PolySource, Independence, Missouri, a distributor of engineered resins solutions, has announced an expansion to their polyketone (POK) product line. The company saw the opportunity to build out this resin product line to provide added product replacement opportunities as the ongoing resin shortages continue.
Aliphatic polyketone is a family of high-performance thermoplastic polymers that can provide a material alternative for resins that are in short supply.
Dr. Cliff Watkins, director of applications development at PolySource, said the company calls POK “polyethylene on steroids” because POK boasts exceptional resistance to chemicals and acids and can handle a broad range of temperatures and humidity.
With weather issues, COVID-19 related shutdowns, short staffing and the demand for several engineered resin materials exceeding the supply available right now, PolySource knew this was the right time to expand the POK line. The expansion includes impact-modified and glass-filled resin options.
Grant John, president and CEO at PolySource, said the current conditions have introduced several challenges to the plastics industry, and PolySource does not expect things to be back on track within the year. These challenges make it necessary to pivot from traditions and find more innovative solutions, and POK is far from a “last resort” material. PolySource could even see a trend in consumers favoring polyketone for years to come.
After years of successfully implementing innovative solutions with POK as a material replacement, PolySource saw the potential to expand to provide custom compounding solutions.
Watkins said PolySource has a history of replacing materials with POK, and lately, the company has been running many trials with POK with impressive findings. The company’s team has developed some brand-new high-impact POK grades to even help with very tough supply issues. PolySource put POK replacements to the test, and all six examples (PA6, PA6 IM, POM IM, PA66, PA612 IM, POM) were successful.
The additions to PolySource’s polyketone family are immediately available.
For more information, visit www.polysource.net.
