An application made with Vectra® LCP E130i typical of those that have used syndiotactic polystyrene. A board-to-board connector made by Lumberg. Photos courtesy of Ticona

Florence, Ky.; Kelsterbach, Germany - March 8, 2005 - Jobwerx News - The announcement in December that production of syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) will cease by mid 2005 has sent manufacturers looking for alternative resins. In responding to this development, Ticona has announced a portfolio of new and existing polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and liquid crystal polymer (LCP) grades that equal or better the performance of sPS across a broad range of electronic, electrical, appliance, automotive and other applications.

Ticona, the technical polymers business of the Celanese Corporation, is offering five Celanex® PBTs as sPS replacement grades. Two are commercially available for customer sampling. The other three are in various stages of validation testing at sPS customers and should be widely available in coming weeks. These PBT grades offer excellent flow, hydrolytic stability, low warpage and a good balance of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties.

The company is also offering two commercial Vectra® LCP grades as sPS replacements for applications that involve exposure to high temperatures, such as for surface mount connectors that must withstand reflow soldering.

An application made with Vectra® LCP E130i typical of those that have used syndiotactic polystyrene. A connector carrier in a replaceable storage card made by Tyco Electronics. Photos courtesy of Ticona

“The portfolio of PBTs and LCPs we’ve assembled gives manufacturers a wide choice of options for sPS replacement,” says Pete Bombik, Polyester Product Manager. “These grades have the high flow needed for molding complex part geometries, such as automotive connectors, while allowing users to make the switch with little or no change to their existing molds.

“But sPS replacement involves much more than high flow. Recognizing this, we have developed some tools to help end users and molders select the right resin for a given application to speed up their validation process. It’s critical to understand both the application and the material requirements. This involves a range of essential properties – warp, flexibility, tensile and impact strength, dimensional stability, and moisture, chemical and thermal resistance – all of which come into play in selecting the right resin.”

Celanex® PBT is characterized by toughness, a high elastic modulus and low moisture absorption. It has excellent electrical properties, high dimensional stability and good chemical and heat resistance. In addition, it is easy to process and has excellent flow properties with low flash formation.

Vectra® LCP has continuous service temperatures to 240°C (short-term to 340°C), low melt viscosity, flash-free injection molding, high strength, excellent elastic modulus in the flow direction, and inherent flame retardancy. Its excellent flowability makes it easy to replicate intricate features and fill extremely thin walls.

Ticona Technical Polymers is one of the businesses of Celanese Corporation. Ticona has production, compounding and research facilities in the USA, Germany and Brazil.
For information on Celanex PBT and Vectra LCP as replacement materials for syndiotactic polystyrene, contact:
Ticona
8040 Dixie Highway
Florence, Kentucky 41042, USA
Phone: 1-800-833-4882
and
Professor-Staudinger-Straße
D-65451 Kelsterbach, Germany
Phone: +49-(0)180-584- 2662 (DE) or +49-(0)693-051-6299 (EU)

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