RoHS-COMPLIANT ALTERNATIVES TO STANDARD VINYL COMPOUNDS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR ENTIRE WIRE AND CABLE RANGE FROM TEKNOR APEX

Home > Vinyl > What's New > What's New

DÜSSELDORF, April 24, 2006: Teknor Apex now supplies the broadest range of non-lead stabilized (NLS) vinyl compounds available to the wire and cable industry, enabling companies to manufacture products that comply with the European Union’s upcoming ‘RoHS’ legislation, the company announced today at Wire 2006 (Stand 09 / E14).

A representative sampling of the company’s RoHS-compliant compounds is now available in a new bulletin from Teknor Apex [see copy included in Wire 2006 press kit]. The compounds include Apex® flexible vinyl formulations and Flexalloy® vinyl thermoplastic elastomers for electronic interconnect cable, data and voice cable, appliance wire, automotive wire, flexible cords, building wire, and fixture wire. The products cover a wide spectrum of temperature ratings and hardnesses and include extrusion and molding grades. There are formulations for clarity, sunlight-resistance, oil-resistance, and specific flammability requirements.

“These NLS compounds closely duplicate their conventional lead-stabilized counterparts in processing and physical properties, electrical performance, and price,” said Mike Patel, industry manager. “While the NLS compounds previously introduced by Teknor Apex included some that were for especially demanding applications like plenum cable and wet-location control wire, the broad range of these latest offerings amply demonstrates our capability to develop NLS versions of any compounds required by our customers.”

The EU’s RoHS regulations (Restrictions on Hazardous Substances), scheduled to go into effect on July 1 of this year, will restrict the use of lead and five other substances deemed hazardous. “Besides benefiting wire and cable manufacturers in Europe, the availability of a broad range of NLS compounds from Teknor Apex provides a distinct advantage to companies in the Americas and Asia that supply customers in Europe or need to provide products that are truly
global in their applicability,” said Patel. “We intend to supply NLS compounds from Teknor Apex plants in the U.S., from our Singapore Polymer Corporation business in Asia, and from manufacturing partners in Europe.”

Non-Lead Stabilized Vinyl Compounds Span Wide Range of Wire & Cable Applications

Teknor Apex has released property data on the 84 NLS compounds. While UL recognition for a minority of the grades is still pending, Teknor Apex has formulated these products to meet UL requirements, Patel said. The NLS compounds comprise the following series:

• Insulation compounds, including general and UL component-recognized Apex and Flexalloy formulations for electronic interconnect cable, data and voice cable, appliance wire, automotive wire, flexible cords, building wire, and fixture wire.

• Jacket compounds, including Apex and Flexalloy general and UL component-recognized formulations for a range of applications. A number of these are sunlight-resistant for outdoor applications.

• Dual (insulation / jacket) compounds in the Apex line, including clear general compounds and UL component-recognized compounds that are wet-rated for insulation and sunlight-resistant for jackets.

• Molding compounds, including Apex formulations for connectors, plugs, strain reliefs, and grommets.