Lexan

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Lexan is a registered trademark for SABIC Innovative Plastics' (formerly General Electric Plastics) brand of polycarbonate resin thermoplastic. Polycarbonate polymer is produced by reacting bisphenol A with carbonyl chloride, also known as phosgene. Lexan is the brand name for polycarbonate sheet and resin in a wide range of grades. Applications are mainly in three domains — building (glazing and domes), industry (machine protection and fabricated parts) and communication and signage.

Development and patent

GE's discovery of the polycarbonate that is trade named Lexan by chemist Dr. Daniel Fox occurred in 1953, while working on a wire coating, just one week after Dr. Hermann Schnell of Bayer in Germany had independently made the same discovery. Both teams were impressed by the remarkable toughness of the material.

Both companies applied for U.S. patents in 1955. Before it was clear which would win the patent, both agreed that the patent holder would grant a license for an appropriate royalty.^[1] This agreement allowed both companies to concentrate on developing the polymer and was particularly advantageous to GE, since GE would not otherwise have been able to sell a product during the life of the original patent.

Manufacturing

Lexan is now manufactured by SABIC Innovative Plastics. It is manufactured at several SABIC plants, the largest being in Mt. Vernon, Indiana; Burkville, Alabama; Cartagena, Spain; and Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands. SABIC Innovative Plastics is headquartered in Pittsfield, MA. Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, started as a chemical engineer in this division in Pittsfield.

References

External links

• SABIC IP LEXAN