German chemicals giant BASF has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with ElectriPlast to jointly explore the North American market for the US company's patented line of conductive thermoplastics. The agreement, signed 27 August, calls for the two entities to determine the potential for utilising ElectriPlast materials as a lightweight solution for applications requiring electrical shielding, while reducing weight to help meet CAFE – corporate average fuel economy – standards. Thus, the two plan to initially target automotive applications and will approach key OEMs and Tier 1 manufacturers.
ElectriPlast is a subsidiary of US-based Integral Technologies (Bellingham, Washington), which is the original researcher, developer and owner of the intellectual property surrounding the conductive resin technology and markets its product line through its Pennsylvanian-based company. BASF has been supplying Integral with resins used in the compounding of the ElectriPlast product line. The material is produced with its partner, Midwestern compounder Jasper Rubber Products.
"ElectriPlast is a disruptive technology that is changing the way industry approaches materials, design and manufacturing. We see ourselves as playing a significant role in today's rapidly growing lightweighting industry," stated Doug Bathauer, Integral's CEO.
The deal with BASF comes on the heels of two earlier agreements Integral achieved this summer, both coming in June. It signed a co-development agreement with Delphi Automotive to jointly develop wire and cable insulation applications using its conductive resin technology. It also has signed a 10-year sales and manufacturing deal with South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group to licence its ElectricPlast technology in Asia.