New high gloss PP from PolyMirae replaces ABS refrigerator visible parts
Jun 12, 2007
PolyMirae Company Ltd, a joint venture company of Basell in Korea, has produced a new polypropylene grade that has been selected by Samsung's appliances division for the manufacture of refrigerator visible parts. The resin has replaced ABS and has enabled the Korean appliance manufacturer to achieve cost savings.
There are three ranges of refrigerators manufactured in Korea by Samsung's appliances division now fit a total of 23 different polypropylene components, ranging from ice trays to vegetable baskets and shelf units.
"We believe this is one of the first times that high gloss polypropylene has been systematically used in visible parts for refrigerator applications," commented G. Y. Ha, technology support manager for PolyMirae.
The move to PP represents significant cost savings for Samsung, observed Mr Ha. "The lower resin costs compared with styrenic materials, such as ABS and HIPS, PP's low density means that manufacturers can get up to 14% more components per kilo of resin compared with competing materials," he explained.
"The manufacturing process is also simplified because polypropylene resins do not require pre-dying," he added.
The shift to polypropylene is part of Samsung's strategic drive to increase the competitiveness of their white goods products. The specification for the materials for Samsung's refrigerator applications was fairly stringent. "They were looking for high stiffness and impact resistance at low temperature, coupled with excellent gloss and scratch resistance. Colour matching was another requirement," stated Mr Ha.
Together with the Basell R&D group, PolyMirae has been able to develop a copolymer reactor grade meeting Samsung's specific request. "The resulting resin Moplen EP649N, produced in one of PolyMirae's Spheripol plants in Korea, was evaluated by Samsung and found to meet or exceed all of their requirements. The resin is fully compliant with both USA and EU food contact regulations," he stressed.
Samsung is continuing to explore the potential of new-generation polypropylene materials in its white-goods portfolio. "PolyMirae is also supplying Moplen EP649N that is being used by Samsung for the brush cover and panels of a vacuum cleaners for the US market, said Mr Ha. "Meanwhile, moulding trials for washing machine tops using the same grade have shown very promising results."
About PolyMirae
PolyMirae Company Ltd is a joint venture between Basell and Daelim and is a leading Asian manufacturer and marketer of polypropylene. It has four production lines using Spheripol technology located in Yeosu, Korea with an annual capacity of over 600kt. Working together with Basell's technology team in the development of its products, PolyMirae has a broad customer base across Asia, spanning from packaging and automotive to consumer goods and textiles.
About Basell
Basell is the global leader in polyolefins technology, production and marketing. It is the largest producer of polypropylene and advanced polyolefin products; a leading supplier of polyethylene and catalysts, and the industry leader in licensing polypropylene and polyethylene processes, including providing technical services for its proprietary technologies. Basell, together with its joint ventures, has manufacturing facilities in 19 countries and sells products in more than 120 countries.
