PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2010

PET products 32 PET planet insider Vol. 11 No. 07+08/10 www.petpla.net UVA additive with improved clarity Ampacet has launched a new mas- terbatch additive for UV protection that does not cause discoloration. Crystal- Clear achieves a clear non-yellow pack- age with protection up to 380nm and has been compounded for performance, clarity and cost efficiency. The company reports that the UVA performance of this product is 75% more effective than cur- rent UVA products for PET. It has also carried out a comparative study, which shows the additive reduces the cost per pound by up to 40% compared to similar products.The firm says that this product is less volatile and more soluble than standard additives, and it wont contrib- ute to plate-out issues during moulding . www.ampacet.com Compression moulded cap Silgan White Cap Europe/Asia has introduced a new closure in the advanced Plastic-Twist range. The 38mm CVT Plasti-Twist, which is the result of two years of development work, has been designed for cold and aseptic fill applications such as juices, health drinks, iced tea, fresh milk and milk drinks. The linerless closure is compres- sion moulded in polyethylene and fea- tures a “d form” tamper evident band. A special triple seal function provides three contact sealing areas for the closure and the container – top, inner and outer – ensuring a totally airtight seal. Other important features include pull-up con- trols that correspond to controls on PET bottles for immediate non-destructive visual checks of good closure applica- tion. The matt (as opposed to gloss) surface finish provides enhanced printing opportunities. Light weighting across the closure range KTW Group has launched a range of standard closures for beverages that bring light weighting advantages to all bottles, from 26 to 38mm. The company’s KTW 13 LT 26.7mm Alaska closure uses a shorter neck – 8.8mm compared with 14.5mm – that saves PET and is 0.9g lighter. It offers opportu- nities for material savings for companies that have not yet invested in PC1881 systems. At drinktec 2009, KTW presented its new 29/25 line for the coming season, which has a shorter height and is also lighter. It also announced that its KTW 9 LT 30/25 series will change to 29/25 and that it is currently selling the system for testing. KTW also makes high-performance 1881 closures for CSD; users include Coca-Cola. It is also launching a new one-piece closure system that includes an internal seal. “We are seeking to optimise mould solu- tions with less, energy, which is an ongoing process,” said Markus Bohn. “Step by step, we are improving performance by making lighter closures, faster run- ning moulds and using less PE and energy.” www.ktw-group.com New slip concentrate for polyester based polymers Croda Polymer Additives has announced the launch of Atmer 7510 – a new slip concentrate. It is a 10% con- centrate of the company’s IncroMax 100 product in a PET carrier system. The firm says the new product can reduce surface friction by up to 60%, improving product quality and process efficiency in both PET film and sheet, as well as injection moulding. It also claims that the slip has no adverse effect on PET colour or clar- ity. Target applications include beverage bottles, household and cosmetic bottles, thermoformed trays and tubs, food pack- aging, and PET film and extruded sheet. www.croda.com/pa Moulded frosted glass effect for PET Chroma Corporation has released a new masterbatch for sale to the high- end cosmetics, personal care and alcohol markets wanting to give PET bottles a frosted-glass look. The company estimates that the moulded frosted plastic bottles the product would produce cost at least 90% less than those that are painted. It also says that the colour of this type of container is more durable as it is moulded into the plastic. The corporation says that its clients are enthusi- astic about frosted looking plastic packaging because they want to duplicate the appearance of sandblasted glass, with the shatterproof safety of plastic. The product can be used to achieve this look for PET and other clear resins as part of injection moulding preform, reheat blow moulding or sheet extrusion. It can also be tinted. The different use rates, typically between 1 and 5%, allow processors to control the intensity of the frosted effect, ranging from translu- cent to opaque.