Additives
Hot-Fill Packaging: OPP and 'Panel-Less' PET Bottles Grab the Spotlight
Improved clarity and cost competitiveness, added to its inherent heat resistance, are reviving OPP’s prospects in hot-fill barrier containers. But hot-fill PET containers are raising the bar with higher productivity and ‘panel-less’ bottle designs.
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Foamed PLA Shows Promise In Biodegradable Meat Trays
Foamed food trays made of polylactic acid (PLA) resin, the corn-based biopolymer, have a commercial toehold in Europe and are undergoing market tests here.
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Carbon Nanotubes Improve In Properties, Purity and Price
ew suppliers and manufacturing technologies continue to emerge in the burgeoning field of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Recent news includes North American availability of CNFs from Austria’s Electrovac Group.
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New Starch-Based Bioplastics Arrive
Two new families of starch-based bioplastics are coming to the U.S. market.
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New Resins and Modifiers for Extruded Profiles
Among new developments discussed at the Profiles 2007 conference in Charlotte, N.C., were high-melt-strength polyolefin elastomers for use as ingredients in TPO compounds that can compete with TPVs and flexible PVC.
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New Additives and Colorants To Debut at K 2007
The world’s largest plastics show next month in Dusseldorf will highlight an unusual mix of new polymer additives, including some based on novel chemistries that reportedly set new levels of performance.
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Recycling E-Plastics New Material Stream Brings Its Own Set of Problems
Brominated flame retardants restrict its use. Most now goes to China, but new recycling processes promise to ‘clean up’ e-waste.
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Carbon Nanotubes Lots of Potential--If the Price is Right
With capacity scale-ups driving prices down, the pace has picked up for commerical applications that boost electrical and thermal conductivity, structural strength, and thermal stability.
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Metallic-Pigmented TPO Debuts in Auto Exterior Trim
A molded-in-color, high-gloss, metallic-pigmented TPO wheel flare is making its commercial appearance next month with the launch of the 2008 F-250 Super Duty pick-up truck from the Ford Motor Co.
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Hollow Glass Microspheres Stronger Spheres Tackle Injection Molding
Looking for a way to make lighter parts without giving up properties? New hollow microspheres are stronger than ever—enough to withstand the rigors of injection molding.
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