Development history - NEWTLAC 5000

A group company in Spain, a pioneer in research on asphalt pavement, had made a new discovery. This was a test result revealing that "thermoplastic resin" used in toner production for copiers, etc. was effective in improving pavement durability.Based on this result, our research team in Japan commenced full-scale research into asphalt modifiers, and proceeded with research and development, including the analysis of thermoplastic resins, optimal molecular weights and the design of polymer skeletons.

However, when the resulting prototype modifier was added to the pavement, it was too hard to work with, and cracks appeared after cooling, failing to provide the results we had anticipated in the laboratory. In order to resolve this problem, we went through a series of repeated testing, adjusting the molecular weight and polymer skeleton.And in 2018, at the end of a long process of trial and error, we succeeded in completing the first asphalt modifier made using polyester, NEWTLAC 2500. By increasing compatibility between the asphalt and aggregate, we succeeded in achieving durability that was approximately five time greater than standard pavement.

Simply incorporating waste PET did not deliver the fundamental durability of NEWTLAC. There was also the matter of uncertainty as to the acceptable degree of contamination from impurities contained in waste PET when the product was commercialized.As a result, we set about designing a polymer skeleton that provided maximum properties while using the largest amount of waste PET, and through a process of repeated performance evaluations, succeeded in determining the optimum amount of waste PET and acceptable levels of impurities. After two years of toil, we developed NEWTLAC 5000 made from waste PET while maintaining the performance of NEWTLAC 2500.