Sukano, the world’s leading developer and manufacturer of additives, masterbatches and polyester and specialty resin compounds, has introduced a new flux additive masterbatch for injection-pull-blow (“ISBM”) PET bottle. Plastic recycling machine

This new additive masterbatch allows bottle manufacturers and brand operators to run their conveyor systems and robots without the need for spray coating.

The bottle must be free to rotate as it passes through the conveyor belt of the production line, as forced rotation caused by friction can cause blockage of the production line.

The new SUKANO® Mobility Aid solution is considered to be the first commercial product developed for this application, as a solid PET masterbatch that is blended with pure PET or RPET materials during molding or processing.

Even at low concentrations, the masterbatch can be continuously dispersed through the PET material, thereby reducing the coefficient of friction and changing the surface texture of the microstructure.

This new masterbatch produces a silica-like flow aid effect in PET materials that maintains the transparency of the material with minimal haze.

It is ideal for transparent, translucent and tinted bottles for personal care, home and cleaning, cosmetics and food and beverage applications. It is also very adaptable because PET materials containing new masterbatch can be used in existing ISBM bottles. Processing on production equipment without having to make changes to the equipment.

Sukano is currently helping a US customer optimize their production processes.

As an important global leader in the consumer goods industry, the customer used Sukano’s SUKANO® Mobility Aid masterbatch to reduce the pick-up of PET bottles by a factor of six.

The uniform distribution of the masterbatch improves the material properties.

This additive masterbatch retains secondary processing steps that require bonding, such as labeling and printing.

It also helps to reduce costs and reduce the associated cleaning requirements associated with spraying, as it leaves waxy residue on the bottles and packaging equipment and must be cleaned regularly.

In addition, SUKANO® Mobility Aid masterbatch also avoids the potential risk of microbial contamination of the bottle surface caused by water-based coatings.

In order to develop new PET additive masterbatches, Sukano has expanded its expertise in the development of PET masterbatches by developing more than 30 years of experience in developing masterbatches for packaging film extrusion.

“SUKANO® Mobility Aid offers a valuable and safe alternative to bottle manufacturers who have so far applied coatings in PET preforms and PET bottles to manage production issues related to ISBM production.” Sukano Michael Kirch, head of global R&D, said, “Bottle producers and brand operators can now continuously run their conveyor lines without interruption and minimize robotic pick-up operations to increase productivity and maximize production. Our high performance masterbatch technology is suitable for any conveyor system.”

The recyclability of PET is critical in a world of increasing environmental concerns.

Sukano’s innovative mobility additive is also in no way in this respect, as it is formulated in accordance with the EU PET bottle platform guidelines, which helps the industry to innovate and bring new PET bottle packaging solutions to market without A clear focus on the existing PET recycling value chain that is specifically focused on “bottle to bottle recycling”.

Sukano is committed to the concept of “circular economy” and recently joined forces with European plastic recycling companies to establish a global plastics promotion alliance and to publish a globally uniform definition of plastic recyclability.

This new flux additive supports the PET value chain to maintain and further enhance its recycling goals to fulfill its voluntary commitment to “beyond the plastics strategic goal of 2025 (for PET recovery)”.
Article link: China Plastic Online