Ticona to Expand Capacity for Vectra® Liquid
Ticona, a business of Celanese AG (NYSE: CZ; FSE: CZZ), is planning to expand its Vectra® liquid crystal polymer (LCP) plant in Shelby, NC. By debottlenecking the current facility, the company plans to increase capacity by 40 %. Ticona, the market leader in LCPs, had originally announced plans to expand in 2005. "As a result of an increase in global demand, we need to accelerate the increase in capacity to ensure we can continue to meet customer needs," says Mariellen Turano, Vectra® Global Business Director.
Vectra® Liquid Crystal Polymer and the Shelby Plant Vectra® LCP is a high-performance plastic set apart from other semicrystalline resins by its well-ordered, long, rigid, rod-like molecules. Its balance of properties is unmatched by most other resins and includes good flow during molding of thin wall parts, outstanding dimensional stability of finished parts at high temperatures, excellent strength and chemical resistance, high impact strength, inherent flame resistance and low coefficient of expansion. Most Vectra® LCP presently goes into electric/electronic components, such as connectors, sockets, bobbins and switches. The polymer is also used in chemical equipment, medical instruments, motors, business machines, and automotive and aircraft parts, among other applications. Vectra® LCP also is well-suited for electronic films where its low moisture absorption maintains consistent dimensional stability and dielectric properties - critical for highfrequency applications; and its temperature resistance is key for fabrication and assembly of evermore miniature devices. The Shelby plant is one of Ticona's main production facilities. In addition to Vectra® LCP production, Shelby also manufactures Celanex® thermoplastic polyester (PBT), Impet® thermoplastic polyester (PET), Vandar® thermoplastic polyester alloy, Riteflex® thermoplastic polyester elastomer, and has compounding facilities for these engineering plastics and for Fortron® polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).
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