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07 Sep 2005  -  Netherlands

Tough GE Lexan* EXL Resin delivers excellent aesthetics & impact strength for new Amoi mobile phone design

Amoi Electronics designed its new M60 multimedia cell phone to deliver outstanding aesthetics, durability, and reliability, even under the roughest of handling conditions. The company achieved these design goals with help from a new grade of glass-fiber (GF) reinforced Lexan* EXL polycarbonate (PC) resin from GE Advanced Materials.

Amoi, a leading manufacturer in China's electronics industry, selected Lexan EXL4419 resin to provide high stiffness in combination with excellent impact strength and good paintability for the cover of its M60 phone. Recently released alongside two other GF polycarbonates - GE's Lexan EXL4016 and EXL4019 resins - the grade Amoi selected has high-flow, improved fatigue resistance and superior impact strength over a wide temperature range, when compared to other commercially available GF reinforced PC resins.

"The design of our M60 mobile phone presented several challenges that traditional materials could not meet," said Letitia He, brand manager of Amoi Electronics Co., Ltd. "GE's new Lexan EXL resin gave us a high-technology materials solution that addressed all of our concerns and helped us to develop this innovative new phone product to address consumer demand."

The fiercely competitive cellular phone market is driven by consumer demand for more functionality without an increase in cost. Formulated from glass-fiber reinforced PC copolymers, Lexan EXL resins support both trends by delivering a lightweight, impact-resistant alternative to conventional material solutions. More specifically, GE's Lexan EXL4016, Lexan EXL4019, and Lexan EXL4419 resin grades all deliver significantly higher levels of impact strength compared to conventional GF-reinforced polycarbonate materials at comparable stiffness levels.

For consumers, these qualities translate into cell phones with striking aesthetics and reliable long-term performance. For manufacturers, GE's Lexan EXL resins offer improved design flexibility for battery covers, A and B cell phone covers, and frames.

GE's new family of GF polycarbonates delivers different degrees of stiffness, facilitating internal and full architectures. Their excellent flow performance also enables thin-wall construction, reduced cycle times, and improved yields.

Like all Lexan resin grades, Lexan EXL resins demonstrate excellent paintability, although their molded-in color capabilities also offer the potential elimination of emissions and production steps associated with painting processes. GE's new Lexan EXL4016 resin, EXL4019 resin, and EXL4419 resin products are available today.