TECHNOLOGY | IMPACT MODIFICATION
Right: PP frozen food packaging benefits from Kraton’s impact modifiers
polymers provide several benefits, such as increas- ing the amount of recycled content, improving the durability of products with recycled contents, and enabling the use of mixed or contaminated streams. These benefits are due to our polymers’ ability to compatibilise different polymers,” Hall says. “These advantages are highlighted in a study by the University of Ghent in Belgium, which demonstrated that processors can achieve recyclate reusability in end of life cycles by up to five times.” Sustainability gains also extend into the automo- tive sector, where the ability to use lighter impact- modified parts reduces fuel consumption and cuts carbon dioxide emissions. “Big injection moulded automotive parts with complex designs – com- bined with thin walling and long flow lines – require special molecular architecture,” says Hall. “Kraton MD1648 provides the desired impact strength while rendering process efficiency. With a melt flow rate of about 220 g/10min at 230°C, the polymer is the only hydrogenated styrene block copolymer (HSBC) on the market to deliver this solution.” MD1648 is an addition to Kraton’s enhanced rubber segment series with a melt flow rate said to be 10 times higher than its next nearest competi- tor, which also makes it suitable for production of highly filled masterbatches.
Below: Milliken sees its latest DeltaMax additive appealing to PP polymer producers
Low temperatures Frozen food packaging requires ultra-low tempera- ture impact strength. Kraton G1657 VS is a clear copolymer with a polystyrene content of 13% supplied in powder form. It is used in the manufac- ture of PP ice cream tub lids. The polymer enables PP compounds to survive processing, storing and transportation at temperatures as low as -40°C and enables some 13% weight reduction and 7% material savings compared to plastomer solutions, according to the company. The latest addition to Milliken’s DeltaMax
Performance Modifiers range is designed to expand the use of the additive into markets such as food packaging. The company says the technology allows injection moulders to make stronger parts using more efficient manufacturing parameters and to source a broader range of raw materials. The new additive, DeltaMax 5000A,
is expected to drive polypropylene (PP) innovation at the resin producer level in particular. “DeltaMax 5000A will allow resin producers to expand the performances of their resin portfo- lios and to boost their productivity by increasing the throughput of their
52 COMPOUNDING WORLD | April 2020
reactors,” says Herrin Hood, Milliken Global Marketing Director. The company says polypropylene moulding
products typically require high melt flow and excellent impact resistance while maintaining good stiffness. However, it says tweaking the material for one property has always meant sacrificing another one of those properties. Milliken claims that DeltaMax Performance Modifiers can raise melt flow while optimising impact properties. By maximising the impact strength and melt flow
of resins without compromising stiffness perfor- mance, processors using DeltaMax-modified resins can use PP in a wider range of applications in more cost-effective ways. Running high-melt-flow resins allows converters to be more productive and make more complex parts, while also improving their carbon footprint by reducing scrap and using less energy in the moulding process. In addition, the DeltaMax technology is said to
be effective in modifying post-consumer and post-industrial recycled resins. It is claimed to elevate impact and melt flow to levels associated with virgin resins, which allows compounders and converters to incorporate up to 100% recycled PP without sacrificing performance or processing. With FDA approvals expected by year end, Milliken’s new performance modifier will expand usage of the product into some food packaging applications, driving benefits for caps, closures and thin-wall packaging. The company is currently pursuing food approvals for Europe as well, with approvals expected in late 2020.
Easing recyclability One company already exploiting the Milliken technology is US-based plastics recycler Aaron Industries. Its JET- FLO Polypro is a high melt flow recycled PP compound featuring DeltaMax Performance Modifier and that combines an extremely high melt flow index (MFI of 50-70 g/10 min) with good impact performance (notched Izod of 1.5-2.0). According to the company, this combi-
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: KRATON
IMAGE: MILLIKEN
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
