Totally new HDPE grade from Total aimed at stretch blowmolding applications

(Plastics Today) -- Total Petrochemicals has shared some details on a new SB 1461 grade of high-density polyethylene that is formulated to run at better than 1700 bottles/cavity/hour rates, on Sidel's stretch blowmolding (SBM) machinery.

According to Total, trials with HDPE SB 1461 on different equipment from Sidel have been performed with positive results. Total says the stretch blowmolded HDPE bottles show a clear increase of rigidity in comparison to extrusion blowmolded ones. This rigidity combines with drop test resistance to allow for further down gauging, so that HDPE dairy bottles produced by SBM can be about 20% lighter than extrusion blowmolded dairy bottles currently in commercial use.

In addition, reports Total, high definition mold engraving even improves the design flexibility and bottle look.

The newly developed grade is compatible with the established HDPE recycling stream. The grade is targeted especially towards dairy and other food/beverage applications but Total says it already is working on a new HDPE grade with the necessary Environmental Stress Crack Resistance (ESCR) for household chemicals and personal care packaging.

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(Plastics News) -- Resin distribution firm Hanna Prime Inc. is changing its name to Resin Resource Inc. on Nov. 1, near the end of a year when the Arlington, Texas-based firm bounced back from the recent economic slowdown.

Hanna Prime's 2010 sales are expected to be up 40-45 percent vs. 2009, President Chris Allen said in an Oct. 18 phone interview. The firm has seen solid recovery in consumer goods, furniture, aerospace, healthcare and other markets, he explained.

Hanna Prime opened its doors in 2000 and now has 15 employees and annual sales of around $20 million. The firm now offers resins and compounds from 14 suppliers, including LyondellBasell Industries and LG Chem Ltd.

Moving ahead, Allen said the firm would like to add commodity grades of polyethylene and polystyrene, as well as a nylon resin, to its product mix.

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The project included renovating 20,000-square-feet of space for a new design studio, product development lab and additional offices for customer support.

The design studio will work with AkzoNobel's Foresee Color Trend and Design Group near Antwerp, Belgium. The lab, meanwhile, will support the design studio with product samples, research & development, and added capability for producing performance coatings.

AkzoNobel offers decorative finishing technologies including liquid performance coatings, Soliant-brand paint film and bright film (chrome alternatives), digital image printing systems, metallics, pearls, tricoats and 3D effects.

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(Bloomberg) -- Slovnaft AS, the Slovak unit of Hungarian refiner Mol Nyrt., may invest several hundred million euros in building a new petrochemical plant for products with higher added value.

A decision will be made by Mol executives in the coming months, Slovnaft Chief Executive Office Oszkar Vilagi said in an interview on Oct. 14.

Slovnaft, the third-biggest non-financial company, is seeking to refocus on more ⌠sophisticated chemicals to make it less dependent on fluctuations in the economy, whose recent slowdown cut demand for fuel, Vilagi said.

Petrochemicals such as polyethylene accounted for about one-fifth of Slovnaft's first- half sales of 1.22 billion euros ($1.7 billion), with the rest stemming from refinery products.

Over the past three years, Slovnaft has already spent 40 million euros to boost the capacity of its ethylene unit and make production more energy efficient.

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(Plastics Today) -- A. Schulman Inc. (Akron, OH) has acquired Brazilian masterbatch additive producer and engineered plastics compounder Mash Compostos Plasticos (Sao Paulo), calling the South American country "a key market" in its overall growth strategy.

Joseph M. Gingo, A. Schulman chairman, president, and CEO, noted the growth potential of the market based on its relatively low per capita consumption of plastic. Compared to per capita plastics consumption of around 130 kg in the U.S., Brazil's resin consumption amounts to 27 kg. ICO in Brazil targeted rotational molding with crosslinked PE foam, PE, and PP, and offices in Sao Paulo, Bahia, and Minas Gerais.

Mash Compostos Plasticos founded in 2004 creates compounds based on PP, ABS, PC, PPS, and POM, among others, with additive packages for flame retardancy, antioxidants, antitstatic, and UV absorption.

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