Milliken Chemical, a division of Milliken and Company, will spotlight its innovative Millad NX8000 clarifier for polypropylene (PP) at Booth 54055 in the South building at NPE 2009, the International Plastics Showcase in Chicago, from June 22-26. Millad NX8000, which offers a typical 50 percent reduction in haze compared with the current industry standard, is driving expanded use of cost-effective PP as replacement for glass and other clear polymers in food storage and packaging applications.
Milliken will also highlight two complementary products: ClearTint® colorants for clarified PP, which add dramatic effects and rich color without impacting transparency; and Hyperform® additives for polyolefins, which improve dimensional performance, mechanical properties, processing speed, and aesthetics. Hyperform is used primarily in packaging, automotive, closure, and media applications.
In addition to spotlighting these innovative technologies at NPE 2009, Milliken will also announce that the company’s Blacksburg, S.C., manufacturing facility for Millad NX8000 clarifier is in full production to supply global customers with this breakthrough product, which was honored with the 2008 R&D 100 Award. This prestigious award program from R&D magazine has been honoring outstanding new products for 45 years.
“As manufacturers face strong cost pressures and increasing demand for environmentally responsible materials, Milliken technologies are providing an answer for both challenges,” said Brian Burkhart, global market manager, Milliken Chemical. “Our Millad NX8000 clarifier enables polypropylene to be substituted for materials that are more expensive, denser and more difficult to recycle. Clarified PP not only provides transparency approaching that of polycarbonate, but also is easy to process, requires less resin, offers excellent performance properties, and can be accommodated in existing recycling systems. Polypropylene clarified with Millad NX8000 is an ideal material for today’s cost-conscious, environmentally aware consumers. For current users of clear polypropylene, PP with Millad NX8000 is an excellent way to refresh a product with a much clearer, cleaner look.”
Milliken customers have leveraged the benefits of clarified PP in diverse applications, ranging from baby bottles to food storage containers, which will be on display at NPE in Milliken’s booth. By using PP clarified with Millad NX8000 vs. styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) or polycarbonate (PC), for example, customers achieved both the transparency and aesthetics they desired as well as the impact resistance they needed for better durability. Additionally, the material supports environmental goals in two ways: with its lower density, PP requires less resin than other clear polymers, reducing the amount of non-renewable resources used in manufacture; and it is more easily recycled in the existing waste management infrastructure.
Further, Millad NX8000 clarifying agent makes PP an appealing choice because of its broader processing window, material strength and rigidity, and chemical resistance. Polypropylene clarified with Millad NX8000 can be processed using all available technologies.