Materials
After considering various processing technologies and alternative materials, including PVC and PETG, Bielenda picked extrusion- blow moulded bottles made from an ultra-clear polypropylene containing Milliken’s high-performance clarifier Millad NX8000. The polymer, with its low density and high mechanical
properties, lets Bielenda minimise materials usage: polypropylene bottles can weigh around 20 per cent less than PVC versions and as much as ten per cent less than PETG bottles. Additionally, it is fairly easy to process (no need for pre-drying) and there are no issues with equipment corrosion. Extrusion blow moulding is a highly cost-effective process and allows for great freedom of design. “The level of transparency provided by Millad NX8000
helps our products successfully stand out from others on the shop shelf,” says Bielenda’s marketing manager Magdalena Koćwin. “We invest significant resources in developing natural cosmetics and the packaging should emphasise the message. We expect this combination of an excellent product in an outstanding package to be particularly attractive to consumers looking for something a little bit special.” Although blow moulding only accounts for a small fraction
of all polypropylene consumption, PP does have a significant share in the plastics packaging market overall, and is second behind HDPE in the extrusion blow moulding market. “Milliken’s Millad 3988 clarifying agent for polypropylene has been the industry standard since the early 90s,” says Bernard Vermeersch, senior development engineer at Milliken. “Millad NX8000 takes clarification to the next level, and that is obvious when you look at what it achieves in injection moulded and injection-blow moulded containers.” Its typical 50 per cent reduction in haze versus the current industry standard makes highly transparent polypropylene a reality, even in relatively thick wall sections. But until very recently the benefit has been more difficult
to see in EBM containers than in other types of containers, because clarity depends to a certain extent on wall surface. Normally, the low pressures and the mould surface finish used in EBM don’t yield the best wall surfaces. “Now, latest resin designs help combat this problem,” notes
Vermeersch. “New grades containing Millad NX8000 can yield EBM bottles with opticals on a par with PVC. Processors can achieve gloss levels of 120 at an angle of 60 degrees, clarity levels of 95 per cent and haze as low as six per cent. These values have never been achieved before with PP in EBM. Milliken expects many more applications for Millad
NX8000 in extrusion-blow moulded PP containers in the coming months. For Clariant, Aluminium 2010 in Essen in September was a
chance to show case its new advances in aluminium finishes. The company is a leading producer of dyes and process
chemicals for anodised aluminium. Its decades of European production expertise, market experience and innovative product developments combine to provide what it describes as a unique level of high quality service and support for aluminium finishers, with products used in a wide range of applications from automotive to cosmetics, and construction. Highlights from Clariant’s comprehensive ranges of
aluminium finishing products that address end-performance, environmental and processing efficiency needs, include:
Fig. 2. A next-generation polypropylene clarifying agent gains its first success in extrusion-blow moulding.
❒ Sanodye heavy metal-free dyes meet increasing market and regulatory demands for finishing materials that are considerate to the environment without compromising on dye quality. The Sanodye range covers a broad colour spectrum that extends design potential. The good fade resistance of the dyes ensures effective, long-term performance for indoor-use applications.
❒ Sanodal dyes offer unsurpassed light and weather fastness which makes them ideal for adding colour to outdoor applications (Fig. 3). The broad range includes shades of black, red, orange, green gold and turquoise to support the latest architectural trends. The dyes can be applied alone or with the well-known Sandalor process in combination with electrolytic dyeing. This results in excellent fastness properties for architectural outdoor applications.
❒ Anodal process chemicals support the improvement of customers’ processes, addressing individuals’ need for increased productivity, efficiency and minimised environmental impact. The full range of process chemicals offers benefits such as reduced energy consumption through lower sealing temperatures, and lower cleaning costs through less smut generation on the aluminium. Productivity can be optimised through faster or fewer processing steps.
Finally, DSY Dyneema has confirmed that a Nordic-based manufacturer of body armour has recently stopped using ballistic material imported from China in its vests. The decision reflected the market’s strong position on non-acceptance of anything other than first class, genuinely legitimate materials such as Dyneema for these life-critical applications, says the company.
DSM Dyneema disclosed that a customer originally alerted
them to the fact that material from China that may have infringed on their intellectual property was being supplied to the
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