New compounds for thinner TV enclosures

As a result of the trend towards thinner, trendier TVs, moulders and OEMs are faced with an increased demand for thinner TV enclosures with better aesthetics at lower cost. This requirement has been met by Styron when it announced the commercial availability of three innovative compounds that can help moulders and OEMs meet these challenges.

The first compound, XZ 92696.00 is a high flow PC/ABS compound for applications involving high heat treatment. High heat resistant products for TV enclosures traditionally came with compromises in terms of flow, making them less suitable for moulders wanting to produce the thin TV housings demanded by today's consumers. With XZ 92696.00, Styron was able to come up with an innovative solution that overcomes the classic compromise between heat and flow.

The PC/ABS compound has a market-leading HDT (Heat Distortion Temperature) value of 94～C at 1.82 MPa, making it an ideal solution for thinner TVs with high heat requirements such as Matrix-lit LED TVs. In addition to this high HDT value, XZ 92696.00 offers a high flow with good mechanical properties. This unique combination makes XZ 92696.00 an excellent choice in creating thinner TV enclosures for some of the most innovative TV applications. XZ 92696.00 is UL listed according to UL94 V1 at 1.5mm.

Cost effective options for TV front and back covers

Another compound, XZ 92699.01 is a high flow compound based on PC/ABS intended for thinner TV back covers. Moulders and OEMs are faced with the challenge to come up with thinner back covers as well and this requires high flow products which XZ 92699.01 is able to meet. The compound is based on PC/ ABS with a spiral flow value comparable to that of ignition-resistant polystyrene. Styron's new compound combines high flow with high stiffness, making it a great option for moulders wanting to produce thinner TV back covers.

Styron's innovative XZ 92699.01 compound offers moulders new opportunities to create more cost efficient TV back covers compared to traditional PC/ABS compounds because it was specifically developed to be more cost competitive than traditional PC/ABS compounds; its high flow al lows the compound to be injected at lower temperatures of 245～C instead of 260～C, leading to shorter cycle times and increased efficiency; and as moulders can inject XZ 92699.01 at lower temperatures, they could save on energy consumption during the molding process.

In an addition to processing advantages, the compound also provides moulders and OEMs with the additional design freedom needed to create thinner TVs with fashionable designs. XZ 92699.01 allows moulders to better replicate the embossing of molds on TV back covers, allowing additional design options and increased aesthetics for TV back covers. XZ 92699.01 is UL listed according to UL94 V0 at 2mm for black formulations.

XZ 94291.01 a high flow, high transparency PC compound is ideal for thinner TV front covers. This transparent PC compound with high flow allows moulders to fill thinner TV front covers. Using XZ 94291.01 results in fewer weld lines, making it particularly suitable for the 'back-paint' process, where paint is applied to the back of a PC front cover.

"The trend for thinner, trendier TVs brings new requirements for TV enclosures, and we believe Styron's renewed product portfolio is perfectly adapted to meet those requirements," says Mr. Tsuyoshi Okii, Global Market Manager Consumer Electronics at Styron.