Celanese expands engineered materials tech centre

Troy, Michigan – Celanese Corp. has opened an expanded Michigan technology centre (MTC) to support development of its engineered materials portfolio, including elastomers such as Santoprene TPV.

The US materials supplier said the expansion brings together piloting, application development and engineering prototyping capabilities at its Troy and nearby Auburn Hills sites – under its Engineered Materials 2026 strategy.

According to Celanese, the integrated set-up “unifies talent, tools, and technology while modernising Celanese’s ability to collaborate with customers” on new material developments, said Celanese 19 Feb.

The project includes the relocation of the Santoprene TPV piloting operation from Houston to Michigan, creating a 'central hub' for extrusion development and foaming technologies.

Commenting on the move, Todd Elliott, SVP engineered materials, said the expanded centre brings development capabilities closer to customers while improving efficiency.

“By bringing advanced development capabilities closer to our customers while improving efficiencies, we strengthen our ability to co-create differentiated solutions,” he said.

The centre supports more than 17 engineered materials product families, including Zytel PA, Hytrel TPC, Forton PPS and Santoprene TPV.

Celanese said the site is intended to allow earlier engagement with customers in sectors such as automotive, electrical and electronics, and medical.

The Troy facility has been expanded by more than 10,000 sq.ft of new processing space, with a further 3,000 sq.ft modified for control and support functions.

The Auburn Hills site adds nearly 4,000 sq.ft of laboratory and innovation space.

Celanese said the projects involved the relocation of 27 truckloads of equipment, including injection moulding and extrusion lines, quality control equipment and compounding systems.