Huntsman has announced the availability of a family of polyether-based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) food contact materials (FCM) that are approved for use in potable water applications.
Huntsman
Fully compliant with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards and NSF 61 certified by NSF International – the US public health and safety organisation – the range comprises three TPU grades that can be extruded to create hoses, tubes, belts and films for food and drink related applications.
Part of Huntsman’s well known IROGRAN TPU portfolio, the materials are more resistant to water than standard polyester TPUs, are easy to clean and have a high tolerance to microbial attack. Available in hardness levels ranging from 80 to 92 Shore A, the TPUs are highly transparent and offer good crystallinity. They also deliver good low temperature flexibility and are easily processable with a high extrusion quality. The three products are:
- IROGRAN A 80 P 5039 FCM TPU
- IROGRAN A 85 P 4394 FCM TPU
- IROGRAN A 92 P 4637 FCM TPU
Huntsman has been developing materials for the FCM market since the 1990s and has an in-depth understanding of industry regulations. With an unwavering commitment to product quality, the business has developed one of the broadest portfolios of polyester- and polyether-based TPUs available to the FCM market. Different grades, with distinctive characteristics, are available for technical extrusion, injection molding and calendaring projects – delivering benefits to manufacturers operating throughout the food and drink supply chain from field to fork.
Michael Griffin, Account Manager at Huntsman, said: “The population of planet earth is booming with estimates suggesting there will be 11 billion people worldwide by 2100. More people will mean greater demand for food and water, which in turn will require more efficient farming, food processing, transportation and storage techniques. The need for high quality FCM materials that can be easily processed and offer long-lasting performance is only going to increase. The availability of three FDA and NSF approved polyether-based IROGRAN® TPU grades opens up new options for food and drink manufacturers worldwide.”
Samples of Huntsman’s IROGRAN® FCM grades are available on request. Two new FCM grades are also in the pipeline, which are ideal for calendaring applications but also suitable for technical extrusion projects. For more information please contact: paola_palma_faoro@huntsman.com
