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Polyphenylene ether (PPE) resins are relatively nonpolar, amorphous resins
with low moisture absorption, good strength and high heat-resistance properties.
Practically all PPE is alloyed with high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) or nylon
to produce economical blends that compete for use with polycarbonate (PC),
polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and other engineering thermoplastics. In
2006, the estimated global production value of PPE alloys/blends was approximately
$1.4 billion.
The following graph shows consumption of polyphenylene ether resins/alloys
by major end use:
The major supplier of PPE resin and alloys is GE Plastics, which is the only
producer in North America and Europe. GE Plastics’ product is a homopolymer
of phenylene ether trademarked PPO®. The PPE/HIPS alloys are trademarked
Noryl® and the PPE/nylon alloys are Noryl GTX. GE Plastics also operates
compounding operations in Japan, China, Republic of Korea and Thailand where
it produces PPE alloys by blending imported PPE with HIPS or nylon. In May
2007, General Electric Company announced plans to sell GE Plastics’ engineering
thermoplastics business ($6.7 billion in annual sales) to Saudi Basic Industries
Corporation (SABIC). The main portion of the business is polycarbonate, which
accounts for 60% of total unit sales; PPE alloy sales probably account for
approximately 15% of sales.
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