Jun 7 2011
After acquiring in 2009 Oxford Performance Materials, an American company specializing in PEKK (polyether ketone ketone), Arkema has decided to concentrate its development efforts on the PEKK industrial business and to sell its PEKK medical business.
PEKK ultra high performance polymers address two distinct major markets: materials used particularly in the aerospace and oil and gas industries, and medical implants. With its extensive expertise in technical polymers (polyamides, PMMA, PVDF), Arkema has decided to promote the development of its PEKK industrial business, and to sell its PEKK medical business to the original founders of Oxford Performance Materials.
On the basis of its long-standing interest in polymers that offer outstanding technical differentiation, Arkema will concentrate its development efforts on the key application sectors of aerospace and down-hole equipment for the oil and gas industries. "Thanks to their exceptional thermal and mechanical properties, we foresee strong developments at mid-term in civil and military aerospace applications as well as in oil and gas applications. Both sectors have a constant requirement for lighter and stronger materials, and PEKK uniquely serves that need" explains Richard Audry, Business Director for PEKK.
PEKKs feature exceptional characteristics, in particular high-temperature and chemical resistance, very good mechanical properties, excellent abrasion resistance, and natural flame retardancy.
The full integration of polyether ketone ketone products within Arkema's already diverse portfolio complements a set of high-performance materials that include Kynar fluorinated polymers, Altuglas PMMA, Rilsan polyamides, Pebax thermoplastic elastomers, as well as Nanostrength and Graphistrength nanostructured materials.