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Sustainability Benefits of Broad Polyolefin Additives Portfolio at Chinaplas

At Chinaplas 2013 (Booth #10.2C11), from May 20-23, Milliken & Company will showcase the sustainability benefits that customers can achieve by leveraging the company’s advanced additive technologies for polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE). The company’s next-generation Millad® NX™ 8000 clarifiers, Hyperform® nucleating agents and Hyperform reinforcing agents deliver a range of environmental advantages, from reduced energy consumption and light-weighting to new recycling opportunities. In addition to displaying housewares and food packaging applications featuring these additive technologies, Milliken will invite attendees to use its special calculator to gauge anticipated energy savings from upgrading to Millad NX 8000 clarifier, which allows PP to be processed at significantly lower temperatures.

Further, Shawn Lu, China technical manager, will offer a technical seminar on Milliken’s commitment to sustainability with innovative polyolefin additive solutions. The seminar will be held on May 21 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Room 6, Zone B, Level C.
“Today’s housewares and packaging manufacturers expect more than excellent aesthetics and high performance from polyolefins – they are looking for sustainability advantages as well,” said Jean Hall, business manager, Milliken & Company. “By enhancing polypropylene and polyethylene with Milliken clarifiers, nucleating agents and reinforcing agents, molders and converters can achieve environmental benefits that provide a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Milliken continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions that not only improve product quality and processing efficiency, but also contribute to the sustainability of plastics.”

Millad NX 8000 Clarifier Cuts Energy Consumption
Milliken’s next-generation Millad NX 8000 clarifier for polypropylene, which enables PP to approach the clarity of glass or glass-like polymers (e.g. polycarbonate, etc.), also allows the material to be processed at significantly lower temperatures of 190C to 200C, a reduction of up to 40 degrees vs. traditional clarifiers. These cooler temperatures reduce energy consumption and associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Further, the superior clarifying performance of Millad NX 8000 promotes broader use of PP – a low-density, easily recycled plastic – to replace less-sustainable materials in packaging, household, food storage, appliances and other applications.
In addition to these environmental advantages, PP clarified with Millad NX 8000 agent can help converters and molders increase throughput to drive down system costs. With less heat to remove, customers can shorten cooling times and increase productivity. Over more than 100 trials carried out by Milliken have proven that the additive can regularly yield cycle time reductions of up to 15 percent and energy saving of up to 10 percent and more.

Hyperform HPR Agents Reduce Weight
While improving the mechanical properties and appearance of PP in automotive interior and exterior components, Hyperform HPR-803i synthetic reinforcing agent can also reduce part weight while delivering high stiffness compared to traditional filled automotive compounds. Weight-reduction is an important strategy among automakers for reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. In addition, Hyperform HPR reinforcement – used alone or with talc – yields parts with excellent surface finish and scratch resistance, and can offer improved colorability. Samples of automotive parts will also be on display at the booth.

Hyperform HPN Agents Support Recycling Efforts
Hyperform HPN nucleating agents enable wider use of PE, an easily recycled plastic, in diverse packaging applications. This family of high-speed nucleating agents provide higher crystallization temperatures for PP and PE, allowing faster de-molding of parts to cut cycle times and drive productivity improvements of 10 to 20 percent. Hyperform HPN-20E nucleator for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) is suitable for blown film, extrusion blow molding and injection molding, as well as in linear low density PE (LLDPE), especially C4 gas phase LLDPE. At the booth, Milliken will display a new HDPE cap/closure sample featuring Hyperform HPN nucleating agent.

About Milliken
Milliken is an innovation company that has been exploring, discovering, and creating ways to enhance people’s lives since 1865. Working from our laboratories, application and development centers around the world, our scientists and engineers create coatings, specialty chemicals, and advanced additive and colorant technologies that transform the way we experience products from automotive plastics to children’s art supplies. With expertise across a breadth of disciplines that also includes floor covering and performance materials, the people of Milliken work every day to add true value to people’s lives, improve health and safety, and make this world more sustainable. For more information, visit www.millikenchemical.com or www.milliken.com.

Millad and Hyperform are registered trademarks of Milliken & Company.
NX is a trademark of Milliken & Company.