PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2017

MATERIALS / RECYCLING PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 01+02/17 www.petpla.net 10 A wide variety for food and non-food packaging Heat resistant PET polymers by Kay Barton Ester Industries, which is headquartered in Gurgaon (Gurugram), Haryana State, India, recently announced the commercial launch of a series of speciality polymer resins for packaging of beer, other beverages, liquid food and non-food items. produced by conventional ISBM or EBM processes on existing machines without any need for special heat set blow moulding processes, which means that there is no need for high levels of investment in special equip- ment, nor is there any requirement for additional operating or material cost. ESPET HR products can be used for manufacturing containers which can be hot filled at 84°C to 90°C, facilitat- ing extended product shelf life. Ester claims that the material has a bril- liant look and is suitable for food and beverage hot fill applications such as sauces, jams, condiments, juices, etc. It is completely recyclable under RIC code 1. Ester has an HR series grade that is suitable for manufacturing four to five gallon containers that are typically used for packaging of water. They can be hot washed at 70°C for 35-40 cycles. The company has also announced a newly-developed co-polymer for its HR range that has improved thermal, mechanical and optical properties, as well as good CO 2 and O 2 characteris- tics. It is heat resistance of up to 55°C and is particularly suitable for compa- nies using PET for beer packaging. It uses Ester’s modified PBN polymer, which is blended with its HR-01A and is claimed to offer better transparency and recyclability than nylon-MXD6. Packaging beer in containers made of this grade provides beer with a shelf life of more than nine months. Ester says that its ESPBN (clear modified PBN) is transparent, has good thermal, mechanical and barrier properties, and is suitable for food contact application and packaging. It can be used both in monolayer and multilayer applications. Its barrier prop- erties are not adversely influenced by temperature or humidity. It has good adhesion to PET, as it is a polyester with the same glass transition tempera- ture as PET; there is no delamination in multilayer containers. No tie layer is required, which means to lower cost. www.esterindustries.com Ester’s heat-resistant PET, which can be produced using conventional ISBM or EBM manufacturing pro- cesses, can be filled with products at temperatures up to 90°C without vul- nerability to deformation or destruction of the bottle, keg or other container. Its clear, modified PBN (polybutylene naphthalate), which is transparent and has good barrier properties, can be used in the preparation of both mon- olayer and multilayer containers. Ester has three business divisions: BoPET Films; Engineering Plastics; and Specialty Polymers. Their produc- tion capacities are 57,000t/a; 26,000 t/a; and 47,0000t/a respectively. Spe- cialty Polymers includes the develop- ment of newly polymers for the PET industry. Ester says that its ESPET HR heat-resistant PET resin series can cope with filling temperatures above commonly used methods. Contain- ers made with HR-03 resin can be Material bales waiting for further procedure at Ester’s premises in Gurgaon, India