Press release
VESTAMID
March 3, 2010

VESTAMID® Terra Bio-Polyamide Protects High-Performance Cables

Essen, Germany-based Evonik Industries has expanded its range of compounds for high-performance cables to include bio-based VESTAMID® Terra DS. Evonik is thus responding to the rapidly growing interest in bio-based plastics, even in technically challenging fields of application.

A polyamide 1010, VESTAMID® Terra DS is produced entirely from monomers obtained from castor oil. Castor oil is in turn obtained from the bean of the castor oil plant, which is used neither as food nor animal feed and whose cultivation does not compete with that of food crops.

VESTAMID® Terra DS molding compounds are semicrystalline and therefore distinguished by high mechanical strength as well as resistance to chemicals and stress cracking. They also have high to very high heat deflection temperatures and a low water-absorption capacity, retaining their good mechanical properties such as elongation at break and impact strength, even in high humidity.

Areas of application for VESTAMID® Terra DS cable jacketing include special cables for the automotive industry, underground cables, in which case the bio-polyamide protects against damage caused by gnawing rodents, and polymer optical fibers.

Company information

Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany which operates in three business areas: Chemicals, Energy and Real Estate. Evonik is a global leader in specialty chemicals, an expert in power generation from hard coal and renewable energies, and one of the largest private residential real estate companies in Germany. Our strengths are creativity, specialization, continuous self-renewal, and reliability. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In its fiscal year 2008 about 41,000 employees generated sales of about €15.9 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA) of about €2.2 billion.

Disclaimer

In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.