Composite line to answer Asian demand

A Sabic Innovative Plastics product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 1, 2008

LNP Verton thermoplastic injection moulding compounds offer high strength and are an excellent metal-replacement option.

A new production line has been opened at the Sabic Innovative Plastics Chung-Ju, Korea production facility to produce LNP Verton long-glass-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites, which are widely used across the burgeoning automotive, telecomms and appliance industries in Asia.

The company's continued investment in new production facilities such as the LNP Verton composite line is designed to provide customers with a local source of innovative product solutions and technological expertise.

By providing customers with local production and resources, Sabic Innovative Plastics aims to slash delivery times for LNP Verton composite grades.

Local material production can help customers reduce time to market for a competitive advantage, especially in the fast-moving telecommunications and electronics sectors.

"We are demonstrating our ongoing commitment to faster and more responsive customer service by investing in this new production line", says Alan Leung, Pacific President for Sabic Innovative Plastics.

"It will enable us to quickly supply manufacturers and moulders in Korea and Asia with our popular LNP Verton composites".

"These high-performance materials are in great demand as superior replacements for metal- and short-fibre-reinforced plastics".

"We believe easier access can help customers develop and market innovative applications for greater business success".

Sabic Innovative Plastics continues to expand its Korean presence to meet the diverse needs of manufacturers and moulders.

The LNP Verton production line, which will begin operating this month, will run 20 grades of the composites in a variety of resin systems including polypropylene, polyamide and PPA.

The new line significantly expands the Chung-Ju facility, which was opened in 1989.

The Chung-Ju plant houses a 40,000t high-tech manufacturing system, material properties testing equipment, and colour-matching equipment to meet customer requirements.

The plant develops colours and materials through six sigma and lean six sigma; the latter is a business improvement methodology that combines tools from lean manufacturing for speed and six sigma for quality.

The result is the highest-quality service with strict quality management (ISO9002, ISO14001).

LNP Verton thermoplastic injection moulding compounds offer high strength and are an excellent metal-replacement option.

They feature long-glass-fibre reinforcement produced by a unique pultrusion process.

Moulded Verton components offer exceptional mechanical performance, combining rigidity and outstanding resistance to impact failure.

Widely used across all industries, long-fibre compounds bring significant cost savings to many material replacement projects.

For metal replacement, Verton can help customers to save on total cost and increase productivity.

For example, according to testing done by Sabic Innovative Plastics' technology team, mobile phone makers could achieve up to a 30% cost savings and a 30% increase in productivity by replacing the magnesium or other metal used for internal parts of sliding-type mobile phones with LNP Verton composite.

Other benefits include weight reduction and design flexibility.

As a replacement for short-fibre-reinforced plastics, LNP Verton grades provide higher impact and dimensional stability, greater strength and creep resistance, and improved surface finish.