| In addition to industrial commodity polymers such as PVC, PP and PE, the French company Atofina provides the wire and cable industry with a range of products that includes Norsocryl super-absorbents for water retention, Poly BD for thermal and waterproof insulation, Rilsan PA11 and PA12 for optical fibre sheathing, and Kynar PVDF which is used in the United States for cabling in high-rise buildings (plenum cables). The company also offers copolymers for halogen-free fire-resistant cables such as Lotryl (EMA and EBA copolymers) and Evatane (EVA copolymers). When resistance to even higher temperatures is required, they can be combined with Lotader (ethylene and acrylate terpolymers with maleic or epoxy anhydride reactive functions) or Orevac (grafted PE/PP and EVA terpolymers) to provide innovative solutions to the most complex problems.
Atofina also provides the medium voltage cable industry with Evatane and Lotryl, two products that feature excellent resistance to stress-cracking for sheathing. They are also used in semi-conductor sheathing for their ability to disperse carbon black. Both products minimise the water trees, and are therefore used to modify polyethylene for insulating applications.
Furthermore, Atofina has recently released Kynar Flex� PPA fluorinated copolymer, the most cost-effective process aid available for the extrusion of linear low density polyethylene (PE), high-density PE and polypropylene. This fluorinated resin aids the processing of polyolefins and significantly improves the quality of the finished products (films, tubes, pipes and cable sheathing). As a result of the very low usage concentration (0.05%) required, Kynar Flex� PPA also helps increase productivity on extrusion equipment. During processing, it affords a reduction in energy consumption, temperature and pressure, whilst allowing greater output rates. Kynar Flex� PPA significantly enhances the quality of the finished product by improving both transparency and mechanical properties. It can also eliminate the so-called �orange peel� and other �melt fracture� induced surface defects. Kynar Flex� PPA is additive-free and therefore ensures optimum purity.
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