Continuing demand for superior low-iron glass products in both the premium commercial and residential markets is being met with an innovative collaboration between Eastman and Guardian Glass. Eastman and Guardian are jointly announcing Eastman’s new Saflex Crystal Clear PVB interlayer, which is designed to produce one of the most color neutral, brilliant laminated low-iron glass products available today: Guardian UltraClear LamiGlass Neutral.
“Until now, laminating low-iron glass was challenging because traditional interlayers tend to reduce the neutral, transparent properties of low-iron glass,” says Priya Kalsi, segment market manager with Eastman. “Our new Saflex Crystal Clear interlayer dramatically enhances the aesthetic appearance of Guardian UltraClear low-iron glass when laminated, offering exceptional crisp neutrality and beauty, providing aesthetics that are very similar to monolithic Guardian UltraClear glass. All the traditional benefits of laminated glass remain unchanged, including safety, security and acoustic control. Saflex Crystal Clear PVB interlayer remains virtually undetectable at any visible angle in any light.”
“This collaboration with Eastman answered a key concern for both companies’ customers in search for an endless need for neutrality and transparency,” says Eric Lassalle, product manager Laminated Glass at Guardian Glass. “Our joint cooperation enabled us to deliver a greatly improved aesthetic appearance when Guardian UltraClear glass is laminated with Saflex Crystal Clear PVB interlayer. Crystal Clear PVB can also be used with various combinations of coatings and surface treatments on Guardian UltraClear glass, making it ideal for a targeted range of high-performance solutions.”
Applications
Guardian UltraClear LamiGlass Neutral can be used in a wide range of applications where brilliant neutrality, high transparency and safety are required. These include:
Interior: Interior Doors / Partitions / Balustrades / Stairs and Railings / Furniture /Retail Shelving / Display Cases / Museum Glazing
Exterior: Cladding / Curtain Walls / Facades / Windows / Skylights / Exterior Doors / Storefront and Shop Windows
saflex.com/crystalclear /guardianglass.com/ultraclear / www.guardian.com / guardianglass.com / www.eastman.com

• GE and IEDC agree to co-invest in R&D with a focus on additive manufacturing, factory automation, advanced software development and manufacturing readiness
• Partnership focused on identifying additive innovation opportunities, both adoption and technology development, within Indiana supply chains
• Establishment of Emerging Manufacturing Collaboration Center (EMC2)
• Industry day focused on Binder Jet R&D is planned for December 8

GE Additive and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), the state of Indiana’s lead economic development agency, today announced the formation of a metal Binder Jet public-private partnership, as part of a broader effort to further position Indiana’s manufacturing sector for long-term growth.
Collaborative Approach to Innovation
“We’re excited by the opportunity presented to us by IEDC,” said GE Additive Chief Technology Officer Christine Furstoss. “Binder Jet is one of the most dynamic areas within additive manufacturing today, and one that the automotive and mobility industry in particular is watching closely.”
“Given Indiana’s strong automotive manufacturing focus, we have high hopes that this partnership will tap into its abundant seam of innovation and spark new forward-thinking applications – especially in field of automation and software development,” she added.
Indiana is a leader in manufacturing, with 8,500 manufacturing facilities and the highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the nation. With more than 500 automotive suppliers and five original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies, Indiana supports the second largest automotive sector by GDP in the U.S., producing more than 1.3 million cars and light trucks annually.
Building a Broad, Flexible, Factory Ecosystem
GE Additive’s Binder Jet beta partner program continues to gain momentum. Six global technology and automotive sector players are already partnering with GE Additive teams in Cincinnati to commercialize its Binder Jet technology.
“Collaboration with industry sits at the very core of our strategy,” said GE Additive Innovation Leader Josh Mook. “We deliberately set out to identify a select group of strategic partners that could help us develop a real-world solution. It’s critically important that when we bring our solution to market next year it can deliver value from day one.”
“Our beta partnership program is already paying dividends in many ways. Now, we’re now looking to extend that industry collaboration. Through the R&D partnership with IEDC we will create a test bed to work with partners, customers, startups, and SMEs in Indiana and further afield to develop additive-centric innovation and real-world solutions,” adds Mook.
The IEDC board of directors recently approved $3 million under its Economic Activity Stabilization and Enhancement initiative to establish the new Emerging Manufacturing Collaboration Center (EMC2). This facility will provide a physical space where state-of-the-art equipment will be available to new and existing Indiana manufacturers to train employees, perform contract manufacturing and raise awareness of new products and software.
A vacant building in the thriving 16 Tech Innovation District has been identified and will be refurbished to house EMC2 – an Emerging Manufacturing Collaboration Center – and a mix of other commercial tenants by summer 2021. EMC2 will allow new and existing manufacturers to utilize state-of-the-art equipment, including GE Additive’s Binder Jet technology, to train employees, conduct third-party pilot manufacturing and increase awareness of products and software applications.
16 Tech is a 50-acre live-work-innovate community focused on bringing together entrepreneurs, academics, startups, corporations and creatives in a single place to spark the exchange of ideas that leads to innovation.
Working closely with the IEDC to invest in Binder Jet and software technology, as well as driving innovation in key industry supply chains, GE Additive will make use of the new EMC2 as a physical focal point for the initiative.
“With our Binder Jet solution we have created a highly capable, expandable system,” said Mook. “We will use this partnership with the IEDC to build a broad, flexible, factory ecosystem to cover powder to part, including the recycling chain. Our system is able to support the wide range of companies that we will participate in the ecosystem and we have designed it to be easily plugged into.”
Driving Economic Benefit
“Every day, Indiana manufacturers are developing safe, reliable and innovative products that help power the world,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger. “As new trends and technologies change the state of today’s manufacturing industry, Indiana is focused on partnering with forward-thinking organizations like GE Additive and advancing strategic initiatives to propel long-term growth in manufacturing and equip Hoosiers with the industry-focused skills and training needed for the future.”
GE Additive and IEDC will arrange a virtual industry day on December 8 to kick-off the initiative, and to elaborate on potential projects that ensure broad technology and economic benefit to Indiana and wider U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.
Participants will also hear from Binder Jet experts, see latest demos of GE Additive’s Binder Jet technology and participate in technical workshops with GE Additive’s team of experts and external sector specialists.
Details will be made available shortly, including requests for proposals and funding opportunities. Eligible delegates will include companies of all sizes, software developers, manufacturing equipment developers, as well as end-users.
www.ge.com/additive / http://geadditive

GE Additive has announced that Sandvik Additive Manufacturing has become a strategic partner in its Binder Jet beta partner program. Sandvik has one of the widest alloy program for additive manufacturing on the market, marketed under the Osprey brand.
Sandvik will work closely with GE Additive to become a certified powder supplier for a range of Osprey alloys that complement GE Additive and AP&C’s own materials portfolio – and will also use GE Additive’s H2 Binder Jet beta machine to support its internal and external customers.
GE Additive’s Binder Jet beta partner program leverages the company’s strength in industrializing additive technology with strong technical and innovative partners to rapidly grow its Binder Jet technology. The first phase involves developing the beta H2 system into pilot lines, and eventually into a commercially available factory solution in 2021.
“Our approach to Binder Jet is making additive mass production a reality in every industry. And while it would be relatively easier to launch individual machines, we continue to hear from customers, especially in the automotive industry, that they need a complete solution that can scale.” said Jacob Brunsberg, Binder Jet product line leader, GE Additive.
“Attracting partners like Sandvik – with know-how in industrializing innovation, deep materials knowledge, and a shared vision for the potential for additive technology – remains a cornerstone of our Binder Jet commercialization strategy,” he added.
“Sandvik is a leading expert in gas-atomized additive manufacturing powders, as well as in optimizing the materials to customers’ specific print processes and applications,” said Kristian Egeberg, President of Sandvik Additive Manufacturing. “The materials collaboration with GE Additive offers great opportunities to qualify our wide range of Osprey metal powders for their new Binder Jet platform, to enhance end customer productivity and product performance.”
Sandvik brings the program over 150 years of leading expertise in materials technology, more than 40 years’ experience of powder atomization, leading know-how in post processing methods such as metal cutting, sintering and heat treatment, and extensive expertise across the entire additive technology value chain – from metal powder to finished additive components.
In 2019, Sandvik acquired a significant stake in BEAMIT, a leading European-based AM service bureau, and in 2020 the BEAMIT Group acquired 100% of ZARE, bringing together two leading AM service bureaus in Europe – to create one of the largest independent AM service providers, serving the most demanding industries.
www.ge.com/additive / www.metalpowder.sandvik / www.additive.sandvik

SABIC confirms that the establishment of its Specialties strategic business unit (SBU), as a separate, stand-alone business, which will remain owned by it, is on track. While it continues to monitor the business impacts of COVID-19, at this time, it anticipates that the timing of the “go-live” for the stand-alone operations of the group of companies embedding its SBU will be November 1, 2020.
The establishment of the stand-alone model for the Specialties SBU will bring additional value to its customers who depend on the Specialties business for its innovation expertise and highly differentiated ULTEM and NORYL resins, LNP compounds and copolymers.
The process of establishing the corporate, financial, commercial and business structure of the stand-alone organization has progressed successfully. The Specialties business has been working closely with its customers, distributors and suppliers with the strong commitment to ensure business continuity for all parties during the transition.
Ernesto Occhiello, Executive Vice President Specialties, said: “We are pleased the establishment of the Specialties business unit, as a stand-alone corporate group of companies within SABIC, is progressing as planned. The task we have as a business is to continue to strengthen our market position and bring added value to our customers. We will continue to work closely with them to address their most – and often one-of-a-kind – challenges by offering a unique portfolio of high-end products, technologies and solutions.“
Moreover, in advance of the go-live, the Specialties business has undertaken a global reorganization to align required staffing with the strategic focus of the transformed business. This endeavour has been effective in bringing no impact to customers, while successfully retaining company’s talent within SABIC and limiting the instances of redundancies.
SABIC’s Specialties business has deployed new fulfilment strategies to ensure the best support of its broad customer base. The business is focusing its resources and efforts on specification and is working closely with its customers and distribution partners. The anticipated capacity expansions for the NORYL and ULTEM products are progressing while the company is adhering to strict safety precautions for its employees in light of the global pandemic. The expansions are expected to be operational in 2021 in the Netherlands and 2022 in Singapore, benefiting a growing customer demand with strategically positioned supply and shorter lead times.
The decision to establish the Specialties business as a stand-alone group of companies precedes the acquisition of a 70% stake in SABIC from the Public Investment Fund (PIF) by Saudi Aramco and it is unrelated to it. SABIC remains a listed company on the Saudi Stock Exchange, with its board of directors representing the interests of all shareholders and continuing to exercise its own robust governance practices.
www.sabic.com

• Group-wide pension funding status improves to around 60 percent
• Safeguarding company pension scheme

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS is increasing its German pension plan assets by EUR 100 million. The pension provisions, which amounted to EUR 1.135 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2020, are reduced accordingly. The Group-wide funding status of pension obligations improves from around 56 percent to around 60 percent with this transaction.
“We are again adding to our pension assets in order to further safeguard our company pension scheme. Future-proof pensions for our employees are of great importance to us,” said Michael Pontzen, Chief Financial Officer.
www.lanxess.in