Solvay and RTP enter into agreement for PAI

Solvay Specialty Polymers and US-based compounder RTP Company have entered into a new licensing agreement that enables RTP to manufacture and sell its custom compounds based on Solvay’s ultra-high performance Torlon polyamide-imide (PAI) polymer.

The new business arrangement expands RTP’s capability to meet growing demand for Torlon PAI-based compounds. Available under the RTP 5000 label, the new offering from RTP will target applications that require high structural strength or excellent wear resistance, as well as the ability to perform reliably at high temperature, under load and in harsh chemical environments.

“This new agreement both expands and strengthens our broad and growing portfolio of custom compounds,” said Scott Koberna, global general manager of wear and friction materials for RTP. “Solvay’s advanced Torlon PAI technology will help us explore entirely new and unique solutions for customers in fast-growing markets, such as automotive, industrial, off-road vehicles, building and construction, defense and aerospace.”

Torlon PAI combines the performance of thermoset polyimides with the melt-processing advantage of thermoplastics to deliver strength and stiffness at temperatures up to 275°C. Wear-resistant grades offer unsurpassed performance at elevated pressures and velocities in both dry and lubricated environments. The RTP 5000 family of compounds will incorporate new and existing additive packages to further extend the performance range of Solvay’s PAI technology. Solvay will continue to manufacture and sell Torlon PAI compounds through its normal direct supply channels.