Teknor Apex plans second TPE line at UK plant

Plastics News report

Friedrichshafen, Germany – Teknor Apex said it planned to add a second thermoplastic elastomer production line at its Oldbury, UK plant by the end of 2015 to meet growing demand.

Speaking at the Fakuma trade event in Germany this week, Europe managing director Simon Hubbard said the firm would likely modify an existing twin-screw extrusion line at its Midlands plant in order to increase production of TPEs sold under the Monprene and Medalist trade names.

Teknor also said it was making its Recyclon-brand compounds based on recycled nylon 6 and 6/6 available in Europe for the first time. They are being sold into automotive applications such as engine covers and cowls, as well as into office chair bases and other industrial uses, Hubbard said.

Both Recyclon grades now available in Europe have filler content of 15-30 percent and have shown property retention of 80 percent after 1,000 hours of heat aging at 140° C.

Price and sustainability were leading to increased demand for recycled nylon compounds, he added, while he believed Teknor had an edge in the market because it can source its own recycled nylon from its carpet recycling operations in the US.

“Being backward-integrated into recycling feed streams gives us continuous supply,” he added.

In its 2014 fiscal year, Teknor saw good growth rates in Europe, according to Hubbard, surpassing overall economic growth rates for the region.

Elsewhere in automotive – Teknor’s largest European sales sector – the group has introduced new TPE compounds for auto window encapsulation and interior parts belonging to Teknor’s Sarlink-brand thermoplastic vulcanizate product line.

The three new series of Sarlink being launched at Fakuma offer excellent processability and UV stability, company officials said, while providing weight savings versus PVC and EPDM.