WELCOME TO TPUNEWS

|english
TPU news
edition 01|2004
| Editorial | Highlights | Innovation | Global | Environment | People | Contact |
• Quality People
• Quality Products
• Innovation
News
New brochure “Be inspired”
IROGRAN® and KRYSTALGRAN TM TPUs are
high performance polymers that function in
demanding applications. Used as coating
on textile or as an unsupported film, they
provide flexibility, abrasion resistance and
color retention for applications that act as
adhesives wear layers and/or barrier. Be
inspired. Please ask for our new folder for
the Film & Sheet and Calendering market,
with technical information on our standard
product range for these segments.
“Be inspired” is
also available for Technical Extrusion &
Injection Molding products.
Please contact:
Simone Stroth
Phone: +49 541 9141 207
simone_stroth@huntsman.com
Huntsman - in the
World of TPU
This is the first of our twice-a-year newsletter giving you news
about our business, people and products, as well as customer
success stories.
WELCOME TO TPUNEWS
Philippe Rose
Phone: +32 2758 9747
Huntsman has a long TPU history, starting
in the UK with ICI’s Footwear
TPU business which transferred to
Huntsman when it acquired ICI’s
Polyurethanes business in 1999. Soon
afterwards, we acquired the Morton TPU
business from Rohm & Haas, making
Huntsman one of the top four global TPU
players. Huntsman has invested heavily
in people, assets and technology. In the
USA, we have built a state-of-the-art research facility in Derry, New Hampshire, installed
new production assets at Ringwood, Illinois, and in Germany increased capacity
at Osnabrück.
We have redesigned and expanded our product platforms to achieve higher performance
and provide a wider range of properties. Huntsman’s TPU Business is the market
leader in aliphatic resin (KRYSTALGRAN TM ) for film applications, and there are more developments
in the pipeline, including our new IROLITE TM TPU products.
Over the years we have significantly enhanced our research and application-development
capability to provide innovative solutions and excellent technical service on a global scale.
TPU is an exciting business, one that Huntsman is fully committed to. We look forward to
growing our business with you and to developing innovative win-win solutions.
I hope you will find this newsletter useful and stimulating. Please feel free to contact
me with any feedback or to discuss new business opportunities.
Contact: Philippe Rose, Global Business Director – TPU
Phone: +32 2758 9747, philippe_rose@huntsman.com
Growth for Derry Site
01
There has been much activity at the Derry
site over the past years since its opening
ceremony in October 2001. The site was designed
and built as a state-of-the art technical
centre of over 1800sq m (20,000sq ft)
to support the global TPU business and
provide technical developments and customer
support applications in TPU in extrusion
and aliphatic TPU. Over the past two
years the staff at the centre have establish
a reputation for fast and effective support
of our customers in a broad range of markets
and applications.
More recently following significant work
by the team on the site, Rhona Watson, the
site manager, received confirmation that
Washington officially approved the Derry
Technical Development Center for the prestigious
OSHA VPP Star Status. Derry is only
the seventh site to receive this award in
the state of New Hampshire.
For further information please contact
Rhona Watson (Derry)
Phone: +1 603 421 3502
rhona_watson@huntsman.com
Rhona Watson
Phone: +1 603 421 3502

TPU news
edition 01|2004
Innovation
Huntsman introduces new
flame-retardant TPUs
To further broaden the product line of UL 94
registered halogen free flame retardant TPUs
we have extended our product range to include
the following materials. All the materials
offer high physical performance,
excellent hydrolysis and microbial resistance
and are particularly suitable for the production
of cable jacketing by extrusion processes.
The materials can also be used in injection
moulding processes to produce connectors
and plugs requiring flame retardant
performance. For further flexibility the materials
have been designed to give a range of
surface finishes upon processing:
IROGRAN® A 78 P 4766
Surface: Glossy
FR Rating: 1.5mm V0
UL File: QMFZ2.E208646
IROGRAN® A 85 P 4854
Surface: Mat
FR Rating: 1.9mm V0
UL File: Awaiting publication
IROGRAN® A 85 P 4350
Surface: Glossy
FR Rating: 1.9mm V2
UL File: QMFZ2.E208646
IROGRAN® A 85 P 4380
Surface: Mat
FR Rating: 1.9mm V2
UL File: QMFZ2.E208646
For further technical information
please contact
USA:
Christopher Marken
Phone: +1 603 421 3508
christopher_c_marken@huntsman.com
Europe:
Helmut Witt
Phone: +49 541 9141 204
helmut_witt@huntsman.com
For information on UL listing of all
Huntsman products please see:
www.ul.com/onlinetools.html
Over the past months our global technical group in Osnabrück, Derry and
Everberg has spent a significant amount of time working on the development
of new product platforms to support the key technical requirements
of our customers. The following describes some of the developments that
will be introduced to the market over the coming weeks and months.
New Product Platforms
High Performance Platform
To further extend the HPU product range
designed for the technical extrusion market
we have developed a series of high performance
ester TPUs. These materials are characterised
by their high melt strength, excellent
mechnical properties (high tensile
strength, excellent abrasion resistance, high
temperature resistance and good hydrolysis
resistance) and are particularly suitable for
pneumatic & spiral tubing applications, belting
and high performance technical injection
moulding applications. The base series
consists of five materials all supplied in pellet
form for superior machine feeding:
IROGRAN® A 80 E 4857
IROGRAN® A 85 E 4858
IROGRAN® A 90 E 4859
IROGRAN® A 92 E 4860
IROGRAN® A 95 E 4861
The series is completed with the special
material IROGRAN® A 98 E 4735 which is described
in more detail within this publication
of TPU News.
“F” Series Platform
To complement our current film extrusion
product range we have recently introduced a
range of high performance plasticiser free TPU
materials designed for film extrusion in the
hardness range Shore A65 – A95. These materials
are characterised by very high transparency,
good mechanical & physical properties and
significant resistance against UV degradation.
The series currently consists of seven materials:
IROGRAN® A 65 F 4889
IROGRAN® A 70 F 4890
IROGRAN® A 75 F 4891
IROGRAN® A 80 F 4892
IROGRAN® A 85 F 4893
IROGRAN® A 90 F 4894
IROGRAN® A 95 F 4895
IROGRAN® A 98 E 4735
for Pneumatic Tubes
IROGRAN® A 98 E 4735 is a high performance TPU developed for the production of flexible
pneumatic tubes. The material allows the production of tubes that are kink-resistant even at
small radii. The material is also dimensionally stable over a broad range of temperatures ensuring
that it will exceed the requirements of manufacturers of pneumatic hoses.
Performance characteristics:
•Highly crystaline product
•High kink-resistance even in
tubes at small radii
•High flexibility
and fatigue resistance
•High burst pressure resistance
•Excellent impulse strength
•Low compression set
•High production rates
•Produces low friction surface
•High melt stability
Mechanical Properties:
Operating temperatures:
- 40°C to +60°C
Minimum bend radius:
18 mm
Christopher Skinner
Phone: +49 541 9141 336
Burst pressures:
20°C 45 bar
40°C 33 bar
60°C 60 bar
02
High Performance Injection Molding
To extend the range of our already successful
“K” series high performance injection molding
platform we have added a number of
new products to the range based on a range
of chemistries. These “K” materials are specially
designed to offer a combination of excellent
physical properties coupled with excellent
resistance to dynamic loads characterized
by very low compression set values. We will
introduce a number of new grades –
IROGRAN® A 85 K 4875 [CAPA based]
IROGRAN® A 85 K 4871 [ether based]
IROGRAN® A 90 K 4872 [ether based]
IROGRAN® A 95 K 4873 [ether based]
It is our intention to provide a more detailed
overview of each platform in forthcoming
issues of TPU News. Please feel free to contact
me to discuss specific technical development
opportunities.
Christopher Skinner, Technical Manager,
Global TPU Development
Phone: +49 541 9141 336
christopher_j_skinner@huntsman.com
Typical Applications:
• Pneumatic tubes
• Jackets for high pressure hose
• Subassembly tubing components
• Coiled tubing
• Profiles
(These mechanical
properties were
determined on a hose
6mm diameter/
1mm wall thickness)

IROGRAN® A 98 E 4735
Physical Properties* Value Unit Standard
Shore Hardness A98 DIN 53505
Shore Hardness D 52 DIN 53505
Tensile strength 55 MPa DIN 53504
Elongation 550 % DIN 53504
Modulus 20% 10, 5 MPa DIN 53504
Modulus 100% 13, 6 MPa DIN 53504
Modulus 300% 26, 5 MPa DIN 53504
Density 1, 22 g/cm 3 DIN 53478
Abrasion 45 mm 3 DIN 53516
MVR-range: 215°C/21,6 kg 20-40 cm 3 /10min DIN/EN/ISO 113
Extrusion temperatures*
Zone 1 205°C +/- 5°C
Zone 2 205°C +/- 5°C
Zone 3, 4 … 205°C +/- 5°C
Adapter Zone 1 210°C +/- 5°C
Nozzle Zone 1 215°C +/- 5°C
Nozzle Zone 2 200°C +/- 5°C
Technical tubing has widespread industrial
uses, either for conveying, protection or
pneumatic purposes. TPUs are gaining
ground in this area by meeting a broad spectrum
of performance criteria and being easily
adaptable to new development targets.
Novoplast Schlauchtechnik, a German specialist
extruder of hoses and flexible profiles,
uses about a dozen different IROGRAN®
polyester and polyether grades covering the
full range of hardnesses from 75 to 98 Shore
A. As Ole Stein, sales manager for Novoplast,
says, “We deal with many different markets
and need a wide choice of specialities to meet
our customers’ varied needs.”
Customized TPU tubes exhibit excellent
in-use properties. They retain flexibility even
at low temperatures, are wear-, cut- and tearresistant
and are highly resistant to oil and
grease. They are also highly resistant to microbes
and hydrolysis, and can withstand
high flexural stresses, vibrations and stone
impact. Many of these advantages are used
effectively for cable protection in vehicles
and in mechanical and electrical engineering.
As Stein states, “The cables which form the
‘nervous system’ of cars and machines must
be totally reliable, whether they convey energy,
commands or data.
By drawing them as bundles through insulating
tubes, they are given constant protection
in tough operating environments. This
protection has become indispensable in many
Screw-nozzle
aligned
* Temperatures are based on three-zone screws with compression ratio 1:3,8-3
Global Customer Forum |
The use of many different IROGRAN® grades from Huntsman Polyurethanes
for the extrusion of technical tubing confirms the
application versatility of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs).
SPECIALIZED IN DIVERSITY
Metering zone 8D
Flight depth 2 mm
applications, from the anti-lock braking
system (ABS) in wheel bodies to the looms of
cables through which robots come to life.”
“A mat surface material is needed for this
type of tubing, since a rough inner wall improves
sliding performance. This, in turn,
helps cable drawing,” says Stein. “Powder coating
conveyor tubing used in automotive
painting, however, must be particularly abrasion-proof
and also anti-static to prevent
powder from sticking to the sides and blokking
the pipes.”
Pneumatic hoses of the kind used in many
machines for process automation and
control require custom-made solutions as
well. Limited installation space often dictates
very small radius bends. In the case of
moving components, high resistance to alternate
bending stresses is essential to prevent
material fatigue, despite the millions of
load transfers that may occur. Important
characteristics include high impulse resistance
and minute wall thickness tolerances,
which are frequently in the range of
1000th/inch (100 th/mm).
As Stein explains, “It is essential that these
tubes do not swell under the high pressure
pulses and that they slot perfectly into the
fittings to ensure absolute air tightness.”
TPU materials for such high performance
applications require very specific formulation
and very controlled processing during manufacture.
The process used at Huntsman ensures
* Typical properties.
No sales specifications.
Tested at room temperature after 20 h
conditioning at 100°C
Compression= 1:3/length 24 D Ø 45mm
Compression
zone 9D
Feeding zone 7D
Flight depth 6 mm
this critical balance, as well as the high level of
homogeneity of IROGRAN® products –an essential
quality for even melting characteristics
on the customer’s extruders. As Stein says,
“Differences in the melt-flow index and thus
in the viscosity create output fluctuations.
This in turn places tolerances at risk.”
Tubes for compressed air can also be formed
into permanent “spirals” with excellent
spring-back properties and kink resistance.
Returning to their original form even after
frequent stretching, these space-saving coils
offer large operating lengths and reduce the
risk of stumbling, as they are ideally installed
overhead. “For automotive applications alone,
various material grades are required,” says
Stein. “After all, safety parts such as coil tubes
for truck brakes or assembly line tools powered
by very large air volumes require different
operating and bursting pressures than small
workshop equipment for tire installation.”
Novoplast Schlauchtechnik’s product range
comprises thousands of articles. Apart from
tubing, the company processes TPU and other
plastics into many other extrusion products
such as driving belts, wiping, clamping and
edge protection profiles, gaskets and washers.
“We are constantly given new problems
and therefore value the input of an
experienced partner such as Huntsman
Polyurethanes,” says Stein. “In addition to a
wide range of TPU grades, bringing ideas to
reality also needs professional interaction as
to what is technically feasible to help us
stand out as a problem-solver for specialized
market niches.”
Ole Stein
Novoplast Schlauchtechnik GmbH
Germany
Phone: +49 3941 68690
Fax: +49 3941 686949
www.schlauchtechnik.de
Supply and Storage:
03
Contact
Supply: IROGRAN® A 98 E 4735 is supplied in
moisture protected bags each of 25kg on
1000kg pallets
Storage: Storage life is longer than 6 months
when stored in a cool and dry environment
Physical form: IROGRAN® A 98 E 4735 is
supplied as opaque cylinder cut granules of
average length of 3 mm
For further contact:
Franz Michel, Account Manager TPU
Phone: +49 2932 53540
Mobile: +49 171 306 42 59
franz_michel@huntsman.com
Franz Michel
Phone: +49 2932 53540
If you are interested in writing such
an article in cooperation with Huntsman,
please get in contact with
Simone Stroth
Phone: +49 541 9141 207
simone_stroth@huntsman.com

TPU news
edition 01|2004
Highlights
January - April 2004
Fairs
Huntsman TPU group presented a broad range
of products to the textile coating market at the
Techtextile 04 held in Atlanta in the last week
of March. Huntsman produces a wide range of
thermoplastic polyurethanes that provide
functionalities. Illustrating the diversity of TPU
in the textile coating market, IROGRAN® aromatic
thermoplastic polyurethanes are used in
film adhesive as well as providing soft hand or
elasticity. KRYSTALGRAN TM aliphatic thermoplastic
polyurethanes are used in outdoor applications
and protect textile and painted surfaces
from abrasion and UV light while maintaining
a clear, non-yellow surface. Both types
of polyurethanes are also used as barriers on
coated fabrics or unsupported for inflatables
such as mattresses, rafts and life vests.
Jaci Grote
Phone: +1 603 379 2014
jaci_l_grote@huntsman.com
July 2004
Launch of new TPU web page
To provide our customers with more relevant
information on our TPU product range,
Huntsman will launch a re-designed web
page in July. From the TPU homepage,
customers will be able to quickly find information
on general Product News, New
Developments, and have access to downloadable
(printable) datasheets and literature
on our TPU products.
The TPU Huntsman Internet address will
remain: www.huntsman.com/pu/tpu
September 2004
Open house
On the 4th of September the Osnabrück site
will hold its “Open House“ event. Staff families
and neighbours will be invited to tour
the facility enabling them to learn more about
the safety measures at the site, see the
individual working environments, and to get
further information about the world of TPU.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
One team for customers
Whether you would like to place an order, or you have questions regarding deliveries or products,
or general questions, please contact us. It is always our goal to serve our customers
in a competent and responsible manner. With the introduction of our Customer Service Team
we would like to give you a picture of whom you are talking to.
Business hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday. For requests beyond
the normal business hours you can reach us by e-mail or under the following
fax-no.: +49 541 127 612
Managing the production and supply chain
in a specialty business is as challenging as it
is exciting. This is certainly valid for TPU production
within Huntsman.
Between the two production facilities, we
serve globally close to 700 customers with
400 products using five different production
processes. Moreover, the market is a dynamic
one with ever changing and/or newly emerging
needs that need to be answered quickly
and reliably.
Serving the TPU market requires reliable
quality and working systems, careful planning,
extensive communication and good people.
The production facility in Osnabrück,
Germany is producing the bulk of volume
and specialises in TPUs for the adhesive, extrusion,
cable & wire, calendering and injec-
Germany:
Amy Isbell:
Phone: +1 248 322 7394
amy_g_isbell@huntsman.com
Responsible for USA,
Located in USA
Britta Elbert
Phone: +49 541 9141 213
britta_elbert@huntsman.com
Responsible for USA /
Southamerica
Located in Osnabrück, Germany
Hafenringstrasse 1
49090 Osnabrück
Phone: +49 541 914 10
Fax: + 49 541 914 13 95
E-mail:
martina_walkemeier@huntsman.com
tion molding market. The plant is ISO-
9001:2000 certified.
Our specialty plant in Ringwood, IL, USA,
specialized in producing aliphatic TPU and
other film & sheet applications, is working
towards obtaining this important certificate
by the end of this year.
Together we are dedicated to serving our
customers in the best possible way by providing
quality products in a reliable manner.
Customer satisfaction, reliability of deliveries
and complaint handling are some of the
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are
being monitored closely. Together with internal
measures like production efficiency, cost
efficiency and Right-First-Time quality (RFT),
these KPIs are forming the basis of our
Continuous Improvement philosophy.
USA:
Astrid Warrelmann
Phone: +49 541 9141 216
astrid_warrelmann@huntsman.com
Responsible for Germany / Europe
Located in Osnabrück, Germany
• Customer Orientation • Service • Global • Communication
Manufacturing Excellence
GLOBAL CONTACT:
Jan Verstraeten
Phone: +49 541 9141 319
jan_verstraeten@huntsman.com
Tony Swan
Phone: +1 815 653 1504
tony_m_swan@huntsman.com
2190 Executive Road Blvd.
USA – Auburn Hills
MI 48326
Phone: +1 248 322 7394
Fax: +1 248 322 7404
E-mail:amy_g_isbell@huntsman.com
Gunilla Roggenkamp
Phone: +49 541 9141 211
gunilla_roggenkamp@huntsman.com
Responsible for Asia
Located in Osnabrück, Germany
APAC:
04
People
Anna Niu
Phone: +852 2722 1111
anna_niu@huntsman.com
Responsible for Asia,
Located in Hong Kong
Published by:
Huntsman (Germany) GmbH
Hafenringstrasse 1
49090 Osnabrück, Germany
Phone: +49 541 9141 0
Fax: + 49 541 9141 395
Editor:
Simone Stroth
Design:
Annette Bodenberger
Copyright
© April 2004 Huntsman International
LLC. All rights reserved.
Huntsman Polyurethanes warrants only that its products meet the
specifications stated in the sales contract.
Typical properties, where stated, are to be considered as representative
of current production and should not be treated as specifications.
While all the information presented in this document is believed
to be reliable and to represent the best available data on these
products, NO GUARANTY, WARRANTY, OR REPRESENTATION
IS MADE, INTENDED, OR IMPLIED AS TO THE CORRECTNESS OR
SUFFICIENCY OF ANY INFORMATION, OR AS TO THE MERCHANTABILITY-
OR SUITABILITY OR FITNESS OF ANY CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR OTHER
PRODUCTS FOR ANY PARTICULAR USE OR PURPOSE, OR THAT ANY
CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR OTHER PRODUCTS OR THE USE THEREOF ARE
NOT SUBJECT TO A CLAIM BY A THIRD PARTY FOR INFRINGEMENT OF
ANY PATENT OR OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT. THE USER
SHOULD CONDUCT A SUFFICIENT INVESTIGATION TO ESTABLISH THE
SUITABILITY OF ANY PRODUCT FOR ITS INTENDED USE. Liability of
Huntsman Polyurethanes for all claims, whether arising out of breach
of contract, warranty, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise, is
limited to the purchase price of the material. Products may be toxic
and require special precautions in handling. For all products listed,
the user should obtain detailed information on toxicity, together
with proper shipping, handling, and storage procedures, and comply
with all applicable safety and environmental standards. Toxicity and
risk characteristics of chemical compounds and other products may
differ when used with other materials or in a manufacturing or other
process. Those risk characteristics should be determined by the user
and made known to handlers, processors, and end users.
Huntsman Polyurethanes is an international business unit of
Huntsman International LLC. Huntsman Polyurethanes trades with
Huntsman affiliated companies in the relevant countries such as
Huntsman International LLC in the USA and Huntsman Holland BV
in Western Europe.
IROGRAN®, IROSTIC®, IRODUR®, IROCOAT®, KRYSTALGRAN TM ,
IROLITE TM are trademarks or registered trademarks of Huntsman
International LLC in one or more, but not all, countries.
Room 1708-9, Olympia Plaza
243-255 King’s Road
North Point, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 2722 1111
Fax: +852 2366 0388
E-mail: anna_niu@huntsman.com