Mitsui Chemicals’ joint venture Prime Polymer, owned 65 per cent by Mitsui Chemicals and 35 per cent by Idemitsu Kosan, is setting up new production facilities for its Mostron-L glass fibre reinforced polypropylene (GFPP). The 3,500 tonnes per year facility will be located in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture. Operations are expected to commence in September 2019.
Mostron -L is a Prime Polymer-developed composite material made by melting and mixing polypropylene (PP) resin with long glass fibres. Beyond a low specific gravity that allows the material to be used for lightweighting, it also offers an attractive appearance with long glass fibres providing a good balance between hardness and impact resistance. The product is already being adopted in areas such as the unpainted insides of rear car doors.Mitsui Chemicals' joint venture Prime Polymer, owned 65 per cent by Mitsui Chemicals and 35 per cent by Idemitsu Kosan, is setting up new production facilities for its Mostron-L glass fibre reinforced polypropylene (GFPP). The 3,500 tonnes per year facility will be located in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture. Operations are expected to commence in September 2019.#
The recent strengthening of environmental regulations and shift toward electric vehicles have led to increasing needs for automotive lightweighting and electrification. As a result, demand is on the rise for fibre-reinforced resins and is expected to grow further for such materials able to substitute for metal. These conditions have driven Mitsui Chemicals Group to establish its own manufacturing technology in this realm and work toward mass production.
Prime Polymer is positioning Mostron -L as a strategic product going forward and is working to further reinforce and expand its business for the product. (SV)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India