Meerbusch/Germany, October 2023 – At Fakuma 2023, Dreyplas will showcase a variety of options for replacing fluoropolymers caught up in the controversy around PFAS with melt-processable UHMW-PE at booth B1-1004 in hall B1. UHMW-PE can be used for molded parts as well as for profiles, sheet products, films and coatings in applications where very low friction and abrasion, depending on the case in conjunction with high chemical resistance, are of primary importance. Dreyplas bases its advice about this versatile resin on Mitsui Chemicals’ products, which are available both as pellets and as powders and micropowders and are also suitable for 3D printing. Dreyplas will continue to offer an extensive range of fluoropolymers for those applications which simultaneously require high temperature resistance.

Highly abrasion-resistant molded parts, extruded sheets, profiles and hoses are some of the applications for LUBMER™ pellets, a self-lubricating, high-impact grade of UHMW-PE suitable for injection molding in both hot runner and tunnel gate systems. Thanks to its food safety and acoustic and electrical insulation properties, potential applications include automotive, electronic, and industrial parts, together with use as a friction-reducing additive in other polyolefins.

MIPELON™ with its spherical, particularly readily dispersible fine particles can be produced with diameters of 10 to 30 μm, whereas the usual dimensions of UHMW-PE powder are 150 to 200 μm. It can thus be an alternative to PTFE for formulating low wear, chemically resistant coatings, where it not only increases abrasion resistance but also reduces the coefficient of friction even more than does PTFE. A further typical application is use as a friction-reducing additive.

Another spherical UHMW powder grade with particle diameters in the range from 120 µm to 160 µm is HI-ZEX MILLION™, which is mainly used for electronic or industrial materials, medical devices, food manufacturing, etc. Its wide range of applications extends from screws, slide rails and gears to battery separators and prostheses. As a friction-reducing blend component, its low density of 930 to 950 kg/m³ helps to reduce product weight.

As Norbert Hodrius, Technical Marketing Director at DREYPLAS explains, “Numerous collaborative projects with customers have demonstrated that, where elevated thermal stability is not essential, it is often possible to do without fluoropolymers In such cases, our alternative is UHMW-PE, which has up to twenty times the abrasion resistance of conventional PE, combined with good chemical resistance, high flexibility and low-temperature impact strength as well as further advantages such as acoustic and electrical insulation and compliance with food safety requirements. In addition, UHMW-PE has good sustainability since all grades are suitable for the PE recycling loop, while its melt processability means low levels of manufacturing waste.”

Sales Manager Markus Geister adds, “If specific requirements mean there is no alternative but to use fluoropolymers, we can supply a wide range of high-performance polymers including PTFE, FEP, PFA, etc. together with comprehensive application engineering know-how to ensure successful use in our customers’ applications.”

DREYPLAS, founded in 2010, is a distributor with its registered office in Meerbusch, Germany. Its portfolio covers high-performance additives and polymers as well as adhesive raw materials, mainly from major Asian manufacturers, and focuses on technically high-quality alternatives to established products. Its customers are polymer manufacturers, compounders, coating producers and plastics processors in Europe. The US subsidiary DREYTEK Inc., New Jersey, founded in 2015, markets these products in Mexico, the US and Canada. With this subsidiary and a partner in Asia, DREYPLAS offers global technical support in development and processing. All products are marketed globally but held in stock and invoiced locally.

DREYCHEM GmbH, Moormerland, Germany, which also belongs to the DREYPLAS group, develops, produces and markets highly effective cleaning granules for injection molding and extrusion, including for elevated temperatures. EFP GmbH, Meerbusch, Germany, another member the group, markets specialty films, e.g. of polycarbonate and PMMA, as well as flame-retardant films in Europe and the US. EFP is currently the world’s only supplier of extruded UHMW-PE films.

Further information:
DREYPLAS GmbH,Meerbuscher Str. 64-78 Haus 6A, D-40670 Meerbusch
Norbert Hodrius, Technical Marketing Director
Tel. +49-2159-815 31-11, hodrius(at)dreyplas.com
and
Markus Geister, Sales Manager
Tel. +49-2159-815 31-14, geister(at)dreyplas.com

Editorial contact and voucher copies:
Dr. Jörg Wolters, Konsens PR GmbH & Co. KG, Hans-Böckler-Str. 20, D-63811 Stockstadt
Tel.: +49 (0) 60 27/99005-13, Email: joerg.wolters(at)konsens.de