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Deal Will Expand Lightweight Materials Offering for Automotive and Other Transportation Market Applications
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany. October 13, 2015 –Solvay acquires EPIC Polymers’ long-fiber thermoplastics (LFT*) technology to complement its offering of high performance lightweighting materials and gain access to metal replacement of larger automotive semi-structural parts.
Privately-owned, EPIC Polymers GmbH based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, has developed an innovative technology to reinforce high performance thermoplastic polymers with long glass fibres. Demand-led growth for these sophisticated tailored materials offering superior mechanical and thermal properties, coupled with high impact resistance, strength and stiffness at elevated temperatures, is driven by the need to reduce fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions.
“Having this technology is an important step in the expansion of Solvay Specialty Polymers’ broad offering of materials that are simultaneously light and ultra-performing. We will be able to provide larger semi-structural parts for the automotive sector, our key market, and develop expertise to apply LFT technology to core polymers including KetaSpire® PEEK and AvaSpire® PAEK, providing further possibilities for metal replacement in other markets such as transportation,” said Augusto Di Donfrancesco, President of Solvay’s Specialty Polymers Global Business Unit.
Solvay Specialty Polymers’ products replace metal in an array of demanding automotive under-the-hood components such as hot air ducts, powertrains, engine control units, oil and water modules and conduits, while LFT are typically used to make interior/exterior semi-structural parts.
In addition to PEEK and PAEK polymers, the LFT technology will be applied to Solvay’s Amodel® PPA and Ryton® PPS portfolio of products and Technyl® polyamide 6.6 (PA6.6) range.
*Long-Fiber Thermoplastics
About EPIC Polymers
EPIC Polymers GmbH (www.epicpolymers.com) is a leading supplier of high strength thermoplastics, tribologically optimized thermoplastics and conductive thermoplastics.
About Solvay Specialty Polymers
Solvay Specialty Polymers manufactures over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers - fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra-high performance polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds - for use in Aerospace, Alternative Energy, Automotive, Healthcare, Membranes, Oil and Gas, Packaging, Plumbing, Semiconductors, Wire and Cable, and other industries. Learn more at www.solvay.com.
As an international chemical group, SOLVAY assists industries in finding and implementing ever more responsible and value-creating solutions. Solvay generates 90% of its net sales in activities where it is among the world's top three players. It serves many markets, varying from energy and the environment to automotive and aeronautics or electricity and electronics, with one goal: to raise the performance of its clients and improve society's quality of life. The group is headquartered in Brussels, employs about 26,000 people in 52 countries and generated 10.2 billion euros in net sales in 2014. Solvay SA (SOLB.BE) is listed on EURONEXT Brussels and EURONEXT Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB:BB - Reuters: SOLB.BR).
