High performance random PP

In 2000, polypropylene (PP) was the most used plastic in Western Europe and consumed 6.9 million tons, of which 48% was for molding and 52% for extrusion. Although PP only accounts for a small share of blow molding, the increase is rapid. At present, blow molding consumes about 100,000 tons of PP. It is expected that the outlook for blown PP will be optimistic.

In recent years, the annual growth rate of PP has been maintained at around 5-6%, while the annual growth rate of PP blowing is more than 10% per year. The main reason for PP growth is that with the economic growth, PP has replaced other plastics and packaging materials; it has not grown much due to new applications. Industries that use PP blow molding include cleaners, cosmetics, foods, medicines, and the like.

From the polymer point of view, since random PP has high transparency, it has an advantage in the market. Polypropylene PP copolymers are often used when it is necessary to have higher impact resistance at low temperatures than high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and to have better chemical/environmental stress crack resistance. Compared with HDPE, PP has excellent transparency, while other transparent materials such as PET are limited in design possibilities (handles, handles), PVC is limited by legislation in Europe, and PC is too expensive.

Borealis has been developing PP blowing market in Europe for many years, providing high transparency and impact resistance random PP such as RB477MO, RB307MO, RB607MO; high heat filling and rigidity such as random RB206MO, and heterophasic copolymer such as BB125MO.

For single-layer applications for cleaners, foods, and cosmetics, high-impact, random PP is an ideal grade. Multilayer bottles and strong cosmetic bottles in the food industry are often sourced from the RB206MO.

If PP is to be further expanded in the market, processing performance can be improved (compared with HDPE by extrusion blow molding compared with HDPE), and further improved optical performance and impact resistance.

New level of randomness

The RB206MO is a new grade of random PP that is specially used to make high performance bottles. The bottle can withstand hot filling temperatures up to 100°C without permanent deformation. Even at high temperatures, the RB206MO maintains excellent stiffness, which means it allows higher productivity in hot fill lines. Another feature of this material is that due to its superior stiffness, the weight of the bottle can be reduced, which saves material and transportation costs. In addition, the material uses a unique set of additives that provide better resistance to high temperatures, thereby reducing the number of cleaning guard channels, mold surfaces, dies, and fixed cores. As the material is easy to be extruded, it has good heapability and excellent nucleation effect, so it is particularly suitable for high-performance production lines and saves the material of multi-layer bottles even more.

Newly developed additives for this material can eliminate fouling, additive migration and resulting optical defects. In addition, effective nucleating agents help the finished product achieve consistent gloss and clarity. Using the same mold, it is possible to produce better products than other nucleation random PPs.

The excellent physical properties and excellent processability of the RB206MO make it an ideal random PP grade for hot fill applications. Its main advantage is its good stiffness and heat resistance. It can therefore be used in applications where the finished product needs to be sterilized, such as in the food industry.

Its robustness allows for innovative designs, and its high transparency also makes it an alternative to the cosmetics industry because of its particular importance in the cosmetic industry.