PP Cup Billed as Alternative to PS Foam
Cellular structure is created during the sheet extrusion process using atmospheric gas.
Berry Plastics Group, Inc. Evansville, Ind., recently introduced a new type of hot-beverage cup that reportedly offers performance and environmental advantages over foamed PS containers. Called Versalite, the cup is PP-based and is produced by a proprietary process in which a cellular structure is created the during sheet extrusion process using atmospheric gas.
The sheet, which is about 67-mils thick for hot-beverage applications, is then laminated to a decorative BOPP film “skin” and thermoformed, explains Jason Paladino, Berry’s v.p. of R&D. Berry has worked with several recyclers to prove that the cup can be recycled with the current PP stream. Versalite is also said to be far more durable than foamed PS cups. The new cup also is much thinner than PS foam cups and thus stacks more efficiently.
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