Equipolymers
Equipolymers has launched a BPA-free PET resin designed for large bottling applications including the home and office delivery water bottle market - offering the potential to replace polycarbonate in water coolers. Named ‘Bisneinex’, Equipolymers says that the resin is intended to create no impact on raw material cost and may potentially improve processing cost conditions due to lower energy usage for large container sizes including five gallon and 20 litre applications. The resin will be available in limited quantities this year, with expanded production planned for 2014.
Bisneinex is aimed specifically at injection moulding and stretch blow moulding processes (two stage process) as well as for injection stretch blow moulding for production of large volume containers which require thick-walled pre-forms and reduced crystallization rates. The group is also claiming that relative to standard PET, its new resin, currently in final application testing, provides a number of improved process and bottle performance benefits including. These include a large processing window due to reduced recrystallization behaviour; thermal stability (low shrinkage); colour performance; drop test and top load performance.
“The newest addition to our portfolio, Bisneinex, demonstrates our commitment to delivering the innovative PET solutions that our customers demand. It is a truly unique material that helps our customers move from polycarbonate to PET in a cost effective manner while meeting regulatory and consumer demands for a BPA-free plastic,” said Naser Al Dousari, Chief Operating Officer, Equipolymers.
“As an alternative to polycarbonate (PC) in the five gallon application, Bisneinex maintains good aesthetics while eliminating any regulatory or consumer issues related to existing and developing bans of bisphenol-A. As a benefit for the manufacturer, it requires very minimal changes to existing manufacturing processes, and can be used on PC lines with only minor modifications to the equipment,” said Antonello Ciotti, Commercial Director, Equipolymers.