Scource in USA for HTPB (Hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene)

Lots of luck finding a second source right now. Many monomers used to make various polymers are in short supply and on allocation. Polymer manufacturers are turning down new business. A plant manager was telling me today that his plant almost went out of business last year because customers beat him down so low on price by getting cheap material from China. Now, China is consuming much of their own material internally and not exporting certain materials, and our domestic production has to slowly ramp up. He's told these same people that he's now sold out/ on allocation, and go back to China!

Thanks for the info. Not what I was hoping to hear, but kind of what I expected.

Interesting. I am having the same issue but from Sigma-Aldrich - the other supplier of this material. There is a new run of material due mid-July which we are waiting patiently for while trying Cray Valley's material as an alternate. Now it sounds like I may be in the same situation even if I qualify theirs. Did you find any other sources? We plan to be using a large volume of this material by the fall/2010.

I would also be interested in finding out if Sigma-Aldrich is making it or just repackaging.

Do you know if sigma-aldrich is making it themselves or doing a buy/resell from somebody else? Would you know how to make it if you secured a supply of butadiene?