A new colour masterbatch boosts glossiness by 200% in moulded packaging

30-Jan-07

Research indicates that consumers are more attracted to glossy products as higher gloss helps plastic bottles and containers stand out on retail shelves, but packagers are faced with the problem of reduced strength of packaging due to increased gloss. Ampacet's POP gloss combined with HDPE, results in a combination that creates opaque HDPE containers that often can replace those made of PET to yield significant cost and processing advantages. The moulded packaging is made from a combination of new high density polyethylene (HDPE) and a colour masterbatch that boosts glossiness by 200% compared to competing products. The POP colours approach gives then an alternative means of gaining higher gloss by using HDPE without sacrificing the performance and integrity found in blow and injection molded PET packaging. This is a major breakthrough as HDPE is less expensive than polyethylene terephthalate (PET), requires less costly processing equipment, and does not have processing issues associated with PET. POP colours also let packagers add special effects that are hard to gain in high-gloss PET packaging. Compared to other products that boost gloss in HDPE, POP colours provide for greater HDPE stiffness and better melt strength. The mechanical properties allow the use of high-gloss HDPE in both monolayer bottles and as the skin in multilayer bottles. Other high-gloss HDPE compounds lack sufficient parison strength for monolayer bottles and so are only used in outer layers. The use of POP colours also avoids issues involving melt fracture or excessive parison hang time and aids column crush strength, claims the manufacturer. The low tackiness of HDPE containing POP colors reduces de-molding issues and many downstream handling issues, such as scuffing and hang-ups during conveying. HDPE containing POP colours has a high heat deflection temperature, so it is less susceptible to deformation when packaging is stored at higher temperatures, such as in a hot warehouse during summer. POP colors run in existing HDPE molds on both high and low-speed extrusion machines and other equipment. POP colours comply with US Food and Drug Administration guidelines for direct food contact.