Lexan SLX

GE Plastics, a subsidiary of General Electric (GE), has developed a technology that by 2006 could make it unnecessary for carmakers to paint vehicles. It costs around 300 million to build paint lines and they take up about half of a car plant s floor space. GE s Lexan SLX product promises to eliminate the expense and the space requirements. 

By using this concept, resorcinol poly(ester carbonate)s were developed and introduced under the trade name Lexan SLX grades. The block copolymers of Iso- and Terephthalate esters of iJesorcinol (ITR) and BPA polycarbonate can be prepared by melt, solution, or interfacial reactions [191], The properties of these resins are controlled by adjusting the percentage of resorcinol phthalate to BPA carbonate (Fig. 14.18). 

P. D. Sybert, S. Kiel, D. Rosendale, J. Di, and D. Shen, Weatherability and Physical Properties of Opaque Injection Moldable Lexan SLX Resins, SPE ANTEC, 2523 (2005). 

BPA-PC copolymers are often copolyester carbonates that include ester linkages mixed into the carbonate linkages. The monomers are added to achieve specific effects, such as UV resistance for the Lexan [79] SLX grades, or higher heat resistance as in the case of Lexan PPC 4701R or Makrolon [80] APEC 1805 materials. 

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