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Dow Expands CONTINUUM™ Polyethylene Resin Family
New CONTINUUM™ EP HDPE Resins Offer Opportunities to Enhance Performance, Processing, and Profits in Blow Molded Rigid Packaging Applications NPE 2009, Chicago - June 22, 2009 The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) today introduced CONTINUUM™ EP High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Resins, a new generation of bimodal HDPE resins that bridge the gap between conventional unimodal and bimodal HDPEs by offering the potential for enhanced performance, processing, and profits in blow molded bottle and drum applications. “The distinct balance of performance and processing made possible by CONTINUUM™ EP HDPE Resins offer reduced raw material and energy usage with the potential for significant cost reductions and sustainability advantages across the entire value chain,” said Stacy Fields, rigid packaging marketing manager for Dow’s North American Basic Plastics business. “As a result, Dow customers can enjoy opportunities for increased profit potential while maintaining - or even improving - operational efficiency, end-use performance, and sustainability profiles.” The CONTINUUM™ EP product family currently includes two experimental bimodal resins: Opportunities for Enhanced Performance The dramatically enhanced environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) of these new resins offers the potential for significantly improved performance in existing applications − and equivalent or better performance in lightweighted containers. The exceptionally high ESCR of CONTINUUM™ EP HDPE Resins may also support their use to contain more aggressive substances such as industrial and agricultural chemicals and solvents in household and industrial chemical (HIC) and agricultural chemical (Ag Chem) applications. The resins’ high flexural modulus contributes to exceptional stiffness and, in turn, to excellent top load strength compared to conventional unimodal HDPEs and competitive bimodal HDPEs (3). The combination of excellent stiffness and ESCR - two critical performance criteria for blow molded containers - can also increase opportunities for lightweighting. Opportunities for Enhanced Processing Unlike conventional bimodal resins, CONTINUUM™ EP HDPE Resins can enable “drop-in” processing on existing equipment and tooling (4). These “drop-in” capabilities - which result from die swell, melt strength, and other properties similar to those of chrome-catalyzed unimodal resins - increase ease of implementation in current production settings, typically without the need for added capital (e.g., retooling, major process adjustments) or production delays. In addition to easier start-ups, improved pinch-off welds, and more uniform wall thickness versus conventional bimodal resins, this improved processing profile also offers the flexibility to run unimodal or bimodal multiple resins on the same machine with faster changeover times. CONTINUUM™ EP HDPE Resins are designed to run efficiently on a wide range of extrusion blow molding (EBM) equipment. XDMDA-6630 Experimental EP HDPE offers “drop-in” processing of bottles with excellent performance on EBM equipment such as reciprocating screw/intermittent extrusion, continuous extrusion shuttle, and wheel blow molding lines. XDMDA-6670 Experimental EP HDPE enables improved processing of drums and other large industrial containers on accumulator head machines. Opportunities for Enhanced Profits In blow molded bottle and drum applications, the majority of production costs are typically attributable to the cost of resin raw materials. The excellent lightweighting capabilities of CONTINUUM™ EP HDPE Resins offer opportunities to decrease raw material use and overall costs, leading to increased profit potential. CONTINUUM EP HDPE Resins typically allow container weights to be reduced by approximately five to 10 percent while maintaining or improving end-use performance (5). Lighter weight − and potentially better performing − containers may also offer several other sustainability-related advantages, including potential reductions in: energy requirements (manufacturing and transportation), greenhouse gas production, waste/landfill requirements, and secondary packaging needs (in applications with increased top load performance). In addition, CONTINUUM™ EP HDPE Resins allow increased incorporation of post consumer recycle (PCR) content, and containers made with these resins are potentially recyclable (6). “The drop-in processing potential and distinct performance benefits of CONTINUUM™ EP HDPE Resins clearly demonstrate Dow’s commitment to innovation in the form of advantaged, potentially sustainable packaging solutions for the rigid packaging market,” added Fields. “These next generation HDPE resins showcase our intense focus on the development of technology that meets marketplace needs and helps our customers optimize the balance of performance and processing for greater manufacturing efficiencies and end-use success.” The innovation of CONTINUUM™ EP HDPE Resins expands Dow’s extensive line of plastic resins, one of the broadest in the industry. For more information on the benefits of CONTINUUM ™ EP HDPE Resins, contact your Dow representative.
About Dow ®™* Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow For Editorial Information:
Michelle Kirchman
Liz Jeffries |
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