ecomagination* Backgrounder

Some of the world’s most pressing materials challenges present an opportunity for GE to display its environmentally advanced technologies.

As a global leader in high-technology materials science, GE Advanced Materials is investing to help customers solve some of their toughest environmental challenges today and for generations to come.

We call it ecomagination*.

Following are examples of GE’s ecomagination solutions at work – helping to reduce environmentally harmful substances and emissions, conserving water resources, and promoting energy efficiency.

Ultra-Thin-Wall Wire Coating

With Flexible Noryl* Resins Meeting the Requirements of Halogen-Free Parts

Millions of kilometers of electrical wire are manufactured each year. In the automotive industry alone, more than 96 million kilometers/60 million miles of coated wire – enough to circle the Earth more than 2,400 times – are produced yearly. In fact, every vehicle that rolls off the assembly line today has more than 1.6 km/1 mile of wire running through it.

Millions of kilometers of automotive wiring require protection in the form of insulation and coatings. However, current wire coating and insulation materials can pose environmental concerns. Halogenated materials generate dioxins when burned, and many non-halogenated types cannot be recycled easily. Further, many types of insulation are relatively thick, contributing to higher vehicle weight that works against optimal fuel efficiency.

GE is developing newer polymers that meet the requirements for halogen-, lead-, and cadmium-free parts. Flame-retardant Flexible Noryl resin is one example where GE innovation supports compliance with strict environmental labeling requirements of the European Union’s Eco-label and others.

Further, Flexible Noryl resins enable ultra-thin-wall coatings for smaller cables, which may reduce a car’s wire/resin weight by up to 25 percent. Less wire weight means lower vehicle weight with the same or more electrical content and potentially higher fuel efficiency.

For example, if every new car sold in the United States alone used ultra-thin-wall coatings made with Flexible Noryl resin, over 87 million liters of gasoline could potentially be saved over their lifespans, and greenhouse gas emissions could be cut by 206,000 metric tons.

What’s more, for every 90,000 metric tons of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) wire coating replaced by Flexible Noryl resin, dioxin emissions due to end-of-life incineration could be reduced by an amount equivalent to that produced by burning 14,000 metric tons of trash in the open air.

GE’s new Flexible Noryl resins also help meet international standards for recyclability, in contrast to cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and other traditional coating materials, allowing parts made with the new GE resins to meet end-of-life recycling and take-back requirements in Europe and Asia.

GE and Delphi Corporation Case Study

To meet a global automotive manufacturer’s need for a high-performance cable that also meets the requirements for halogen-free parts, Delphi Corporation chose GE’s Flexible Noryl resin for innovative, ultra-thin-wall wire/cable insulation. Thanks to the smaller size enabled by the GE material, the cable weight was reduced by 25 percent for potentially greater fuel efficiency, and its size was reduced to allow more vehicle content in the same space. Flexible Noryl resin enabled Delphi to meet the needs of its customer for a more environmentally supportive cable and to introduce a new alternative to traditional PVC and XLPE cable insulation that combines high performance and reduced size.

VOC-Free Paint Replacement on Auto Body Panels

With Lexan* SLX Resin

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by paint have been shown to have a negative impact on air quality. By infusing plastic with pigment, GE Advanced Materials is able to greatly reduce the use of paint in the automotive manufacturing process. Applying ecomagination initiatives, GE developed Lexan SLX resin, a mate

Reader enquiries

GE Bayer Silicones GmbH & Co. KG
Building V7
51368 LEVERKUSEN
Germany

Robert Scheib
robert.scheib@ge.com

Tel: +49 214 306 71 37
Fax: +49 214 306 71 26
Germany
+49 214 306 71 37
robert.scheib@​ge.com
www.ge.com

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Notes for editors

About GE Advanced Materials

GE Advanced Materials (www.geadvancedmaterials.com) is a world leader in providing high-technology material solutions. Headquartered in Pittsfield, Mass., its businesses include Plastics, Silicones, Quartz, Automotive, Specialty Film & Sheet, Polymershapes, and Sealants and Adhesives.

GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work - a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world’s toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.

* ecomagination, Noryl, Lexan and Silwet are trademarks of General Electric Company.