SABIC to focus on 5G and e-mobility at LNP™ product line technical summit in Shenzhen, China

New material solutions for 5G communications infrastructure and e-mobility will be in the spotlight in Shenzhen, China on March 13 and 14, when SABIC hosts a technical summit for processors, OEMs, ODMs and end users on latest developments in its LNP™ product line. SABIC is expecting around 300 customers at the event.

The Shenzhen technical summit is the third such event that SABIC has put on to mark the 70-year anniversary of its LNP product line, which encompasses a wide range of engineering thermoplastic compounds and copolymers. The two previous events, in Taipei in December 2018 and Penang in January 2019, received very positive feedback from participants. SABIC also launched a digital campaign page to introduce the latest innovation, solutions and breakthroughs of LNP product line.

“Each one of our summits is tailored to our local audience, with presentations and part demonstrations that fit the local needs and design trends in specific industries,” says Joshua Chiaw, Director, Business Management, LNP. “The Shenzhen event is the first technical summit we are holding in the Chinese mainland to promote the many and varied solutions from our LNP product line.”

Commenting on this coming event, “We want to reinforce the technical know-how around our products at our customers in southern China, and we are putting a strong emphasis on our solutions for the fast-changing communications scene in this region,” says Martin Tam, Director, Customer Fulfillment APAC, Specialties. “We are also planning to conduct technical summits for customers in eastern and northern China soon.”

“We will be displaying over 100 different parts made with LNP compounds and copolymers for key markets: electronics and e-mobility of course, but also other consumer and industrial products and healthcare applications,” Chiaw adds.

Product samples displayed at the Shenzhen summit will highlight the suitability of LNP materials for applications calling for the use of such applications as High Modulus Ductile (HMD), Nano Molding Technology (NMT), Laser Direct Structuring (LDS), integrated circuitry, scratch resistance, special visual effects, high heat performance, and more.

For e-mobility applications, LNP compounds support the drive towards lower weight, higher performance, improved aesthetics and greater cost effectiveness. For automotive under-the-hood, interior and exterior applications, there are products specifically designed for parts that include electronic housings, gears and pulleys, fuel system and transmissions components, through seating mechanisms, instrument panels, headlamp bezels and grilles, to mirror brackets and more. For advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), there are highly specialized thermoplastics which can help engineers improve radar sensor technologies using materials that aid in light weighting, metal replacement and improved design flexibility, as well as help identify potential system cost reductions.

Next-generation 5G communications call for almost completely new infrastructures, with far more cells than 4G. Components for these infrastructures, such as radomes and antennas, phase shifters and radio frequency filters, demand high-performance materials. LNP solutions, including LNP THERMOCOMP™ compounds and LEXAN™ EXL copolymers, can offer tailored dielectric performance, weatherability, weight-out and increased design freedom. There are also specialist LNP materials for mobile devices and autonomous vehicles that could enable them to make the best of 5G, with multiple millimeter-wave antenna modules and more sensors for example.

“We want to show our audience just how innovative we can be, but we also tell them how reliable we are – after all, we have been around for 70 years. Many plastics processors demand continuity from their suppliers, and that’s what we offer. And of course we want to collaborate with our customers, so they get the most out of their ideas and our materials,” Chiaw concludes.