TPE produces soft film for medical, personal hygiene

New thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compounds from Teknor Apex enable suppliers of film for medical and personal-hygiene products to obtain softness, drape and the dry-to-touch feel of latex while taking advantage of the colorability and productivity of thermoplastics.

The Monoprene compounds are in commercial use for bands and straps used in physical therapy. Other potential health care applications include gowns, drapes, gloves and liners for hygienic products.

They are processable in conventional blown or cast film extrusion systems.

Teknor Apex 401-725-8000

High-flow PC for DVD replication

GE Plastics’ Lexan OQ1050 polycarbonate resin is now available with high-flow characteristics to meet the needs of replicators who want to improve DVD quality and replication efficiency. The material is suitable for high-density recordable formats such as DVD-RW and DVDRAM.

Lexan OQ1050 is produced using a continuous melt process that results in high clarity, melt flow consistency and purity.

GE Plastics 800-437-5278

High-clarity EVA film resins

Ateva 1061, 1062 and 1063 are part of a new series of high-clarity blown film grade EVA resins from AT Plastics. These Ateva grades offer film producers a choice of three different 6% VA, 1.8 melt index resins.

Ateva 1061 is barefoot, Ateva 1062 contains an antiblock, and Ateva 1063 contains a slip and antiblock package. By incorporating a novel high-clarity antiblock in its additive packages, AT Plastics can achieve a similar blocking level with 1 to 1.5 percent lower haze compared to a standard silica antiblock, for 1.25 mil films run at the same extrusion conditions.

AT Plastics Inc. 800-788-4073

Black concentrate for cable jacketing

Optimized for extrusion of communications and cable jacketing, Equistar’s Petrothene PM 92973 black concentrate is free of agglomerations that can cause pinholes and uneven jacketing surface. Compounds using PM 92973 have reduced shrinkage, are more thermo-mechanically stable, and less susceptible to degradation and oxidation than any other PE-based jacketing compound, reports Equistar.

The new polyethylene-based concentrate has a 40 percent carbon black loading of small particle-size carbon black for superior dispersion.

Field trials have indicated the concentrate reduces the amount of purge needed to stabilize extrusion lines during down time and change-overs.

Equistar Chemicals LP 713-652-7300

Additive eliminates sharkskin, enhances transparency

Atofina has developed a fluorinated copolymer, Kynar Flex PPA, for use as a process aid for the extrusion of polyolefin films.

The material is added in low concentrations to help increase processing speed while reducing energy consumption, processing temperatures and pressure. It enhances the film’s transparency and mechanical properties, and eliminates sharkskin surface defects and melt fracture.

Atofina Canada Inc. 800-567-5726