TECAFORM AH LM white, the modified laser markable plastic acetal copolymer by Ensinger, was designed for industries requiring high-level precision, durability and tracability of finished parts. The material contains a special additive that, when marked by laser etching plastic technology, exhibits high-contrast dark grey or black markings. The high-contrast etchings in TECAFORM AH LM white allow for the use of very small font sizes required on small part surfaces. The laser markable material ensures compliance to traceability, legal and agency requirements in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Additionally, the material is resistant to cleaning agents, has high strength and toughness and good machinability.

TECAFORM AH LM white is available as a stock item in sheet or round bar forms. www.ensingerplastics.com.

In May 2024, Arkema, Inc. and ProLogium, a Taiwanese advanced battery manufacturer, held a LOI (letter of intent) exchange ceremony in Paris, deepening the collaboration that began in 2010 and that will accelerate following ProLogium’s intention to establish an advanced R&D laboratory in France, home to Arkema’s flagship Battery Center of Excellence, bringing its large suite of technologies to help develop batteries that are more efficient, safer and more sustainable.

ProLogium recently launched its first giga-level demonstration line in Taiwan, a factory capable of producing up to 2 gigawatt hours of lithium ceramic batteries, enough to equip up to 26,000 cars per year. Their next step will consist in building a gigafactory in Dunkirk, France which will be capable of supplying over 500,000 cars per year. Arkema is a key supplier of PVDF for advanced lithium-ion batteries, with manufacturing sites in France, the United States and China. The collaboration will focus first on Kynar^® PVDF grades and advanced high-performance materials tailored for ProLogium’s next-generation lithium ceramic batteries, but also includes plans to leverage Arkema’s extensive suite of inside-the-cell technologies.

“We are delighted to collaborate with ProLogium on advanced lithium ceramic battery solutions,” Guillaume de Crevoisier, Arkema’s global general manager for Kynar^® fluoropolymers commented in a press release. “It is exciting for Arkema to play a key role in this technology revolution. We are really proud to be able to offer a broad suite of advanced materials on top of fluoropolymers.” www.kynar.com.

On June 17, 2024 PLASKOLITE announced the official North America launch of their branded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) sheet VERSEK^TM.

The versatile thermoplastic is strong, lightweight, impact-resistant, easy to machine and can be painted. VERSEK can be produced as a monolayer or co-extruded sheet tailored to various applications.

As a monolayer, the sheet is easily bent, shaped or cut into countless forms. Common applications for the monolayer VERSEK include transportation, medical, appliances and industrial.

The co-extruded sheets are made with a layer of high-quality resin over an ABS base layer. These sheets offer weatherability, scratch resistance, high-depth of gloss and high color retention. Some common applications for the co-extruded VERSEK include automotive, heavy equipment, marine and recreational. www.plaskolite.com.

SciGrip Adhesives, part of the IPS Adhesives family of brands, launched SG400SE, a dual component, 10:1 adhesive formulated to bond low surface energy (LSE) substrates without primers or surface preparation.

The specially designed adhesive can easily cross-bond polyolefin to metal, plastics and composites with low exotherm instead of using spin welding or plasma treatments, reducing the need for additional skilled labor positions and saving both time and money. Additionally, SG400SE has fast working and fixture times.

SG400SE bonds have been successfully tested against extreme pressure. In some testing, the substrates themselves were broken while the bond remained intact.

Applications for the high-strength adhesive include transportation, building components, outdoor power equipment, electronics, appliances and sign and display. www.scigripadhesives.com.