Film applications | additives feature
Peter Mapleston reviews recent developments in additives for enhancing polymer fi lms, including anti-fogging, anti-blocking, anti-slip and nucleating agents
Additives for fi ne-tuning fi lm properties
Companies producing and processing compounds and masterbatches for plastics fi lm packaging need to be increasingly careful about the additives they are using. General regulations on chemicals and more specifi c legislation on plastic materials that come into contact with food are making it more important than ever for participants all along the supply chain to be able to demonstrate that their products are fi t for purpose. In the highly competitive food packaging market,
processors also need to be sure they are making use of the most cost-effective additives available and that, where possible, materials come with “green” credentials. So what are the latest developments in additives for packaging fi lms that will help compounders and fi lm makers do their jobs more effectively and sustainably? Here is a review of recent developments in anti-fogging, anti-blocking, anti-slip and nucleating agents, as well as processing additives.
Anti-fogging agents Functional agents born in the food ingredients
industry are increasingly being adapted for polyolefi n- based food packaging, says Danish food ingredient manufacturer Palsgaard. It adds that they are helping manufacturers to align their products with growing concerns about health, safety and food wastage. Palsgaard Polymers PGE 8100 is a polyglycerol ester
made from sunfl ower-based fatty acids and glycerol for polyolefi n-based fi lm. It migrates quickly to the surface of the fi lm and provides long-lasting anti-fogging performance in cast and blown fi lms. Cold fog tests (23°C, 50% relative humidity) carried out by independent test institute Norner indicate signifi cantly better anti-fogging properties than in a fi lm made using a reference PGE. The tests also demon- strated “excellent” performance even 18 months after fi lm production. In addition, Palsgaard Polymers PGE 8100 has an antistatic effect, which helps to keep packaging free of dust. The company says that the liquid
www.compoundingworld.com
form of this additive reduces the risk of blooming due to overdosing. Palsgaard also offers a distilled monoglyceride, DMG 8101, which exhibits slower migration than PGE 8100. “Palsgaard Polymers PGE 8100 is the best option for food packaging with a shelf life more than 18 months, while Palsgaard Polymers DMG 8101 is suffi cient for food packaging with shelf life less than six months,” says technical sales manager Ekaterina Merzlikina. In both cases, a typical dosage of around 0.5% for 50-micron LDPE blown fi lm is said to provide excellent anti-fogging performance. There is however no dosage limit for these additives in food contact applications. The additives have Kosher and Halal approvals. Armofog 151 is the latest anti-fog additive from AkzoNobel, designed to improve hot and cold fog performance of polyethylene and EVA food packaging fi lms. It is described as a mixture of vegetable-based glycerol esters in paste form. The typical dosage level is 0.5-1.0%. The company also offers a high-performance concentrate of the additive in pellet form, Armofog 151-XE35, containing 35% of the active ingredient. “We are developing several new anti-fog agents next
January 2015 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88