packaging | PP Clarifiers


(particle size distribution) as Millad 3988. Milliken’s challengers may not, however, have a


completely free hand. Earlier this year, Milliken said in a statement it had filed lawsuits and was taking action against several un-named Asia-based companies it believes have infringed one or more of its DMDBS (Millad 3988) patents.


Above: Russia’s Sibur selected Milliken’s NX8000 clarifier for its entry into the growing market for high clarity PP packaging


around 2,000 ppm, which is said to be comparable to second generation MDBS clarifiers and 20% less than the first generation DBS loading range. “The next stage of our strategy will be to offer a


product that is designed for the next generation of PP,” Killough says. This means grades formulated for effective use in PP processed at around 200-215°C (392-419°F), lower than the 210-250°C (410-482°F) average for most PP grades. These future clarifier products will remain soluble at lower temperatures without an impact on loading, he says.


Expanding capacity France-based agricultural products group Roquette, which has in the past manufactured and supplied sorbitols for polymer clarification, is also planning to offer a DMDBS-based alternative to the Milliken 3988 product. It says its Disorbene 3 product will provide the additional market capacity required to meet growing global demand for clarified PP. Roquette has in the past supplied first and second


Right: Nether- lands-based Sunware is using clarified PP to enable it to stand out in a crowded


marketplace


generation clarifier products and until 2004 had a distribution agreement with Ciba, which supplied Roquette-manufactured products under the IrgaClear name. The new Disorbene 3 clarifier will be supplied by the French company directly. According to Thierry Laurent, who heads up Roquette’s plant-based chemicals business unit, PP producers in Europe will welcome its decision to re-enter the clarifier business as it presents them with an alternative source of supply. The company claims its Disorbene 3 product offers the same performance, quality and granulometry


12 INJECTION WORLD | July/August 2013


Continuing protection The company’s statement also said that while some of its IP on Millad 3988 is expiring, it will “still own a wide variety of IP around its Millad products post 2020.” The company said these continuing patents involve a variety of end-use applications and blend solutions. A spokes- person for Roquette confirmed to Injection World maga- zine that the US company may still hold IP “dealing with particular blends”. Global Millad product line manager Wim van de


Velde said in the statement that Milliken intends to “vigorously protect and defend” the IP behind products such as Millad 3988. However, ongoing technical innovations at Milliken mean the third generation clarifier product is rapidly being displaced by its fourth generation NX8000 nonitol-based clarifier. The Millad NX8000 line provides broad latitude to


tailor loadings for end-use requirements, according to Van de Velde, who says the clarity provided by NX8000 increases with higher loadings. “It wasn’t possible before to reach the clarity of PET or PS in PP,” he says. “Now, end-users can specify PP, a material with a low carbon footprint, and achieve the clarity of PET or PS. It’s almost like having a new material to work with.” For high clarity, Van de Velde estimates loadings


would be double compared with conventional clarifiers. “But it’s tuneable,” he says. “A 10 or 20% loading would produce good clarity.” Loadings also depend on part thickness, although he says Millad NX8000 grades are less reliant on orientation and can achieve clarity in shallow-draw parts. The cost of higher loadings is a concern, Van de Velde concedes, especially in packaging. But he adds: “Polypropylene, even with a high loading of clarifier, is still significantly less expensive than other clear plastics.” An important


advantage of the NX8000 clarifiers is that they maintain solubility – even at elevated loading


levels – down to 190°C (374°F). This means processors can run lower www.injectionworld.com


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