Ampacet, a global masterbatch leader, has added two products to the ScratchShield line of additives that help to protect plastic products against scratching and abrasion without impacting gloss or mechanical properties of the resin.
While plastics are sensitive to scratching and abrasion, consumers expect durable surface finishes remain free of defects that may impact both product aesthetics and value. Ampacet’s additive technologies deliver resilient surface characteristics and enhanced product quality.
The new ScratchShield masterbatch additives, 7000109-N and 7000076-E, minimize the appearance of scuffs and scratches in preforms, bottles and a range of PET packaging without the need to apply a surface coating. These additives also significantly improve the demoulding of preforms, while offering protection from guiderails and conveyor systems in the manufacturing process.
ScratchShield also helps converters to reduce scrap, the need to regrind scratched bottles and cleanup associated with lubricant sprays.
ScratchShield PET 7000076-E, designed for blow molding processes, is a two-in-one solution providing antiscratch protection as well as slip properties for PET preforms and bottles. This additive restructures the surface of PET plastics, preventing crack propagation to limit whitening and hazing effects caused by abrasion. Ampacet ScratchShield PET 7000076-E also significantly decreases the coefficient of friction (COF) of PET surfaces during PET preform production, blow molding, handling and transport. This additive significantly improves scratch and scuff resistance of preforms during conveyor belt handling.
ScratchShield 7000109-N, for use in translucent color and opaque blow-molded bottles, reduces the occurrence and severity of scuffs and scratches at both the preform stage and in blown bottles eliminating the need for atomized sprays.
In laboratory tests, ScratchShield dramatically reduced scuffs at load forces up to 100N (Newtons), and at forces lower than 25N scuffs were virtually eliminated in bottle-to-bottle scuff tests. Scuff visibility tests showed significant resistance to scuffing when PET bottles with ScratchShield were compared to PET bottles with no additives.
ScratchShield 7000109-N is well-suited for applications such as alcoholic beverages (low alcohol), automotive products, cleaning products, hand and body lotions, juices and soft drinks, pet care products and water cooler bottles. ScratchShield 7000109-N is ideal for clear PET bottles and products where minimal haze is allowed.
The new ScratchShield additives join existing products in the ScratchShield family to enhance PP, ABS, PET, PE, Clear Polystrene, ABS, and HDPE materials.
