Star Thermoplastic Alloys & Rubbers Opens Fifth TPE Lab

STAR, a leading producer of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), has just opened its 5th laboratory in growth moves to provide more samples in more varied and larger quantities than ever before.

Broadview, IL (I-Newswire) October 29, 2012 - ALONG WITH EXPANSIONS/GROWTH, STAR OPENS NEW LAB, THEIR FIFTH

In moves to respond to increased customer demands, Star Thermoplastic Alloys & Rubbers, Inc. (STAR) has opened its 5th laboratory at its headquarters facilities in Broadview, IL. Other labs in the company’s complex are a chemicals lab, an instrumentation lab, a physical testing lab and a research lab.

Interestingly, STAR has given names of famous researchers to each of its laboratories: Wet chemistry lab = Bohr lab; Polymer Research and Characterization lab = Rutherford; Physical testing lab = Einstein lab; Sample production lab = Baekeland lab; and the new Process Development and Sample Production lab = Steinmetz lab. The new purpose-built laboratory, in an expansive 100’ X 80’ area, was purpose-built with four extruders ranging in size from 60 to 500 lbs/hour to provide samples in more varied and larger quantities than ever before.

Over the past year, STAR has announced a 50% increase in sales over the previous year, the addition of a 4th lab before this one, a sizeable increase in square footage to its sales and service office space (total square footage now exceeds 47,000 square feet), and the addition of several dozen new employees in production, sales and service.

According to Dr. Prakash Sanjeevaiah, Ph.D., Research and Development Manager at STAR, “The addition of this new lab gives us and those customers we serve a greater capability for providing more samples and in larger quantities. With 5 labs, we now offer more process understanding and have tighter process control for new products than any other TPE producer. We are now offering as many as 200 extrusion grade samples, arguably the most in the industry.”

The company R & D spokesman notes that the 5 labs enable STAR chemists and technicians to determine the polymer systems in both product development and process control for any given customer application in fewer trials which substantially reduces typical ways to achieve optimum formulations by trial and error.

STAR, founded in 1993, is a leading provider of thermoplastic elastomers with many production lines to fill both large and small orders, a full-service rheological and analytical instrumentation laboratory and trained sales and technical support personnel across the continent.

Company products are sold under the trade names StarBond, StarClear, StarFlex, StarGrip-X, StarLexar, StarMed, StarPet, StarTuff, and StarXtrude. With its rheological and analytical instrumentation laboratories, STAR has the ability to duplicate any existing TPE or TPV with improved formulations and offer them at better prices.

For more information on the TPEs and services available from STAR, contact: Star Thermoplastic Alloys & Rubbers, Inc., 2121 West 21st Street, Broadview, IL 60155. Tel: 708-343-1100. Fax: 708-343-1110. Web: www.starthermoplastics.com. Email: sales@starthermoplastics.com.