Teknor Apex and Arkema Team up to Make Housewrap Film Compounds with Renewable Content and Wide Choice of Film Permeabilities


Teknor Apex Produces Multiple Compounds of Its Terraloy® Bioplastic with Arkema’s Pebax® Elastomer, Making Possible a Range of Breathable Films for Housewrap



PAWTUCKET, RI, U.S.A., – Teknor Apex Company and Arkema Inc. have entered into a strategic alliance that will broaden the range of breathable films by combining Arkema’s Pebax® thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) with Teknor Apex’s Terraloy® bioplastic, enabling manufacturers of housewrap to increase their product offerings and expand their commitment to sustainability.



Teknor Apex will be joined by Arkema at its exhibit in the NAHB International Home Builders Show (Booth S2125) to introduce a family of plastic compounds comprised of a blend of Pebax engineering-grade TPE with Teknor Apex’s Terraloy bioplastics, which are derived from plant-based, renewable resources. By varying the Terraloy biopolymer content, Teknor Apex has developed multiple grades of the blend, which can be used to produce films with various levels of moisture permeability. Such films can be bonded with nonwoven fabrics to form housewraps that allow moisture vapor to escape from homes, preventing mold and mildew, yet remain waterproof.



Teknor Apex is one of the world’s largest custom compounders of plastics and has developed a diversified range of biopolymer compounds under the Terraloy brand. Designed as alternatives to petrochemical-based plastics, Terraloy compounds enable manufacturers to partially or completely replace traditional plastics while retaining important processing and end use properties.



“Working cooperatively with Arkema, Teknor Apex has extended the applicability of Pebax elastomer in building and construction while retaining its capabilities as a lightweight, versatile, high-performance plastic,” said Edwin Tam, manager of new strategic initiatives for the Bioplastics Division of Teknor Apex.



As TPEs, Pebax products combine the advantages of thermoplastics with the elasticity of rubber and provide exceptional performance. When extruded into a thin film or laminated to a substrate, they offer excellent permeability to moisture vapor while remaining waterproof. They do not require an adhesive or bonding agent to adhere to synthetic nonwovens.



“We are excited to join forces with Teknor Apex,” said Laurent Cartier, Arkema’s Pebax TPE sales and business development manager. “Adding biopolymer to Pebax has broadened its breathability characteristics while maintaining good adhesion to fabric.”



About Arkema. A global chemical company and France’s leading chemicals producer, Arkema is building the future of the chemical industry every day. Deploying a responsible, innovation-based approach, we produce state-of-the-art specialty chemicals that provide customers with practical solutions to such challenges as climate change, access to drinking water, the future of energy, fossil fuel preservation and the need for lighter materials. With operations in more than 40 countries, some 14,000 employees and 10 research centers, Arkema generates annual revenue of €6.1 billion, and holds leadership positions in all its markets with a portfolio of internationally recognized brands.



About Teknor Apex. Teknor Apex Company, a privately held firm founded in 1924, is one of the world’s leading custom compounders of plastics. Teknor Apex produces flexible and rigid vinyl, thermoplastic elastomers, nylons, toll and specialty compounds, color masterbatches, specialty chemicals, bioplastics and hoses. The company is headquartered in Pawtucket, RI, U.S.A. and operates thirteen facilities worldwide in the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, China and Singapore. To learn more visit: www.teknorapex.com.



The Bioplastics Division of Teknor Apex Company is a custom compounder of plastics derived from renewable resources. Product families include: 1) hybrids that combine thermoplastic starch (TPS) with standard petrochemical-based polymers such as polyolefins or polystyrene; 2) biodegradable or compostable blends of bioplastics such as TPS, PLA, PBAT, and PHA, some of which meet ASTM D-6400 and are listed by the Biodegradable Products Institute; 3) recycled-content hybrids that combine post-industrial or post-consumer polyolefins with TPS; and 4) PLA-based masterbatches that incorporate additives such as impact modifier or melt strength enhancers.



FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Tel: 1-401-725-8000

Fax: 1-401-724-8520

Email: bioplastics@teknorapex.com



Robert J. Martino

Martino Communications Inc.

8 Main Street / P.O. Box 379

Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706 U.S.A.

Tel: 1-914-478-0754

Email: bob@martinocommunications.com

www.martinocommunications.com

All Topics