1. business and industrial
2. chemicals industry
3. plastics and polymers

PRESS RELEASE
Hamburg, Germany – April 14, 2015
SABIC Features Solutions and Services to Address
Trends of Weight-out and Differentiation by Design at
Aircraft Interiors EXPO
As airlines seek every opportunity to reduce weight, differentiate their brands, minimize costs and enhance their
customers’ flying experiences, they need versatile materials, creative design options and global support from
suppliers who understand the desired outcomes.
At Aircraft Interiors Expo Hamburg, Hall 7, booth # 7B70, SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business is showcasing a
number of new and inspiring offerings that are helping aircraft customers meet regulatory requirements and
OEM standards, enhance safety and sustainability, and optimize the passenger experience. These include a
range of high performance engineering thermoplastics in a number of forms – resin, sheet, film, foam and fiber –
that are compatible with a range of processing techniques such as injection molding, thermoforming, and
additive and composite manufacturing.
Beyond material solutions that are lightweight and compliant, SABIC is highlighting two services that can help its
customers achieve their commercial objectives: the company’s global application development resource, which
helps customers design parts and systems with an eye toward weight-out and cost-savings; and customized
color and aesthetic services, including color management throughout a customer’s global supply chain.
“Our customers have told us that they are interested in a total solution that goes beyond providing a material,”
Kim Choate, Market Director, Mass Transportation for SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business, said. “Historically,
this has been our approach – to look at each customer’s need, and bring our years of global experience –
including solutions that have worked for other industries – to the table.”
THE CRYSTAL CABIN AWARD® 2015 FINALIST - SABIC’s CLEAR LEXAN™ XHR SHEET!
Aircraft interior designers are often restricted by the clarity and compliance limitations of the transparent
materials currently available to them. SABIC’s booth will feature important expansions of its industry-leading
LEXAN™ sheet portfolio, CLEAR LEXAN XHR2000 sheet, available in uncoated and one- or two-side coated
options. These materials have been named a Crystal Cabin Award Finalist in the category of Materials &
Components. Uncoated, CLEAR LEXAN XHR2000 offers 80% light transmission – the highest level of light
transmission available in an OSU-compliant sheet material today which meets OSU 65/65 heat release and
typical industry flame, smoke, toxicity (FST) requirements (FAR25.853, BSS7239, ABD0031). Robust vertical
burn performance is possible with the use of a post-secondary process, such as a functional coating or
laminated film, which adds further design flexibility, chemical resistance and scratch resistance properties.
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By contrast, CLEAR LEXAN XHR2HC1 and LEXAN XHR2HC2 sheets are one- or two-sided hard coated sheet
options that – because of their coating – meet the industry’s robust 60 second vertical burn performance,
smoke density OSU 65/65 heat release standards, and OEM toxicity requirements.
In addition, SABIC will be highlighting a range of innovative customer solutions using its materials. Among them
are:
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A seatback made from SABIC’s LEXAN LIGHT F6L306 sheet. With a specific gravity of 0.85 g/cm3, this
product is the lightest thermoplastic sheet option available today, up to 40% lighter than PVC/PMMA sheet
products. The material complies with typical industry FST and Boeing/Airbus toxicity requirements and is
thermoformable into complex 3D-shaped parts with very thin walls, down to 0.6mm.
•
A 3D printed economy class seat prototype using filament made from SABIC’s ULTEM™ 9085 resin. To
inspire seating tiers to take a fresh look at seat design and fabrication, SABIC licensed the Studio Gavari design
for a sleek and ergonomically advanced seat. The seat was printed by Stratasys, using SABIC’s ULTEM 9085
resin. ULTEM 9085 resin is highly compatible with 3D printing and is FAR 25.853 and OEM toxicity compliant
and offers low moisture absorption and design flexibility. Use of 3D printing enabled the rapid prototyping of the
Studio Gavari design, resulting in a seat with less than 15 components.
•
A range of wicking, cushioning and acoustical materials, made with ULTEM fibers, selected for its low
moisture absorption, high heat tolerances and compliance with industry and OEM standards, sound absorption,
lightweight and recyclability.
•
A lighting profile, fabricated from LEXAN™ CFR5630 resin, will be on display. Selected for its UV
stabilized, next generation chlorine- and bromine-free thin wall flame retardant technology, this material is now
offered in transparent grades and a range of colors, along with five diffusion effects. It is FAR 25.853 compliant
(smoke Ds<200 and flame VB<60 sec.) and also OEM toxicity compliant. As such, it is a candidate for lighting
profiles and lens covers. The new polycarbonate (PC) copolymers give customers the ability to mold or extrude
parts with very thin walls (down to 1.5mm) while complying with leading flame, smoke and toxicity (FST)
standards such as 60 sec vertical burn (1.5, 2 & 3mm), smoke density (ds, max @ 2 & 3mm) with halogen-free
flame retardant technology to support sustainability. Each lot of the product comes with a FAR pre-certification
on burning behavior.
•
LEXAN CFR5630 resin is a PC copolymer and available in transparent and opaque colors. It is a
material of choice for lenses, extruded light profiles and seating components.
•
LEXAN CFR5630D resin is a PC copolymer and a material of choice for LED lighting. The product
offers wide-angle light scattering for excellent aesthetics combined with optimal light diffusion and transmission.
It is ultraviolet (UV)-stabilized for improved color stability over the lifetime of the part and SABIC offers this
product in five pre-selected diffusion colors.
The dynamic nature of the aviation industry demands flexible high-end solutions that can address multiple
challenges, including the ever-present need to control costs. SABIC’s continued investment in innovative
material technologies, together with a commitment to closely collaborate with aerospace customers,
underscores SABIC’s leadership in developing space-age thermoplastic solutions for next generation aircraft.
END
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PHOTO CAPTION
SABIC’s color service offers aircraft interior designers consultative color and aesthetic services in the
US, Europe and Asia.
Photo: SABIC’s color service offers aircraft interior designers consultative color and aesthetic
services, including custom color creation, color matching and color management for a customer’s
global supply chain.
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PHOTO CAPTION
3D Printed Economy Class Aircraft Seat Prototype
Photo: To inspire aircraft industry seating tiers to take a fresh look at seat design and fabrication,
SABIC licensed a Studio Gavari design for a sleek and ergonomically advanced seat. The seat was
printed by Stratasys, using SABIC’s ULTEM™ 9085 resin, which is highly compatible with 3D printing
and meets aircraft industry and OEM-specific heat release and flame, smoke and toxicity
requirements. The use of 3D printing enabled the rapid prototyping of the Studio Gavari design
without the expense of tooling, resulting in an economy class seat with less than 15 components,
demonstrating the potential for part consolidation and manufacturing efficiency.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
SABIC and brands marked with ™ are trademarks of SABIC or its subsidiaries or affiliates.
• High-resolution photos are available upon request.
• SABIC should be written in every instance in all uppercase.
About SABIC
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks as the world’s second largest diversified chemical company.
The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other
advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 23.3 billion (US$ 6.2 billion) in 2014. Sales revenues for 2014 totaled SR
188.1 billion (US$ 50.2 billion). Total assets stood at SR 340 billion (US$ 90.7 billion) at the end of 2014.
SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals, Fertilizers, Metals and
Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research resources with 19 dedicated Technology & Innovation
facilities in Saudi Arabia, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, India, China and South Korea. The company
operates in more than 45 countries across the world with around 40,000 employees worldwide.
SABIC manufactures on a global scale in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Headquartered in Riyadh, SABIC was founded in 1976 when the Saudi Arabian Government decided to use the
hydrocarbon gases associated with its oil production as the principal feedstock for production of chemicals,
polymers and fertilizers. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining
30 percent held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
About Innovative Plastics
SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with an 80-year
history of breakthrough solutions that solve its customers’ most pressing challenges. Today, Innovative Plastics
is a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 9,000 employees
worldwide. The company continues to lead the plastics industry with customer collaboration and continued
investments in new polymer technologies, global application development, process technologies, and
environmentally responsible solutions that serve diverse markets such as Healthcare, Transportation,
Automotive, Electrical, Lighting and Consumer Electronics. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes
thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com) is
a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).
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SABIC Media Contacts
Banu Kukner
E: [email protected]
T: +31 164 291605
Agency Media Contacts
Natasha Collins
E: [email protected]
T: +44 (0)20 7067 0637
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