Noryl WM330G resin has been added by Sabic to its portfolio of high-performance thermoplastics for water management applications. The new product is the first in a family of materials featuring proprietary impact-resistant technology for improved fluctuating pressure performance compared to legacy materials. The 30% glass-reinforced PPE-based grade also delivers excellent value through system cost-effectiveness and compliance with relevant global drinking water regulations.

“As global water regulations become increasingly strict and application requirements expand, Sabic is helping the water management industry stay ahead of changes in the market, especially with regards to ongoing compliance, performance and sustainability challenges,” said William Wan, global business director, Noryl Resins, Sabic’s Specialties business. “To do this, we are investing in the development of new materials such as this enhanced grade of Noryl resin to give our customers a greater selection of high-performing thermoplastic technologies that address some of their most demanding application requirements. We also guide and support customers throughout design, part performance simulation and testing, tooling and processing to help ensure they achieve the best results from whichever Noryl water management grade they choose”.

Noryl WM330G resin benefits customers by delivering higher burst pressure, fluctuating pressure and creep rupture performance to meet more-aggressive qualification testing, while opening new opportunities in emerging applications such as ultrasonic water meters and instant water heaters. The new Noryl resin also enables robust injection moulding with minimal effects on mechanical properties, giving customers greater processing latitude. Further, Noryl WM330G resin can help control costs compared to other high-performance glass-filled materials thanks to its lower specific gravity, which may yield more parts per unit of weight.

Noryl WM330G resin is an excellent candidate for a range of water management applications, especially those exposed to internal fluctuating pressure, such as housings for volumetric water meters, ultrasonic water meters and pump housings, as well as control valves and hydro blocks. Sabic’s water hammer testing protocol has determined that Noryl WM330G resin can deliver up to a two-fold (2X) improvement in fluctuating pressure performance compared to legacy grades. The improvements customers can achieve depend on part and tool design, testing protocol and material processing.

The new resin can increase a part’s burst strength, especially when used in complex designs that prevent optimal cooling during processing. These hot spots can lead to vulnerabilities in the finished part; however, the new SABIC material helps to address this challenge and gives designers greater freedom to create more-intricate geometries.

“In addition to improved fatigue resistance, our internal testing has demonstrated that the new Noryl WM330G resin provides a wider processing window, which makes the material a candidate for more-complex part designs where the hot-spot phenomenon could create a long-term performance issue,” said Iassen Popov, segment leader, Noryl Global Water Management, Sabic’s Specialties business.

The new Noryl grade, available globally, is being produced at the company’s facility in Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands. It complies with the NSF/ANSI Standard 61, Germany’s KTW/W270 certification, France’s Attestation De Conformité Sanitaire (ACS) and the United Kingdom’s Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS), which addresses certification for cold, warm and hot water applications.