Page 44 - Plastics News April 2021

produCt news

New Creamid® Glass-Reinforced Conair conveys cost-benefits of

Compounds from Teknor Apex control system

eknor Apex has developed three new Creamid® onveyor manufacturer Conair has upgraded its FLX
TGlass-Reinforced Compounds. The Creamid® grades Ccontrol system. Conair’s new SmartFLX™ conveying
A3H7G3, C3H2G4, and C3H2G6 from the Company are control introduces a new system architecture with
polyamide 66-based compounds with glass loadings of a more powerful PLC processor, faster and clearer
15%, 20%, and 30%, respectively. Their non-halogen flame communications, a Universal I/O panel structure, and
retardant formulations make possible compliance with an intelligent configurator that simplifies and reduces
European RoHS and WEEE directives as well as internal OEM costs for system design and installation, system
requirements. Teknor Apex recommends the compounds expansion, and remote diagnostics. Best of all, by
for applications such as appliance and power tool housings, leveraging these improvements, many users will be able
to adopt the SmartFLX system at a lower capital cost
and with lower long-term operating costs than current
FLX-128 systems. A 10” high-resolution color monitor
displays the new SmartFLX user interface, the product
of extensive user testing, optimizes menu presentation
and keystrokes associated with common user tasks. The
interface incorporates a context-sensitive Help system
that provides specific instructions for each screen
presentation. It operates atop a new PLC processor
and software, with all system intelligence centralized
in the system’s main panel for easy, single-point
software upgrades. The new SmartFLX architecture
separates communications into two channels. Control
and diagnostic signaling for Conair equipment travels
on a channel built to the lightning-fast, ultra low-noise
Powerlink™ standard. This new standard, operates at

electronic handheld devices, components for charging
infrastructure for electric vehicles, and certain under-hood
automotive components requiring FR properties.“Teknor
Apex has drawn on semi-aromatic polyamide chemistry to
enhance the ability of these compounds to retain tensile
properties and stiffness upon exposure to moisture,” said
Mike Anderson, commercial director for the ETP Division.
“The A3H7G3 product is currently in use for an automotive
engine cover, having met an OEM specification for property
retention after heat aging at 170 °C.” For the 20% glass-
reinforced C3H2G4 grade, a comparison between dry-as-
molded and conditioned properties shows notched Izod
impact strength increasing from 7 to 10 KJ/m2; tensile
strength decreasing from 125 to 85 MPa; elongation at
break increasing from 3.0 to 3.4%; and tensile modulus
decreasing from 8,300 to 5,500 MPa. “The new Creamid a speed that is more than 6,000 times faster and with
compounds enable engineers to meet increasingly the “universal” system I/O panels the SmartFLX system
stringent requirements for halogen-free FR formulations can now support greater overall capacity – up to 40+
while finding new ways to consolidate parts,” said Pratik pumps, 256+ receivers and 500+ controlled sources and
Shah, director of strategic initiatives. all available features – using just three I/O panel types.

Plastics News April 2021 44