Leading polyolefins additives supplier Milliken Chemical has innovative solutions to showcase at the upcoming Gulfood Manufacturing 2018 exhibition for clear packaging applications in polypropylene and PET. At that Nov. 6-8 show in Dubai, Milliken will demonstrate why NX UltraClear PP is the optimal, cost-effective option to help brand owners address the growing packaging trends for both resource efficiency and attention-grabbing appeal.
Milliken also will demonstrate at the fair how its ClearShield UV absorber for clear and light-colored PET bottles and containers protects and preserves UV-sensitive packed goods. Polypropylene (PP) traditionally has yielded an undesirable milky or translucent look when thermoformed into packaging. But Milliken has eliminated that visual shortcoming with Millad NX 8000, which yields NX UltraClear PP that offers glass-like clarity and transparency and can rival such properties usually associated only with PET and polystyrene (PS).
“NX UltraClear PP, which is polypropylene clarified with Milliken’s Millad NX 8000, is the ideal material to bring exceptional clarity, aesthetics, lightweighting and increased sustainability to a variety of commercial packaging applications,” according to Samer Kesrouani, Milliken Key Account Manager – ME. “It offers the clarity of materials such as PET, while delivering specific benefits for different processes” — all of which Milliken will highlight at Gulfood Manufacturing 2018 (Hall 4, Booth C-4-44).
When it comes to thermoformed and foldable packaging, NX UltraClear PP delivers a vast range of property and performance benefits to converters and brand owners, allowing the resin to offer an all-round packaging solution. It offers glass-like transparency rivaling that of commonly used resins such as A-PET and polystyrene, while also offering a glossier appearance than that normally associated with standard, nucleated polypropylene.
NX UltraClear PP also weighs significantly less than the traditional alternatives. With a significantly lower density than other plastic material options, it reduces the weight of the thermoformed part. PP’s density of 0,9kg/m³ compared to PET’s density of 1,37kg/m³ allows converters to produce significantly more units per kilo of material. Using less material also can help to reduce eco-tax contributions.
Other benefits include greater stiffness and impact strength, excellent sealing effectiveness, hot filling, retort and microwave ability and recycling and sustainability, since polypropylene offers a compelling circular-economy story with strong markets already established for recycled PP in a variety of end products. And as a material, PP consumes the least amount of energy during production and produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions than alternatives.
Injection molders use NX UltraClear PP because it can help them to boost productivity and enhance sustainability. The material allows molders to reduce processing temperatures from 235°C to 190°C, resulting in lower energy use, reduced CO2 emissions and up to 10% faster cycle times.
NX UltraClear PP allows brand owners to develop lightweight bottles with integrated handles and complex, eye-catching designs. These extrusion blow molded (EBM) bottles are also easier and faster to empty than other options, thereby reducing product waste. Polypropylene made using Milliken’s Millad NX 8000E additive offers the lowest density and lower weight compared to glass and all alternative EBM plastics.
Milliken’s advances are not limited to polypropylene. The company also brings real value to PET packaging via its ClearShield UV absorber. This technology effectively protects UV-sensitive packed contents from degradation while maintaining the clarity and transparency of PET.
This is vital, since brand owners are responding to consumer demands by using more natural ingredients in both solid or liquid food and vitamins. But exposure to UV light can degrade such ingredients, and negatively impact the consistency of such packages’ contents — be it in appearance, fragrance, color, flavor or nutrient value –– and can damage the brand owner’s image.
ClearShield technology offers an alternative, simpler way to provide UV protection. By incorporating the UV absorber into the PET package itself, it allows brand owners to remove UV additives from the formulations of the packaged contents. This can lower cost by simplifying the formulation process and reducing the amount of UV additive needed.
There also are environmental advantages. By enabling greater use of more natural and uncolored PET, ClearShield helps to reduce or eliminate the need to use dark or colored containers to protect the contents. Such opaque and colored PET materials tend to make the recycle stream dark, which can make recycling more difficult and lessen the value of the reclaimed product.
Check out the clear advantages of Milliken’s various food and beverage packaging solutions at Gulfood Manufacturing 2018 (www.gulfoodmanufacturing.com) from Nov. 6-8, 2018, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Stop by and visit Milliken in Hall 4, Booth C4-44.
