ExxonMobil Chemical Co.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Polypropylene has the edge over PET and PS for clear thermoformed drink cups because of its heat resistance, allowing it to be used for hot beverages.

Small player in a large market speaks in a loud voice.

In blown film, equipment and material suppliers have come together to push five-layer technology into non-barrier applications previously held by three-layer films.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Significant downgauging potential and outstanding processability on both LDPE and LLDPE extrusion equipment are claimed for new Enable mPE 35-05CH, a metallocene MDPE from ExxonMobil Chemical, Houston.

Commercialized four years ago by ExxonMobil Chemical, Houston, Vistamaxx olefinic TPE was used originally for spunbond nonwovens because of its elasticity.

Huge new shuttle and carousel machines, expanded availability of CNC-machined aluminum molds, and new resins and additives highlighted the recent Rotoplas ’08 exhibition and 33rd Annual Fall Meeting of the Association of Rotational Molders (ARM) in Rosemont, Ill.

Three grades of Vistamaxx propylene-ethylene copolymers from ExxonMobil Chemical Co., Houston, have received approval from the FDA for use in flexible and rigid food packaging applications.

ExxonMobil Chemical, Houston, has introduced the first U.S.-made transparent TPO for grip applications in kitchenware, consumer electronics, tools, small appliances, and stationary markets. (As we reported in February, another clear TPO, called Notio, was introduced by Mitsui Chemicals of Japan last year.) ExxonMobil’s TPE F471-60 offers 82% light transmittance, haze of 11%, and yellowness index of 7.5.

Olefinic TPEs originally comprised only two classes of rubber-modified polypropylene, known as TPO and TPV. More recently, these have been supplemented by new types of olefinic elastomers that can be used on their own or as the rubber component in TPO/TPV compounds. Additionally, a small handful of specialty TPEs using olefinic matrices occupy niche applications.

A new family of metallocene-based LLDPE film resins reportedly provides an unprecedented combination of processability and hexene copolymer performance.

ExxonMobil Chemical Co., Houston, has introduced a dynamically vulcanized alloy of Exxpro specialty rubber in nylon as a replacement for halobutyl thermoset rubber in tire inner liners.

Two firms recently announced polypropylene compounds businesses aimed largely at automotive.

ExxonMobil Chemical Co., Houston, and Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. terminated their Mytex Polymers joint venture on June 1.

 Higher flow, higher heat, higher barrier, higher clarity, higher stiffness, lower durometer, lower smoke, lower odor—materials exhibits at the recent K 2004 show in Dusseldorf were stretching the bounds of processing and performance properties in all directions.

Quite a few new polyolefins are being featured at this year’s show, with a particular emphasis on specialty PP and PE materials.

Maybe this time the often-predicted breakthrough will actually occur. What could make the difference are improved resins, clarifiers, and machinery.

Paintless in-mold film decorating and carbon-fiber composites are making inroads in appearance and structural parts. Blow molding is finding new interior applications. And long-fiber thermoplastics are cutting weight and cost on the inside and outside of new passenger vehicles.

New packaging opportunities are opening up for PP, thanks to a new crop of additives that boost clarity, stiffness, HDT, and processing rates.

Compounders and processors of mLLDPE blown film who are looking for improved processability and film quality at comparable or even lower total cost may want to take a look at a new family of boron nitride (BN) processing aids.

Whether it’s toughness, stiffness, heat resistance, clarity, barrier properties, high flow, or high melt strength—you’ll find more of what you’re looking for in new breeds of PP resins from all suppliers.

To succeed in Detroit, it’s not enough for polypropylene-based TPO elastomers to be low-cost, lightweight, easily processable, and recyclable. They also have to look good for the life of the vehicle.

 The Vistamaxx family of propylene-ethylene specialty elastomers recently unveiled by ExxonMobil Chemical (see Your Business In Brief, August 2003) holds promise in a broad range of applications from very soft fabrics and films to very hard TPOs.

Polypropylene and PP-based TPO elastomers were the star players of two recent conferences on polyolefins. "TPOs in Automotive '98," sponsored by Executive Conference Management, Plymouth, Mich., featured the latest materials, modifiers, and stabilizer additives for hard and soft interior and exterior automotive applications. "SPO '98," sponsored by Schotland Business Research, Inc., Skillman, N.J., highlighted developments in high-flow PP for thin-wall injection molded packaging.