Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC, announced today that Advanced Polymer Technologies, LLC, (APT) is offering large stock shapes of Spire® Ultra Polymers. The new stock shapes give designers the ability to create very large machined parts while holding tight tolerances.

Spire® Ultra Polymers are specified by design engineers for applications that require a combination of very high performance properties. KetaSpire® PEEK (polyetherether-ketone) delivers broad chemical resistance, ease of processing, and excellent mechanical performance. AvaSpire® modified PEEK grades are tailored to meet specific performance requirements with some formulations offering more attractive economics than unmodified PEEK. PrimoSpire® SRP (self-reinforced polyphenylene) is the industry’s stiffest and strongest unreinforced polymer with a unique combination of surface hardness, chemical resistance, and inherent flame-retardant properties.

The large stock shapes developed by APT are ideal for low-volume applications where fewer than 1,000 parts need to be produced annually, as well as for larger parts that are not moldable. Stock shapes also provide an excellent quality feedstock for applications that require higher flatness tolerances than could be obtained by conventional molding. Large stock shapes are most often used by the semiconductor industry (where they provide material for manufacturing equipment), aerospace, and other specialized general industrial parts. Machining parts from stock polymer shapes can produce more accurate results than molding, and unlike molding gives manufacturers the flexibility of incorporating design modifications in mid-process.

Extruded shapes made from Spire Ultra Polymers offer the benefit of large sizes and unlimited lengths. (Length is limited only by the customer’s ability to package and ship the end product.) Plate configurations can be produced in thicknesses from 1/4-in to 4-in, and widths up to 25 in. Extruded rod shapes are available from 1/4-in up to 5-in diameters.

According to Steve Kessler, APT president, extruded stock shapes made from Solvay’s ultra polymers not only demonstrate excellent performance characteristics, but can also be reliably machined to very tight tolerances. “We inventory a large selection of standard stock shapes extruded from Spire Ultra Polymers,” says Kessler. “We can also accommodate special requests for customers that need custom shapes. We work closely with Solvay Advanced Polymers to give our customers the product performance they need for almost any application.”

“Many manufacturers of specialized components need to incorporate the superior performance of our ultra polymers into larger designs,” says Chris Wilson, ultra polymers vice-president for Solvay Advanced Polymers. “Working with Advanced Polymer Technologies allows us to offer these ultra-performance materials in a broader range of options than ever before.”

About Advanced Polymer Technologies
Advanced Polymer Technologies, LLC (APT) was founded in 2002 by Steve Kessler in Stockton, Calif., for the manufacture of engineering plastic stock shapes for machined parts. The company focuses on production flexibility. It takes requests for special resins and certifications and specializes in custom sizes and large profile extruded shapes. APT's technical staff offers experience in applications support and materials selection and specifications. The company maintains a full-service testing lab at its Stockton facility for evaluation of mechanical and physical properties, fabrication trials, and analytical testing. More information is available at www.aptllc.net.

About Solvay Advanced Polymers
Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC, produces more plastics with more performance than any other company in the world. This gives design engineers worldwide more ways to solve top design challenges in automotive, medical, electronics, aerospace and other demanding industries. Learn more at www.solvayadvancedpolymers.com.

SOLVAY is an international industrial Group active in Chemistry. It offers a broad range of products and solutions that contribute to improving quality of life. The Group is headquartered in Brussels and employs about 19,000 people in 50 countries. In 2009, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 8.5 billion. Solvay is listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Brussels (NYSE Euronext: SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR). Details are available at www.solvay.com.

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