New Milliken PP additive for thermoforming

Designed for use by thermoformers, Milliken & Company’s Chemical Division’s latest high-performance additive for polypropylene (PP) homopolymers delivers an excellent balance of physical properties and superb aesthetics—all enabled through cleaner chemistry.

Hyperform® HPN® 909ei checks all those boxes, and more, as this formulation also addresses an important aspect for safety reassurance in the European Union. Tailored specifically to minimise migration, especially in food-contact applications, this new grade of Hyperform has one Specific Migration Limit (SML) less than the previous generation product. A lower number of SMLs means there is one less substance that must be monitored and tested for, reducing customers’ compliance burden. With this simplification, the reassurance of safety is even stronger. This is vital, given that this type of PP homopolymer is typically used to thermoform drink cups and lids, food packaging, and trays.

Traditional nucleating agents require customers to sacrifice impact to gain greater stiffness. Hyperform HPN 909ei, however, delivers improved stiffness (flexural modulus) while maintaining the impact performance. It also provides isotropic shrinkage (similar shrinkage in both directions, thereby reducing warpage) and a higher heat-deflection temperature, which offers improved heat resistance vital for hot-fill and microwaveable applications. It also helps to override the nucleation effects of pigments, thereby reducing design complexity.

Hyperform HPN 909ei achieves all this without sacrificing aesthetics. “In fact,” notes Bhavesh Gandhi, global product line manager for Milliken’s Chemical Division, “it yields products with excellent optical properties, including lower haze, reduced yellowing and an overall cleaner look. This can further enhance sustainability,” he says, “by allowing end users to replace other resins in various applications with highly recyclable polypropylene, with its low overall carbon footprint.”

With its growing range of Hyperform HPN high-performance additives, Milliken continues to help converters improve their processing and enhance the performance of their final PP parts.