Our business can be traced back nearly 100 years, to the birth of the acrylics industry. Following the discovery and commercialization of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) in the 1930s we became one of the earliest companies involved in researching new applications for methacrylate polymers and resins.

Founded as ‘Cole Polymers’ we began manufacturing acrylic polymers for the dental market in the 1940s. Based in Croydon, London, the company soon expanded with emulsion and solution polymer grades, as well as optimizing our suspension polymerization technology.

By the early 1960s we had a wide portfolio of products for coatings and adhesives, alongside our existing dental bead resins. The company used its existing knowledge of suspension polymerization to enter the burgeoning xerography industry, and to develop cross-linked polystyrene grades for investment casting wax.

By the 1970s the global market was changing and the company focused production our range of small-bead dental and industrial polymers. Sales and production continued to grow, and it became clear that the company would need additional capacity to meet the demands of its customers. The company was purchased in the 1980s by Bonar, who invested in a brand-new, state-of-the-art site in Newton Aycliffe.

The 1990s saw us expand into some of the most challenging industries, with small-bead polymers developed for use in bone cements and advanced dental prosthetics. Demand also came from complex industrial applications, such as porous moulds for high-pressure casting, the separation and protection of float glass, and UV-curable coatings.

In 2002 the company joined other acrylics businesses to form Lucite International, pulling together decades of collective knowledge and expertise from across the industry. Lucite International was later acquired by Mitsubishi Chemical, one of the world’s largest and most respected chemical companies.