OSNABRüCK, Germany, Feb. 21, 2013- Today, in Osnabrück, Germany, Volkswagen has presented its XL1 plug-in hybrid vehicle with some of the world’s most innovative automotive solutions, including lightweight LEXAN™ polycarbonate (PC) side windows with advanced EXATEC™ plasma coating technology from SABIC. This makes the Volkswagen XL1 the first vehicle to feature this advanced plasma coating technology on two component (2K) injection-molded PC windows. Use of LEXAN PC window glazing with SABIC’s advanced coating technologies reduces weight in those applications by 33 percent vs. conventional glass solutions, while delivering a high quality optical appearance and scratch-resistant surface. Use of SABIC’s PC glazing solutions in the XL1’s side windows demonstrates the feasibility of plasma coating technology for serial vehicles, while underscoring Volkswagen’s pioneering leadership in the use of lightweight, innovative materials to improve vehicle performance. View more and related images
Sabic Innovative Plastics
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 13, 2013- Here at the Strategies in Light event, SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business (booth #949) is featuring a wide range of high-performance thermoplastic materials for light-emitting diode (LED) lighting that can help customers address today’s top challenges: enhancing designs and aesthetics, extending useful life, greater sustainability and improving cost-effectiveness. SABIC’s materials provide the fresh and effective solutions lighting manufacturers are looking for when developing LED lenses and light guides, diffusion covers, lamps/bulbs, tubes, reflectors and heat sinks. This comprehensive and growing product offering demonstrates the company’s deep understanding of customer needs – particularly in the retrofit LED space – and its ability to deliver materials to meet these requirements. View more and related images
ANAHEIM, Calif., Feb. 12, 2013- According to a 2011 report by the World Health Organization, in 2002 in the United States alone approximately 99,000 deaths were linked to healthcare associated infections (HCAIs).1 Here at MD&M West (booth #1701), SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business today introduced powerful new tools to help medical device manufacturers reduce HCAIs among patients and clinicians. SABIC’s nine new antimicrobial compounds featuring silver technology have been tested for log reduction values – the level of microbes eliminated from a surface – according to the ISO 22196-2007 protocol. They comprise one of the broadest antimicrobial portfolios in the industry and offer distinct advantages over off-the-shelf antimicrobial concentrates combined with third-party resins. View more and related images
LONDON, Feb. 11, 2013- SABIC has announced the launch of a three-month research program and competition called VISIcON with London’s prestigious Royal College of Art (RCA) Vehicle Design programme. Under VISIcON, more than 30 post-graduate students from the department are researching and exploring how SABIC’s high-performance thermoplastic lighting materials and LEXAN™ polycarbonate (PC) glazing technologies can be applied in practical and creative ways to enhance the lighting and illumination of today’s and tomorrow’s vehicles. SABIC and the RCA previously collaborated in a 2005/2006 program called PLASTicon in which students developed car design visions based on innovative uses of plastics. SABIC’s sponsorship of VISIcON with the RCA speaks to the company’s commitment to continually innovate and help spark the creation of concepts with future global vehicle designers. View more and related images
BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands, Jan. 14, 2013- Marking a new milestone in its distinguished 25-year relationship developing thermoplastic fenders with Renault S.A., SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business today announced that the French automaker has successfully adopted a new post-industrial recycled (PIR) grade of NORYL GTX™ resin as part of its ongoing drive to comply with the European Union’s end-of-life vehicle (ELV) requirements. The OEM adopted the new SABIC material for the fenders of its 2013 Clio IV and will expand the resin’s use to the upcoming ZOE electric vehicle. The PIR grade meets quality and performance standards and further enhances the sustainability benefits of NORYL GTX resin for automotive fenders, which include a weight reduction and up to 47 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions over the lifecycle of the fender compared to steel. Renault’s success with this new PIR NORYL GTX resin grade demonstrates SABIC’s ongoing commitment to improve its materials technologies to advance customers’ environmental goals and respond to changing regulations. View more and related images
PITTSFIELD, Mass., Dec. 19, 2012- When Houston's new BBVA Compass Stadium opened this year, Houston Dynamo fans were welcomed with a brilliant display of the soccer team's distinctive orange brand featured on enclosed entrances with a vibrant shade of LEXAN™ THERMOCLICK™ sheet from SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business. This new, state-of-the-art, open-air stadium is the first U.S. stadium to utilize polycarbonate (PC) LEXAN THERMOCLICK sheet product for its enclosed entrance façade. Enhanced design freedom and a brilliant orange color provided by SABIC’s 50-mm THERMOCLICK sheet made a major contribution to the unique style of the new urban stadium, which reflects the industrial heritage of its East Downtown location and the Dynamo brand. The material’s nine-wall configuration delivers a high level of thermal insulation for energy savings, and the 1,000-mm wide panels – twice the width of traditional panels – reduced installation time and labor to support tight construction budgets. View more and related images
PITTSFIELD, Mass., Dec. 17, 2012- SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business is marking continued progress in the adoption of its polycarbonate (PC) glazing materials for automotive window applications with Fiat’s new 500L multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), which features rear fixed side windows molded from SABIC’s clear LEXAN™ GLX resin and black CYCOLOY™ resin. These high-performance SABIC materials help reduce weight by about 35 percent, improve aerodynamic efficiency and achieve the desired styling vs. glass. The Fiat 500L has already launched in Europe and is set to roll out in the United States in early 2013. The rear fixed side windows of the vehicle will be the first in the United States to use two-shot injection compression molding, which allows for the seamless integration of an aerodynamic spoiler. The Fiat 500L windows demonstrate the enabling power of SABIC’s PC glazing materials, the practical application of PC glazing in today’s mass production vehicles and the continued traction of PC glazing in the automotive industry. View more and related images
PITTSFIELD, Mass., Dec. 12, 2012- Rescue and HAZMAT workers, fire-fighters and miners depend upon self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) when working in extremely hazardous environments. So when Biomarine, an SCBA manufacturer based in Exton, Pa., needed to improve the impact strength and ability to dissipate static electricity for the external housing of its BioPak 240R Revolution rebreather, it turned to SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business. SABIC recommended replacing the existing polycarbonate (PC)-based compound with LNP™ FARADEX™ compound – which leverages proprietary LEXAN™ EXL copolymer technology and features electrically conductive stainless steel fibers – and provided world-class design and molding expertise. The result is a tougher apparatus housing with excellent electrostatic dissipation (ESD) and greatly enhanced aesthetics. The SABIC-Biomarine collaboration showcases SABIC’s ability to help solve key performance, quality and cost control challenges, giving customers a competitive edge in the markets they serve. View more and related images
HUNTERSVILLE, NC, Dec. 7, 2012- SABIC has opened a new branch of its Polymershapes distribution business to provide better and faster service to customers throughout the greater Los Angeles area. The new Hollywood branch is located at 7525 Lockheed Drive, Burbank Calif., and it joins existing Santa Fe Springs, Calif. and San Diego branches in Polymershapes’ Southern California district. View more and related images
PITTSFIELD, Mass., Dec. 6, 2012- Operators of logging equipment require exceptional visibility and protection against debris or large objects that may enter their cabin and cause serious injury in forest environments, such as tree limbs and other machinery parts. So when Rottne Industry AB needed a high-performance glazing material for the windshields and windows of its harvesters and forwarders, it turned to SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business for support. Working with SABIC and its distributer, Vink Essåplast Group AB in Sweden, Rottne Industry AB selected tough high optical quality LEXANTM MARGARDTM polycarbonate (PC) for the job. The success of this collaborative project illustrates SABIC’s dedication to meeting customers’ ever-increasing needs for outstanding materials performance. View more and related images