BASF and Toyota Motors mark the 10th anniversary of in-house production of the plastic air intake manifold (PAIM). This component, made from BASF’s Ultramid – a glass-fiber reinforced polyamide – has become the “material of choice” in countless automobiles.

14-Aug-08

Since beginning of August 2008, which is when the European Union’s GMP regulations for materials that come into contact with food products have gone into effect, BASF will be offering several new grades in its range of Engineering Plastics in Europe specifically for food contact. These are PA 6.6 grades - like e.g. Ultramid® A3K FC (un-reinforced) and Ultramid A3EG6 FC - and compounded PBT grades, two of which are the un-reinforced Ultradur® B4520 FC and the glass-fiber reinforced Ultradur B4300 G6 FC.

11-Aug-08

BMW has recently started using crash-active headrests whose kinematic skeleton is made primarily of BASF engineering plastics. The plastic framework is manufactured by ITW, Germany and the headrest is subsequently assembled at the Grammer com­pany in the Bavarian town of Amberg. In this process, BASF provided ITW not only with the materials, namely, Ultradur® B4300 G6 (PBT), Ultramid® B3EG3 (PA6), Ultramid A3K (PA 66) and Elastollan® (TPU), but also with CAE-calcula­tions and head-impact tests.

27-May-08

High heels made of Terblend® N, BASF?s ABS/PA blend, are now available on the Chinese market and ensure that spike heels that are up to 10 centimeters tall can withstand extreme conditions. This plastic stands out for its excellent impact resistance even at freezing temperatures. In comparison to high heels made of standard styrene plastics, those made of Terblend N display consid­erably better mechanical properties.

19-May-08