Milliken
Milliken’s Millad NX 8000 clarifying agent for polypropylene (PP) can save material, save energy, save time and save money, all while achieving high quality end products, claims the group.
This additive was developed to meet the requirements of plastics processors, offering optical and physical properties balanced with productivity increases and energy efficiency for injection moulded, blow moulded and extruded polyolefin-based applications. It advances low temperature processing and sets new benchmarks in the aesthetics and performance of PP, contribute to new opportunities for inter-material replacement, enable lighter weight parts, and promote more sustainable end-applications.
The rapid conversion of 70% of the clarified PP market to Millad NX 8000, considered to be the clarifier of choice for new transparent PP applications, indicates the high value placed on its ability to deliver productivity improvements of up to 18%, energy savings of up to 13% and 10% reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, in addition to giving a fresher, cleaner look to PP-based applications.
The clarifying agent makes it possible for PP parts to be made with optical properties until now only associated with more glass-like polymers such as polycarbonate, polystyrene, and acrylics. With its lower density, PP provides a solution that is less costly and with a lower carbon footprint—in short, more sustainable. Polystyrene is already being replaced by PP containing Millad NX 8000 for thermoformed food containers and cups for cold drinks, while some coffee blenders are now using new PP grades instead of polycarbonate.
Supporting the general trend towards higher-flow and faster-processing grades of PP, the solubility of Millad NX 8000 in PP is far better than previous generations of clarifying agents. This is especially important in the production of housewares and thin walled products, where processors are constantly searching for productivity improvements.
Milliken has been focusing on helping converters to process polypropylenes clarified with Millad NX 8000 at lower temperatures to improve productivity and save energy. Milliken has also been working closely with brand owners to achieve their sustainability targets by replacing materials like polystyrene as well as PET and PC, and it has also been working with resin producers on new developments in high MFR PP injection moulding grades.