NEW PRODUCTS

By Staff -- Purchasing, 12/8/2000

New plastic offers optical, barrier properties

Look for a big push of an innovative polymer from Ticona, a business unit of Celanese. Called Topas, the cyclic olefin copolymer is now being produced in a 30,000 metric tons/yr plant in Germany. Previously the product was toll manufactured in Japan. Cycloolefin copolymers are a new class of materials that are polymerized from ethylene and norbornene.

They are said to offer new combinations of properties such as optical clarity, excellent dielectric properties, biocompatability, high moisture barrier and good heat resistance. The property profile can be tailored by varying the ratio of the monomers.

Target applications include pharmaceutical primary packaging such as blister packs and prefillable syringes, optical parts such as lenses and optical discs, diagnostic articles, capacitor/ packaging films and toner binders for printers and copiers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration made effective the Food Contact Substance Notification for use of Topas in contact with all food types.

The product currently is available only direct from Ticona. Next year it will be sold through major distributors. Pricing ranges from $2.60/lb for truckload quantities to $5/lb for bags. A major price point is 1,102 pounds, or gaylord quantities. www.ticona.com

Industrial hose is a click away

iHOZs.com is ready to serve all hose buyers directly via the Web. Whether the hose is plastic or rubber, fabric or wire reinforced, a full selection is available from the iHOZs.com Web site. You can order 24/7/365 for shipment within 24 hours. Warehouses are located in the U.S. and Europe for fast delivery. Usually delivery can be made in two working days or less. Technical specifications can be downloaded and personal telephone support is provided. See a full variety of hoses for all industrial applications and ground maintenance, pavement maintenance, vacuum, marine and woodworking applications. iHOZs.com

Electronic circuits in pressure transducers

PX624 Series pressure transducers from Omega combine the precision and stability of the photo-optical sensor with SMD electronic circuits. They provide accuracies of +0.05% of span or better, says Omega. Inclusion of a "getter" material in the evacuated reference chamber improves long-term stability for barometric and absolute ranges up to 30 psia. The material acts as a sponge to absorb stray gas molecules as they are released from the surface of the reference chamber. As a result, integrity of the vacuum reference over time is improved. www.omega.com

Gearmotor can be custom-fit for versatility

RAE Corp. offers a permanent magnet, brush-type, DC, parallel shaft gearmotor, which fits a variety of applications. According to RAE, the G209 series of gearmotors features long gear life, reduced noise, a dynamically balanced armature, high-energy ceramic magnets, externally replaceable brushes and class 'F' insulation. These motors are custom-fit for many applications, with a range of specifications, including gear ratios from 10:1 to 2,328:1, ratings up to 50 inch-pounds, 12 to 90 volts (DC), and speeds up to 350 rpm. Applications include office equipment, pumps, conveyors and small vehicles. www.raemotors.com

Coordinate measuring machines combine capabilities

Brown & Sharpe's global series coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) combine single-point probing and high-speed scanning capability. These CMMs can be equipped with a variety of sensors and software to perform a wide range of measurement and inspection tasks including first piece inspection, layout inspection, reverse engineering, tool set-up, process control and archiving. Touch trigger probes and analog probes can be exchanged to measure prismatic features or scan contours and free-form surfaces. The CMMs combine temperature and accuracy compensation systems, motion controllers and advanced algorithms to support high-speed, high-accuracy analog open- and closed-loop scanning applications. www.brownandsharpe.com