ADDITIVES | MINERAL FILLERS


energy than a twin-screw extruder to mix highly filled products. The FCM also uses less electricity, because a twin-screw extruder might need two or three side feeders to add high filler levels, he adds.


While companies have often looked at high filler levels to reduce cost, Lloyd adds


that a recent trend is the desire to use off-spec fillers for further cost savings. Companies are also looking at a wider range of fillers, including natural fillers and fibres, which were the topic of an article in Compounding World’s May issue. Farrel Pomini has partnered with FPInnovations,


in bio-based PLA compounds. “Test results showed significant improvement in mechanical properties. Our needle-shaped and platelet-shaped additives significantly increase the stiffness. Our blocky additives improve impact strength. In addition, these effects can be further enhanced by a suitable surface coating of our mineral high-performance fillers,” reports Hilgers. While fillers are often aimed to reduce weight, high-density fillers in thermoplastics can be used to create densities similar to metals while retaining the advantages of thermoplastics, such as design freedom and mouldability. Weight can be impor- tant to provide a luxurious feel in caps and clo- sures, or to provide functionality in applications such as sporting goods. Avient’s Gravi-Tech Density Modified formula-


tions provide customised densities from 1.2-11 g/ cm³. In early 2023, the company launched its Gravi-Tech REC recycled formulations, which include recycled content. The company’s latest grade is Gravi-Tech REC GT5200-5089 C I natural, which is based on up to 60% Social Plastic polymer resin material from Plastic Bank, a social enterprise that collects and recycles ocean-bound plastic waste. Avient says the high recycled content supports a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) reduc- tion of >70% compared to technically comparable virgin material. The new grade is manufactured in Europe and is commercially available. Farrel Pomini, the Continuous Mixer Business


Unit of HF Mixing Group, says that its Farrel Continuous Mixer (FCM) is well-suited for com- pounding high levels of fillers. “The FCM’s large feed volume can handle filling with more than 70% titanium dioxide (TiO2


) or 80% calcium carbonate


in white masterbatches, for example,” says Paul Lloyd, President at Farrel Pomini. Other highly filled compounds and halogen free flame-retardant compounds benefit from the FCM as well. Lloyd says the FCM requires lower specific


48 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2024


a non-profit R&D organisation focused on Cana- dian forest products; West Fraser Timber company; and Good Natured Products, which produces bio-based rigid plastic sheet and parts, to develop wood-pulp filled bio-based and biodegradable plastic composites using Farrel Pomini’s FCM. Peng Ye, Applications Development Manager for Farrel Pomini, presented some results of the collabora- tion at NPE 2024. He reports that the wood pulp acts as a functional filler to improve compostability, improve heat deflection temperature, and lower cost and carbon footprint. The FCM has been found to provide good mixing of the wood pulp into PLA, and the low temperatures in the FCM can prevent colour generation from any residual lignin that remains in the purified wood pulp, says Ye. The FCM also has efficient venting for any residual moisture in the wood pulp. The researchers were able to reduce moisture levels from 3-4% in the incoming pulp to 0.05-0.1% in the finished compound. The FCM offers 15-30% energy savings compared to a twin-screw extruder, which can help reduce product carbon footprint, Ye reports. In one trial, injection-moulded disposable knives were pro- duced from a compound with up to 40% fibre. In another trial, thermoformed products and extrud- ed sheets were produced at industrial scale with a version of the compound containing from 0.5% to up to 10% fibre.


CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: � www.heritage-plastics.com � https://incoa.com � www.omya.com � https://madefromstone.com � www.imerys.com � www.imifabi.com � www.hpfminerals.com � www.avient.com � www.farrel-pomini.com � https://web.fpinnovations.ca


www.compoundingworld.com


Left: Farrel Pomini says that its Farrel Continuous Mixer is


well-suited for compounding high levels of fillers


IMAGE: FARREL POMINI


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