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Victrex Announces New APTIV™ Film Lamination Capability

To further enhance its position as the leading manufacturer of PEEK-based films, Victrex has installed a new high temperature vacuum laminating press system at its manufacturing facility in the Lancashire, United Kingdom. With this addition, Victrex now has the capability of bonding its APTIV™ film, produced from VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer, to a wide range of other substrates without the use of adhesives.

The press system operates at temperatures up to 400°C (752°F), which allows the APTIV film to be joined to other substrates in the melt phase. Using the system's unique high temperature capability Victrex can melt APTIV film which is thermoplastic in nature in a very controlled manner intimately bonding it to other substrates including metals, fabrics, itself and other polymer films.

Additionally, the system can operate under vacuum preventing any entrapment of air bubbles and voids in the laminates. The system features sophisticated controls including programmable cycles of temperature, press force and vacuum by time or other parameters, as well as highly accurate platen pressure control – allowing a wide range of low to high pressure profiles as demanded by the application. Laminate sizes up to 500mm x 600mm are possible.

Benefits of Victrex' Vacuum Lamination Capability:

• Optimization of laminate structure leveraging inherent properties of APTIV film in combination with other materials
• Press system operating temperatures allow for substrate bonding without the use of adhesives
• More efficient validation and development process
• Sophisticated processing controls; temperature, press force, vacuum, and platen pressure control

"This new capability will allow customers to develop applications combining the inherent properties of APTIV film with other materials such as metal foils or non-woven fabrics and meshes to produce laminate materials with exceptional combinations of properties," said John Getz, Global Commercial Leader - APTIV Films. "The addition of lamination capability will allow us to support the validation and development process more quickly and efficiently as opposed to having the customer find an outside laminator who may not have the capability or capacity to support the development effort. We can help develop and optimize the laminate structure and lamination process by combining APTIV film with other materials. After this development work is complete the customer can then pass this information along to his production laminator. Victrex also expects to directly support production laminators who are looking to develop new APTIV film-based laminate structures. We encourage customers to contact us if they have interest in our lamination resources so we can mutually assess these opportunities," Getz concluded.

APTIV film is produced from VICTREX PEEK polymer, which is widely regarded as one of the highest performing thermoplastics in the world, and provides all of the polymer's properties including: high temperature performance, excellent chemical, wear and hydrolysis resistance, superior mechanical properties, excellent barrier (permeation) and electrical properties, exceptional radiation resistance, high purity, low toxicity of combustion gases, etc., in a flexible, thin format.

For more information about APTIV film visit www.aptivfilms.com.

To obtain more information from a Victrex Sales Person:

Americas Sales or Technical Information:
800-VICTREX
484.342.6001
globalspecus@victrex.com

Global Sales and Technical Information:
+ (44) 1253 897700
globalspec@victrex.com

Regional Offices
Europe: globalspeceu@victrex.com
Asia Pacific: globalspecap@victrex.com
Japan: globalspecjp@victrex.com

To access the VICTREX PEEK literature or request a sample, visit the website at www.victrex.com.

Would you like to learn more now, or acquire data specifications for VICTREX PEEK, VICOTE Coatings or APTIV films? Contact one of our technical experts at Ask the Expert for more information.

VICTREX^® is a registered trademark of Victrex Manufacturing Limited in the US, European Community and elsewhere.

PEEK™, APTIV™, PEEK-ESD™, T-Series™, PEEK-HT™ and ST™ are trademarks of Victrex plc.

VICOTE^® is a registered trademark of Victrex plc in the US, European Community and elsewhere.