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New electric actuator from Asahi/America, Inc.

Asahi/America, Inc. introduced the Series 19 electric actuator in smart and basic options. Compact and lightweight, the Series 19 is available in four operating configurations: on/off, modulating, failsafe and modulating failsafe and three sizes to meet valve torque requirements. The multi-voltage general purpose unit operates at a 75 percent duty cycle for more frequent cycling of the valve. Compatible with most PLCs, the Series 19 is suitable for OEMs and skid manufacturers where space is at a premium, but power cannot be sacrificed.

All Asahi/America Series 19 electric actuators come standard with multi-voltage capability, a visual position indicator; an LED light to indicate valve position or fault; auxiliary contacts; and a QR code for easy and instant access to user manuals. The Series 19 also features a corrosion-resistant NEMA 4X engineered resin enclosure with stainless steel trim to protect the unit’s reversing, brushless DC motor and permanently lubricated steel gear train.

The smart Series 19 SAV Smart Pack® is controlled by firmware and is available in three sizes as an on/off, failsafe, modulating or modulating failsafe unit. The SAV Smart Pack mounts on Asahi/America Type-21/21a SST ball valves, Type 23 Multiport® ball valves and Type-57 series butterfly valves; it comes standard with push buttons for actuator calibration and local control, an OLED screen and fault contacts.

The basic Series 19 CAV Com Pack is a mechanical-type actuator available as an on/off unit. The CAV Com Pack mounts on Asahi/America’s Type-27 Omni® ball valve to provide smooth operation in a compact and lightweight package. The Com Pack Series 19 fits Omni ball valve sizes 3/8″ to 2″ and has a cycle time of 10 seconds per 90 degrees.

All Series 19 actuators are CE labeled and compliant. They are factory mounted and tested to ensure dependable operation. www.asahi-america.com.

ISCC certified LEXAN™ polycarbonate film, sheet based on renewable feedstock

SABIC announced that its Functional Forms plant in Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands, has been accredited under the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS scheme for providing a new range of LEXAN™ film and sheet based on certified renewable feedstock. The new product offering connects with the company’s TRUCIRCLE™ initiative and responds to a growing demand for sustainable material solutions in an increasingly more circular plastics economy.

The ISCC PLUS certification honors the implementation of a mass balance accounting system that traces the material flow across complex supply chains from the feedstock to final products by following predefined and transparent rules. These rules define whether a product can be classified as renewable or circular. For SABIC, this means that for each ton of renewable or circular feedstock fed into the production process and substituting fossil-based feedstock, approximately one ton of the output material can be classified as either renewable or circular. The mass balancing approach also allows OEMs to document and quantify the sustainability of their applications made from these certified materials.

In addition, SABIC has performed a life cycle analysis (LCA), assessing the environmental performance of the renewable route in comparison to the traditional fossil-based route at both cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-gate plus end-of-life levels, relying on PAS 2050 methodology for biogenic carbon accounting. The results show that each kilogram of SABIC polycarbonate resin based on certified renewable feedstock has the potential for reducing fossil depletion by up to 35 percent and lessening the carbon footprint of applications by up to 60 percent. Overall, this also makes a significant contribution to SABIC’s efforts of mitigating the impact of its products on climate change.

SABIC’s LEXAN polycarbonate film and sheet products based on certified renewable feedstock are globally available and target demanding applications in a wide range of markets, including building and construction, electrical and electronics, automotive, mass transportation and specialty glazing. www.sabic.com/sfs.

Norplex-Micarta rebrands CyPLY® to NorPLY™

Norplex-Micarta closed the acquisition of the CyPLY® product line from Solvay and rebranded the product line as NorPLY™. The NorPLY line of materials is based on a unique, non-woven, continuous parallel filament e-glass with epoxy resin. This type of construction minimizes filament stress that can shorten fatigue life in conventional reinforced plastics.

“NorPLY is a continuation of the CyPLY product line, which in turn has its roots in ScotchPLY. While the product line is not new, the technology contained in the prepreg and lamination is useful in a host of emerging applications,” said Dustin Davis, director of sales and business development at Norplex-Micarta.

“This acquisition allows Norplex to extend its position in laminated sheet products into a new, high performance, set of applications. We are excited to continue the legacy of this product,” said Denny Ford, vice president of Norplex-Micarta. www.norplex-micarta.com.

Zeus launches reinforced polyimide tubing

Zeus Industrial Products, Inc. added braid and coil reinforced polyimide tubing to its product portfolio. Polyimides are a class of high performing polymers known for their exceptional chemical, thermal and mechanical performance properties. Medical applications, especially in the construction of vascular and urinary catheters, use polyimides extensively. Zeus’ braid and coil reinforced polyimide tubing helps device engineers optimize their catheter designs by fine-tuning key properties such as torqueability, flexibility, kink resistance, strength and pushability.

“The health care industry continually strives to treat patients less invasively, and recent medical advances mean we now use catheters to reach areas of the body that were previously inaccessible. These advancements in minimally invasive procedures have brought with them the need for more advanced and more capable device designs and components. Zeus’ reinforced polyimide tubing helps address this need by providing device engineers more options for optimizing the performance of their designs, resulting in safer, stronger, more responsive catheters,” said Rodrigo Silva, product manager, Zeus Industrial Products, Inc.

“Unlike the commoditized solutions currently available in the polyimide market, Zeus offers a targeted approach to meet specific customer and application requirements. We leverage our strengths to provide enhanced product and service quality to our customers. With our capabilities, we can deliver reinforced polyimide tubing with shorter cut lengths, tighter tolerances and customized layer structuring. This addition to our catheter liner portfolio further exemplifies why Zeus continues to be the supplier of choice for leading medical device manufacturers worldwide,” said Bob Chaney, senior vice president, global sales and marketing, Zeus Industrial Products, Inc.

Zeus customizes its reinforced polyimide tubing based on customer specifications and requirements. For greater design options, customers can order this product in various braid and coil patterns, as well as densities. www.zeusinc.com.

New materials from Arkema

Arkema, through its Sartomer business, offers an integrated portfolio of solutions for UV-curable 3D printing through its N3xtDimension® range. The product line includes custom formulations, strengthened by the recent acquisition of Colorado Photopolymer Solutions. It also features engineered resins for targeted performance, and a large portfolio of building blocks and additives including specialty monomers, oligomers, cationic resins and photoinitiators, to optimize properties of formulations.

Arkema introduced five new custom formulations for UV-curing:

• N3D-TOUGH 1000 — High-strength material with excellent tensile strength and flexibility
• HT-511 — Tough high-temperature resin
• DMT-303 — Performance resin designed to print accurate dental models
• IC-163 — Casting resin for printing high-resolution, high-detail parts that burn out cleanly
• LF-053 — All acrylic 355 nm SLA resin for prototyping small to medium parts

Arkema acquired Agiplast, a company specialized in the regeneration of high-performance polymers and recycling operations. Arkema has already launched its Virtucycle® program with Agiplast aimed at developing loops for the collection of 3D printing waste powders as well as 3D parts scrap, to be regenerated as high-quality recycled polymers. With this acquisition, Arkema will offer both bio-based and recycled materials.

Arkema also announced new advanced bio-circular materials for powder bed fusion:

• Pebax® Rnew® Invent 35 powders — Thermoplastic elastomer made from bio-based, sustainable raw material with superior lightness, strength and energy return
• Blue Care PA11 powders — Based on Rilsan® Invent PA11, developed and commercialized by Fabulous, this material is blue in the mass and has been certified for food contact application

Arkema introduced KEPSTAN® PEKK-SC for extrusion printing. KEPSTAN PEKK-SC is a high-temperature filament developed and commercialized by Kimya, easy to print, for manufacturing semi-crystalline parts such as seals with exceptional mechanical properties and chemical resistance.

“At Arkema, we are constantly developing new technologies to address current and future additive manufacturing industry opportunities. As our portfolio of materials for 3D printing applications grows, we are partnering with cutting-edge leaders in the field to deliver custom material solutions for the ever-growing range of end-use applications,” said Sumeet Jain, senior director of 3D printing worldwide at Arkema. “We are eager to meet with our customers and partners, and to share our latest innovations at Rapid + TCT.” www.arkema.com.