Ticona Ups Capacity for Engineering Thermoplastics and Liquid Crystal Polymers

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Ticona, a Celanese AG (NYSE:CZ ; FSE:CZZ) (Kronberg in Taurus, Germany) company, has announced the completion of its new 30,000 metric tons/year (approximately 60 million lbs/year), $50 million plant at Bishop, Texas, to manufacture the proprietary GUR (Granulated Ultra-High Molecular Resin), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE). Start-up for the plant was scheduled for July 2002.

The plant doubles the company's GUR capacity in North America and will replace its existing GUR plant in Bayport, Texas. Mundy Construction, Incorporated (Houston, Texas) was responsible for civil and mechanical construction services and Epic Corporation, (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) was the contractor for electrical and instrumentation systems.

Ticona is the world's leading producer of UHMW-PE. The company operates a GUR plant in Oberhausen, Germany. When the new Bishop plant begins operation, the company's total GUR capacity will be about 60,000 metric tons/year (approximately 120 000 million lbs/year).

There is growing demand for GUR/UHMW-PE, which has an extremely low coefficient of friction and provides outstanding abrasion resistance and toughness. It is often used in demanding material handling applications in bottling machines, papermaking equipment, chemicals and other process industries. Typical applications include bulk containers, truck linings, conveyor chain guides, marine dock fenders, automotive battery separators, pump housings and ski and snowboard bottoms. GUR is also used to produce porous products for writing instruments, air and water filters, wear resistant and texturing additives for thermoplastics, elastomers, paints and coatings.

The Bishop plant site, which covers 1,400 acres, has been part of the Celanese group for fifty years and employs 575 personnel. In addition to GUR/UHMW-PE the complex also produces Celcon acetal copolymer. Together this gives the plant output of two of the three types of engineering thermoplastics. The facility also produces other ranges of thermoplastic polymers.

At its Shelby, North Carolina plant, Ticona produces Vectra liquid crystal polymer (LCP). The capacity of this plant has recently been expanded to 6,000 metric tons a year (approximately 13.3 million lbs.). Further expansion is being considered for 2005. Shelby production of LCPs is aimed at the electronics, telecommunications, chemical equipment, medical instruments, motors, business machines and automotive and aircraft parts.

LCPs are differentiated from semi-crystalline resins by their well-ordered, long, rigid, rod-like molecules. Their balance of properties provides good thin-wall moulding capability, dimensional stability of finished parts at high temperatures, high impact strength and chemical resistance, inherent flame resistance and a low coefficient of expansion.