Speciality additives enhance plastics

Consumer products and packaging made from plastics today are bright, clear, colourful and increasingly cost efficient thanks to plastic additives created by Milliken and Company.

Consumer products and packaging made from plastics today are bright, clear, colourful and increasingly cost efficient thanks to plastic additives created by Milliken and Company.

Combining a portfolio of innovative polymer offerings with global research and development and technical support, Milliken is increasingly recognised as a leading global source for plastic packaging solutions and innovative polymeric additives.

"Our focus is on inventing polymer additive technologies that result in improved product quality, both aesthetically and functionally", said Jean Hall, Business Manager of the Plastic Additives Business of Milliken.

"From the production of clear baby bottles to durable storage containers, we work throughout the supply chain to understand and then help meet the needs of each link, starting at resin manufacturing through converting and ultimately to consumers".

Milliken's stable of innovative polymer-based plastics additives is extensive.

Enabling the highest transparency commercially possible, Millad 3988 is the world's most widely used clarifying agent for PP.

It is recognised across the globe for superior clarity and processing advantages.

Millad clarified PP also has many benefits compared to other clear plastic materials including a lower density, strength and cost effectiveness.

Millad has been instrumental in the expansion of polypropylene into many value added applications, such as cosmetic bottles and food storage containers.

This extension of end use applications for clarified polypropylene is continuing with a recent push by Milliken in support of extremely clear packaging for optical media storage, including the rapidly expanding DVD market, and injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM) bottle market for fresh juices and dairy products.

Designed specifically to work in conjunction with Millad, ClearTint colorants provide the brightest, cleanest, and most transparent colours available for polypropylene.

Benefits of ClearTint include deep rich shades unavailable with traditional pigment colours, which are FDA compliant, non-migrating and non-extracting.

ClearTint provides users with consistent colour matching capabilities on a global basis.

Applications for ClearTint colorants include diverse markets such as colourful packaging for detergents, shampoos and cosmetics, food storage containers and soft drink container closures.

These products can also be formulated to meet USP requirements for light transmission in pharmaceutical packaging.

Recent research conducted on behalf of Milliken showed bottled beverages with a see-through plastic caps are much more likely to be chosen by consumers than those with opaque caps, with 62% of all respondents preferring the see-through plastic cap.

ClearShield is a homogenous, non-settling liquid polymer created exclusively as an additive for PET containers to provide maximum protection against damaging UV rays without imparting colour to the package.

It protects against loss of flavour, nutritional value and colour of beverages.

Incorporated during the resin manufacturing process or during container moulding, ClearShield does not impact the colour or clarity of PET containers and will not migrate into beverages, food or other products.

It is FDA compliant.

ClearShield can be found in food and beverage containers whose contents are sensitive to UV exposure, such as juices, fortified waters, milk and nutritional beverages.

Hyperform HPN-68L is a high-speed nucleating agent for polypropylene that promotes extremely fast crystallisation, resulting in improved processing speed and productivity.

Hyperform also enhances product quality through improved dimensional stability, isotropic shrinkage and physical property balance.

Hyperform HPN-68L applications include closures, automotive parts, lawn furniture, returnable plastics packaging and appliance parts.

In addition to offering a wide array of advanced polymeric additives, Milliken's global technical services and research and development teams support customers in all aspects of plastic additives applications.

Development and technical services centres in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Gent Belgium, Singapore and Sao Paulo, Brazil respond quickly to customer needs virtually anywhere in the world.

"As a global plastic additives provider, we can support the application of consistent solutions on a worldwide basis", Hall said.

"Our support services begin with helping to define our customers' requirements and proceed through development, testing and ongoing production support".

Milliken offers product support throughout the entire supply chain, from resin manufacturing to part design and fabrication.

At each stage, on site technical assistance is available as well as an extensive array of analytical, optical and physical testing.

"Milliken's strength lies in the combination of technically advanced, polymer-based additives that are supported by research and development and customer technical services worldwide", Hall said.

"The industry can count on Milliken to continue offering products that allow our customers to provide their customers with an enhanced product experience year after year".

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