additives | Clarifi ers & nucleators
Data from Milliken shows that in polypropylene, phosphate ester produces the highest stiffness but HPN 20E induces both high stiffness and impact resistance
has focused on carefully controlling this parameter. “Our micronized product is controlled to a particle size range of 90% at below 10 microns and 100% at below 20 microns,” he says. The micronized additive disperses very well, Degens claims, which is important in applications where a pre-blend is used for easier incorporation. “Many nucleating agents struggle with dispersibility since they are not soluble in the resin. Sorbitol-based clarifi ers can help resolve this, but at a steep cost and higher use levels relative to inorganics. By refi ning our micronized grade, we preserve the economy of our customers’ operations while allowing for greater dispersibility.”
Clear benefi ts Clarifying agents go a step further than the particulate nucleation mechanism. Milliken’s latest generation Millad NX 8000 nonitol clarifying agent dissolves into the molten polymer and as the material cools it forms a “fi brous network” on which spherulites can easily grow to form very small and regular sized crystals. As a result, optical properties are said to be considerably better than in polypropylene nucleated with regular
nucleating agents. Milliken says “UltraClear PP” (PP clarifi ed with Millad NX 8000) is taking share in thermoformed food and beverage packaging markets from PET and crystal polystyrene. The company expects this growth to be amplifi ed, in North America at least, by the increased abundance of shale gas and new propane dehydrogena- tion units coming on-stream around now, “leading to PP pricing stability and abundance.” Milliken has implemented a major capacity expan- sion of Millad NX 8000 at its Allen facility in Blacksburg, in the US state of South Carolina. The company has doubled its production (it does not give actual capaci- ties) and put in an additional redundant manufacturing line that it says will ensure ample global supply. The expansion is now scheduled to come on-stream this year (Milliken originally said 2015). The company says fast adoption of the Millad NX
8000 technology has been driven by the material’s cleaner, fresher look and inherent sustainability benefi ts versus competitive products. The additive’s improved solubility enables clarifi ed PP to be processed at lower temperatures, too. Customers are said to have experienced energy savings of up to 13%, cycle time reductions of up to 18%, and carbon emission reduc- tions of as much as 13%.
Advanced sorbitol Milliken is not alone in its development of next-genera- tion clarifi ers. New Japan Chemical (NJC) has a new clarifi er that it hopes will rival Milliken’s Millad NX 8000. Rikafast EDX has been developed as “a superior clarifi er that operates within a wide processing window whilst giving excellent clarity,” the company says. “In recent years, advances in polypropylene technol-
Milliken’s Nonitol clarifying agent (Millad NX 8000) provides PP with a “cooler” tint (right) than a sorbitol alternative (left)
64 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2016
ogy have seen the melt fl ow of resins, especially random copolymers, increase beyond 75 and sometimes 100 g/10min,” NJC says. “With this increase in melt fl ow the processing temperature has been reduced, sometimes
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