materials feature | Polyolefins Running free
ExxonMobil showcased a range of technologies at K2013, though was not even an official exhibitor. Several major machine suppliers ran demonstrations at the show using grades of the company’s material, to make products ranging from rubbish bags to shrink film. An example was Windmoeller & Hoelscher, which teamed up with flat die supplier Cloeren to exhibit cast stretch films made using NanoLayer technology. This allows the production of films with up to 33 layers, that can be as thin as 8 microns. ExxonMobil supplied its Exceed and Enable PE resins, and Vistamaxx elastomer. “Four customers in Europe have already ordered new nano-technolo-
gy cast stretch equipment that will double their individual installed capacity,” said Peter Cloeren, president and CEO of Cloeren. At the same time, ExxonMobil has extended the availability of its
Exceed 1012 metallocene-catalysed VLDPE into the EMEA region. The material, used as the sealant layer in lamination films, has a seal initiation temperature 10°C lower than Exceed 1018 mPE resin. This requires around 20% less sealing time to achieve maximum seal strength, which can boost packaging line speed by up to 7%.
launching a low density polyethylene (LDPE) homopoly- mer for extrusion coating. The company says that the material, CT7200, will help
the industry address the issue of end-of-life autoclave plants – many of which are expected to close in the future. CT7200 is an LDPE produced on a high-pressure tubular reactor, and boasts high-quality organoleptics and a number of other advantages, including: high zero shear viscosity, which contributes to improved sealing performance; improved flowability to enhance adhesion to various substrates, even at lower processing tempera- tures; and reduced energy consumption at the same output rates, enabled by high shear thinning. Good optical properties and low gel level broadens
the possibilities to use this product in various flexible packaging applications. It is suited for applications involving high-volume extrusion coating of boards and papers, liquid packaging, extrusion coating and lamination of different substrates and co-extrusion in multi-structures.
Metallocene materials Total added two metallocene-based resins to its Lumicene Supertough range of materials for multilayer film. One is for flexible packaging, while the other is aimed at industrial film. Lumicene Supertough 32ST05 can help flexible packaging converters make films up to 25% thinner and stronger, it says. The material allows downgauging of multilayer film structures, helping converters to create stronger films using less material.
36 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | January/February 2014 Several multilayer applications have already used
the material: compression packaging (for applications such as for heavy mattresses and lightweight diapers); deep-freeze and lamination films; and shrink applica- tions such as for glass bottle unitisation. Carl Van Camp, senior vice president of the polymers division, said: “When the limits of downgauging are reached, Supertough 32ST05 steps in to give the necessary boost in toughness to overcome the thick- ness barrier.” Total’s Lumicene grades, of which Supertough 32ST05 is the newest member, boast easy processing plus high mechanical properties and a good balance between stiffness and optics. Lumicene grades cover the full range of low, medium and high densities. The second grade, Supertough 22ST05, is aimed at
the industrial film sector. Its combination of bubble stability, mechanical properties and potential to downgauge by 25% creates new opportunities for wide width films, which are ideal for agriculture, transporta- tion and protection applications. Its enhanced properties can help customers to
improve the performance and cost of their films. Sonia De Greef, business manager for flexible packaging & personal care at Total, said: “By boosting product properties, we can generate added value for customers and consumers. This innovation allows converters to combine one layer of Supertough with the most standard of prime materials – and even regrind from post consum- er waste in the other layers – such that the final film has improved performance with the benefit of cost savings.” And Natpet, the PP producer from Saudi Arabia,
showcased its new H03TF thermoforming grade at K2013. The material combines high clarity and aesthet- ics with high dimensional stability for thermoformed cups, trays and containers, both in shallow and deep drawn parts and covering a variety of thicknesses. Using Milliken’s Hyperform HPN-600ei, the material allows converters to run shorter cycle times compared to conventional nucleated PP and increase the number of finished articles by minimising waste.
Click on the links for more information: ❙
www.lyondellbasell.com ❙
www.topas.com ❙
www.teknorapex.com ❙
www.osul.com ❙
www.genesisplasticswelding.com ❙
www.sabic.com ❙
www.borealisgroup.com ❙
www.total.com ❙
www.natpetpp.com ❙
www.exxonmobilchemical.com
www.filmandsheet.com
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