557 (US only)
770.772.8760
www.SolvayAdvancedPolymers.com
About China Array Plastics
China Array Plastics, LLC, headquartered in Pittsfield, Mass., is among the first companies in China to specialize exclusively in custom molding of high-performance thermoplastics. It operates a state-of-the-art injection molding facility in the Zhuankou Industrial Park in Wuhan, China. The 15,000-sq-ft facility opened in 2006 to provide global OEMs with high-performance thermoplastic injection molding expertise. The facility – referred to as China Array Wuhan – is a wholly-owned foreign enterprise (WOFE) in China. More information is available at www.chinaarray.com
About Solvay Advanced Polymers
Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC produces more plastics with more performance than any other company in the world. This gives design engineers worldwide more ways to solve top design challenges in automotive, medical, electronics, aerospace and other demanding industries. Learn more at www.solvayadvancedpolymers.com. Solvay is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. Its companies employ more than 28,000 people in 50 countries. In 2008, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 9.5 billion, generated by its three sectors of activity: Plastics, Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals. Solvay (NYSE Euronext: SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLB.BR) is listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Brussels. Details are available at www.solvay.com