Apr 26 2005
Basell has developed a new high fluidity polypropylene grade that can address customer requests for more demanding resin performance in melt blown textile applications.
The resin, Moplen HF1005, is a very narrow molecular weight homopolymer with a melt flow rate (MFR) of 1500 and is the latest addition to Basell’s comprehensive nonwovens grade range.
According to Franco Sartori, technical manager for nonwovens and textiles at Basell, the resin can offer particular advantages in the production of ultra-thin meltblown fibres. “The new Moplen material is spherical in form,” he said, “and test results show that it can increase fluidity in compounding operations. This is enabling converters to achieve processing cost-savings compared to standard 800 MFR resins.”
“It also has improved barrier properties such as hydrohead that can be achieved at much lower processing temperatures with significant cost saving in the melt blown process compared to standard high fluidity resins,” said Sartori. “The lower processing temperature is expected to be beneficial during the production of colored melt blown nonwovens, as it can minimize organic pigment degradation and improve processability.”
He added, “We have found that Moplen HF1005 can produce very thin fibres to achieve a comfortable, soft-touch feel. Some customers using spun melt mutli-layer nonwovens for filters and protective medical garments often require this high level of performance.”
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