The Austria-based company said that the new random copolymer, Borclear RE936CF, is intended for the production of high gloss PP blown and cast films used in flexible food packaging that require excellent aesthetics, such as pasta.
Nina Ackermans, marketing manager for the Borealis Business Film and Fibre unit told FoodProductionDaily.com that the development of the Borclear RE936CF was in response to market demands for a grade that would produce orange peel-free cast films at high line speeds.
Cost efficiences
She said that the copolymer provides good transparency and enables efficiency improvements during film production:
“Where other films’ optics deteriorate with increasing line speed, this new grade allows more than 15 per cent higher film line speed while maintaining equally good optical properties.”
Ackerman claims this enhanced productivity adds value to the packaging film converters’ operations, which should translate into cost savings for their food manufacturer customer base.
Polymer design
She explained that the grade is produced using the company’s Borstar PP 2G technology, which she said is a major step up from bimodal technology and yields new possibilities in polymer design.
“The technology enables the most precise molecular tailoring of PP to date, helping achieve an optimal balance between processability and mechanical strength.
“As a result, extremely pure PP grades with low amounts of catalyst residue can be produced under safe and reliable operating conditions.”
Sealing strength
The company said that, in addition to new levels of purity, the packaging industry will be able to take advantage of materials that are transparent but tough and have good sealing strength.
Borealis also recently introduced a new PP injection moulding grade of plastic resin that the company claims cuts down on the amount of material needed in the manufacture of food containers.
It said its Bormod RJ900MO resin can be used to produce containers for products such as dairy, confectionery and convenience food products.