Leading petrochemicals producer Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) has launched a new dedicated foam grade - LDPE HP0824NDF - for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Asian region to broaden the application window for the tapes, seals and underlayment market.

Sabic LDPE HP0824NDF offers special benefits using various foam production processes such as physical foam extrusion, the chemical cross-linking process, as well as the bun process resulting in lightweight foams, said a statement from the company.

It offers material and energy savings, while retaining or even improving product performance; and it offers benefits in thermal and acoustic insulation, cushioning and protection.

Sabic is helping to improve these benefits by enhancements to the physical properties and foamability of the polymers themselves, it stated.

The advantages of LDPE HP0824NDF are the high viscosity, giving good head pressure for uniform and thicker foam thickness, relatively higher resin density for better mechanical strength, and good compression stress as well as resilience, said a statement from the company.

In foam processing, the product quality and consistency of foam grades, including security of supply, are key requirements for customers. Sabic’s newly developed dedicated LDPE foam grades will help customers address their specific needs, it stated.

Sabic had in early 2016 launched two dedicated foam grades - LDPE HP2024JDF and HP2024NDF - for the MEA and Asian markets during the Chinaplas event.

These foams have been successfully adopted by the market and are being widely used in numerous areas that encompass building and construction, automotive, packaging, sports and leisure and several other sectors, said a statement from the company.

Enhanced physical properties and excellent foamability of the polymers are key in enabling more efficient material usage and energy savings, it added.

Sabic said all three grades were less sensitive to web-breaks and foam-collapse due to high consistency and a wider operating window compared to existing materials in the market, resulting in a higher material yield during processing.

The foams produced give a higher compression strength, better resilience, uniform surface and cell structure, and fewer pinholes, as well as better dimensional stability compared to existing materials. This offers opportunities for material savings during production, it added.-TradeArabia News Service