Seattle, WA (USA) -- Mass Production Technology for Acrylic Thermoplastic
Elastomer Established
Kuraray Co., Ltd, Japan, has used its proprietary catalyst technology
to develop the world’s first manufacturing process for an acrylic thermoplastic
elastomer, and has established mass production technology for this material,
which offers excellent transparency and weather resistance.
Kuraray is building a pilot plant on the grounds of its Kashima Plant
to facilitate confirmation of the technology and the creation of a market
for this material. The Company will be moving forward with full-scale
marketing in the near future.
According to Kuraray, this thermoplastic elastomer has the transparency
and weather resistance of PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), added to the
elasticity and plasticity of rubber. Furthermore, it contains absolutely
no low-molecular-weight components, which are a cause of pollution.
These characteristics are expected to fit this material for a broad
spectrum of applications, including those below. (1) Because of its low-pollution, solvent-free characteristics,
it is ideal as a base polymer for high-performance adhesives (2) Its transparency, plasticity, and high flow properties suit
it for use in various molding materials. (3) Its characteristics
as an acrylic make it suitable for use as a modifier for polar resins.
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