LyondellBasell offers polypropylene-based copolymer for use in extrusion and injection blow molding applications

The Netherlands’ LyondellBasell is offering a polypropylene-based, high-clarity copolymer for potential use in extrusion and injection blow molding applications.

Produced using the company’s proprietary single-site catalyst, the Metocene RM2231 resin combines excellent transparency with the typical attributes of polypropylene-based copolymers, such as flowability, thermal and impact resistance and recyclability, the company says. “The Metocene RM2231 resin addresses cosmetics packaging requirements for glass-like clarity and gloss,” says Jean-Pierre Bideau, application development manager for metallocene-based resins. Injection-molded plaques of 1mm produced using Metocene RM2231 resins showed only 4 percent haze, exceeding the values of previous benchmarks that showed 6 percent to 10 percent haze, the company claims. “Compared to competitive standard polypropylene, the new grade is currently one of the highest-clarity polypropylene-based materials available on the market,” Bideau asserts. With a high level of transparency and a melt-flow rate of 3.5 g/10minutes, the new Metocene resin can be considered as a replacement for amorphous, transparent polymers used in cosmetics applications, which are traditionally the domain of injection blow molded PET, the company says. The grade also offers a low density that can translate into weight and material savings.

“We were able to combine the clarity and gloss of PET with the density and recyclability advantages of polypropylene,” notes Bernd Schütz, marketing manager for Metocene resins. “Customers have begun replacing PET applications produced using injection blow-molded technology with Metocene RM2231 resins processed on extrusion blow-molded equipment, as they have found the new grade to be a more cost-effective solution.”

www.lyondellbasell.com