ADDITIVES | CLARIFIERS AND NUCLEATORS
provide near glass-like clarity in PP, enabling brand owners to replace PET, PS and PC. The company adds that rising energy prices have also driven interest in resin or additive solutions that can help converters save energy during processing and improve production efficiency. Savings can be certified and brand owners using PP clarified with Millad NX 8000 ECO can display a UL Environmental Claim Validation label on their injection moulded parts. Like many clear polymers, PP is lightweight and durable but it is also one of the least energy-intensive polymers to manufacture and recycle. Beyond clarification, Milliken’s Hyperform
Above: Milliken’s new plant at Blacksburg in the US increases its Millad NX 8000 clarifier capacity by 50%
Bhavesh Gandhi, Global Product Line Manager Millad NX 8000 (ECO). “It also allows for the replacement of other clear resins with lightweight, durable and highly recyclable PP. Used to produce NX UltraClear PP resin, this clarifying agent is also approved for use in food-contact applications.” He adds that injection moulders using the
material can save both energy and money, due to lower processing temperatures and cycle times that can be faster than with resin formulated using traditional clarifiers. This lifts productivity. It can also reduce CO2
emissions, although Milliken emphasises that CO2 emission reductions based on
cycle time and energy savings are highly depend- ent on the source of the energy used. That warning aside, the company says research shows that an injection moulder processing 1,000 tonnes of PP clarified with Millad NX 8000 ECO can save hours in manufacturing cycle time and significantly reduce energy use.
Right: Nucleation can be used in large diameter non-pressure pipe to support down-gauging
Rising to demand Milliken has recently started production at a new clarifier plant located at Blacksburg in South Carolina in the US. It says the facility will increase production capacity for the Millad NX 8000 PP clarifier by more than 50% and addresses strong demand for clarified plastic products. The company says demand for its Millad NX 8000 clarifier has grown at an 11% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) over each of the past nine years and adds global clarifier demand grew by 16% in the past two years alone, outstripping growth rates for global PP resin. All regions have contributed to the growth of clarified PP, according to Milliken, but Asia leads the way. A number of factors are driving demand. The company’s own customer research under- scores the importance of being able to clearly see the products they are buying. Milliken’s clarifier can
54 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2023
nucleator additives can enhance the performance of PP resin in broader applications. “They resolve many of the production issues that converters may encounter when using traditional nucleators, including shrinkage and warpage, while eliminat- ing the typical trade-off between stiffness and impact performance,” says Vivian Luk, Global Product Line Manager Hyperform HPN. “They also enable thin-wall injection moulders to save energy and increase productivity by reducing both cooling and cycle times during processing,” Luk says. UL Environment & Sustainability, a unit of the global UL group, has certified that use of Hyperform HPN enables an average of 5-8% energy savings for firms producing thin-wall injection moulded PP products, such as food containers, lids and similar applications.
Extrusion benefits Hyperform HPN can also provide benefits beyond injection moulding. When formulated in polypro- pylene block (PPB) copolymers, it is well suited for use in extrusion of large-diameter, non-pressure sewage, and drainage pipe systems, where it offers faster crystallisation speeds and allows
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IMAGE: MILLIKEN
IMAGE: MILLIKEN
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