The Dow Chemical Company’s (DOW) business unit – Dow Electronic Materials– has developed a state-of-the-art chromium-free ECOPOSIT etching solution that will allow REACH compliant plating on plastics. The solution has been developed to replace chromic acid etching utilized in the pre-treatment of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and PC-ABS in the plating on plastics (POP) industry.
ECOPOSIT will enable manufacturers to meet the Sep 21, 2017 date set by REACH to put a stop to the use of chromium trioxide. Industrial performance data is being compiled so that the customers can test and qualify Dow’s technology and implement in advance of the 2017 deadline.
The etchant was developed after conducting years of research and possesses the stability, performance and process window required to fit the existing POP equipment. ECOPOSIT becomes a vital part of the ECOPOSIT CF-800 Chrome-Free pre-treatment, and utilizes the stable and regenerable MnIII species to replace the existing hexavalent chromium oxidant. Dow has been granted a patent for chrome-free etch (CFE), allowing for the removal of hexavalent chromium in POP pre-treatment.
Dow released its third-quarter 2014 results in Oct 2014. The company’s Electronic and Functional Materials segment’s revenues rose 3% year over year to $1.2 billion in the reported quarter. Electronic Materials gained from higher foundry demand in semiconductor technologies, offset by declines in display technologies. Functional materials sales also rose in the quarter on the back of gains in North America.
Dow is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock.
Other stocks in the chemical space worth considering include Valhi, Inc. (VHI), Innospec Inc. (IOSP) and Celanese Corporation (CE). While both Valhi and Innospec carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Celanese holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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