Wacker starts up speciality silicones plants

Wacker Chemie has started up two new production facilities for speciality silicones at Tsukuba, Japan, and Jincheon, South Korea. The investment was said to be in the double-digit million euros range. 

At Tsukuba, a new production line has come onstream for silicone-based thermal interface materials, which are basically silicone elastomers that have been modified with various additives and fillers during compounding to render them thermally conductive. They are mainly used as heat-dissipating gap fillers for cooling power electronics and traction batteries. 

Jincheon, as part of the Wacker Asahikasei Silicone joint venture, has seen an expansion in speciality silicones for construction. The site also make speciality silicones, liquid silicone rubbers and silicone elastomers for the automotive and electrical industries throughout Asia, which currently accounts for 40% of the German silicone giant’s sales.