by Bing Carbone
A division of Bayer MaterialScience, Sheffield Plastics furthers the limits of polycarbonate products with incredible strength and resistance to environmental factors like heat and UV rays. They take the polymers that form traditional polycarbonate and add their own components to give them unprecedented durability, resilience and performance. Known as “Tuffak,” Sheffield utilizes state-of-the-art extrusion techniques to fabricate mass quantities of sheet shapes for use in hundreds of different industries.
While many of our partners specialize in a huge range of product types and applications, we are also more than open to the prospect of working with a company that has a specific focus. In fact, we take comfort in establishing partnerships with companies that are the top of their field when it comes to providing one line of products with the highest level of quality and consistency.
Modern Plastics has become a major supplier of Tuffak products through our extensive partnership with Sheffield Plastics. We aim to provide the best quality products, fabrication and service delivery to meet our clientele’s needs.
Transition to Covestro
Technically, “Sheffield Plastics” is a misnomer because that company does not exist anymore. Sheffield was established in Sheffield, MA as a producer of extruded sheet and laminate materials for applications in law enforcement products as well as automotive and electronics applications. Bayer MaterialScience acquired Sheffield from DSM in 1999 to expand their fabrication of extruded sheets using their renowned line of polycarbonate resins.
A few years later, Bayer’s Tuffak line of laminate and extruded sheet polycarbonate products became a worldwide success. Industries from construction to automotive to medical devices and eyewear all utilized Tuffak for its extreme impact resistance and relative light weight. As an example of how prolific the material became, it was estimated at one time that 30 percent of the world’s entire supply of CDs and DVDs were constructed using Tuffak polymers.
Just recently, on June 1, 2015, Bayer MaterialScience decided to reorganize their Sheffield Plastics operation and global Tuffak production under a new entity known as Covestro. The significance of the name is that the letters indicate different values of the new company:
- C and O stand for “collaboration”
- VEST translates to how the company has invested in developing state-of-the-art technologies
- STRO indicates “strong,” referring simultaneously to their products and their team
Covestro/Sheffield Plastic Products Are Everywhere
Even with the name change, Covestro should be recognizable by sheer virtue of how they have managed to penetrate seemingly every industry in the past several years.
- Automotive industries use Tuffak products in headlight fabrication as well as window laminates
- Rail transport uses their flame-resistant Bayblend sheets for seat, window and ceiling components
- Electronics manufacturers use Tuffak in LCD screen laminates and components in addition to mobile device housings
- Construction firms employ Tuffak as greenhouse walls, noise barriers, lightweight roofing and various modern architectural accents
- Law enforcement continues to use Tuffak and Hygard for protection against ballistic attacks or physical intrusion in a variety of applications
- Lighting in both public and private buildings often employs Tuffak sheets as long-lasting, lightweight, shatter-resistant covers and housings, even in public signage
As you can see, Sheffield Plastic/Covestro has come a long way as a developer of specialized polycarbonate materials.
Let Modern Plastics be your source of the worldwide leader in polycarbonate materials through our partnership with Sheffield. Contact us to learn more about supplying your organization with top-of-the-line polycarbonate materials to join the cutting edge in polymer products.
