Huntsman Polyurethanes at SIMAC 2001

The following announcements were made at SIMAC 2001, on May 8-11 at Bologna, Italy.

AVALON® DUO: DESIGN, DURABILITY AND COMFORT FOR UNIT SOLES

AVALON Duo, the new soling concept from Huntsman Polyurethanes, which offers the advantages of design, durability and comfort, has now been tailored for the production of quality unit soles. It is being presented on the Desma stand at this year's SIMAC.

This premium composite soling material combines the outstanding wear and flex properties of a soft TPU for the outsole with the comfort and lightness of polyurethane for the midsole. It also provides greater cost efficiency as a result of the one-stage production process through casting or injection and achieves perfect bonding between the two layers and the upper.

AVALON Duo offers a range of benefits, including perfect surface definition, matt finish, shiny and glossy end effects, a wide colour range, slip and abrasion resistance, shock absorption, cold flex properties and thermal insulation. This cutting-edge footwear technology creates original, exciting applications allowing businesses to penetrate new high quality markets for casuals, trekking and safety footwear.

Stéphane Peysson, European marketing manager footwear, Huntsman Polyurethanes says: "The success of our business is built on supporting customers in expanding their business opportunities through innovative, flexible footwear solutions. AVALON Duo presents the benefits of two materials in one soling concept offering a new option for footwear producers to manufacture top end products."

AVALON® and AVALON DUO are registered trademarks of Huntsman International LLC. The marks are registered in one or more countries, but may not be registered in all countries.

QUALITY POLYURETHANE UNIT SOLES WITH STYLE

A new generation polyether-based prepolymer technology, which offers easy, more robust processing and excellent surface definition for stylish, quality unit and direct-on soles for men, women's and children's shoes, is being introduced by Huntsman Polyurethanes.

SUPRASEC® 2444 is the result of ongoing research and development trials at the company's Footwear Development Centre in Everberg, Belgium. SUPRASEC 2444 has been developed to meet the demands from footwear producers for increased processing benefits on standard casting or direct-on machinery, including easier handling, greater control and consistency and fewer air bubbles and colour lines. The soles have a smooth finish, a soft feel and can be easily painted. In addition, the technology is CFC- and HCFC-free.

The new polyether system also provides outstanding abrasion resistance and an improved flex life performance, especially at cold temperatures. These features make this material of special interest for northern and east European countries.

Nick Limerkens, European footwear development manager, says: "We are continually developing our technology to meet new customer requirements for lighter quality shoes, with the performance benefits of high flex life and good abrasion resistance. This new product will enable our customers to stay one step ahead by meeting the changing demands in the casuals and children's markets."

SUPRASEC® 2904 IMPROVES FLEX PERFORMANCE OF PU UNIT SOLES

SUPRASEC 2904 from Huntsman Polyurethanes is a new footwear specific PU system for low density, high hardness unit soles. It provides a 20 per cent improvement in flex performance against standard products.

The new formulation provides easy and fast demoulding on all commonly used casting machines. It has high flex performance, abrasion and slip resistance as well as good surface definition. The finished soles have a soft feel and can be easily painted. The combination of fast processing to ensure outstanding productivity and high flex properties ensures SUPRASEC 2904 meets the requirements for the production of light casual and leisure shoes.

André Goyens, european commercial manager footwear, Huntsman Polyurethanes comments: "This is an important development for the low density high hardness unit sole market which is permanently looking for higher quality and productivity. In this very competitive market, each quality gain allows producers to attain new market share."

SUPRASEC 2904 will be demonstrated in the MainGroup pavilion at Simac.

Editors' Notes

Huntsman Corporation is the world's largest privately held chemical company. Its operating companies manufacture basic products for a variety of global industries including chemicals, plastics, automotive, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, high-tech, agriculture, health care, textiles, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging. Originally known for pioneering innovations in packaging, and later, rapid and integrated growth in petrochemicals, Huntsman-held companies today have revenues of approximately $8.5 billion, more than 15,000 employees and facilities in 44 countries.

SUPRASEC® is a registered trademark of Huntsman International LLC. The mark is registered in one or more countries, but may not be registered in all countries.