With the introduction of SABIC HDPE B5260ULS, processors are provided with a new blow molding grade typically developed for the production of bottles, such as milk, as well as other dairy products and juices. The principal target of the grade is bottles for UHT (Ultra-High Temperature) and sterilized milk that are produced on high-speed extrusion blow molding lines, especially in southern European countries.
Using proprietary polymerisation technology, SABIC HDPE B5260ULS is one of the very few materials that have the necessary processing properties required by converters to run on the equipment typically used for the UHT and sterilized milk market. It has a melt flow rate (MFR at 2,16 kg) of 2 g/10 min, and its broad molecular weight distribution ensures very good behaviour during extrusion and blowing. It is suitable for multi- and mono-layer constructions.
Gerrit-Jan Bekink, Technical Marketing Engineer HDPE at SABIC in Sittard, The Netherlands, says: “SABIC HDPE B5260ULS – ULS stands for Ultra Long Shelf-life - is a high-purity grade that features good organoleptic properties that are especially important when using in-bottle sterilization, where the packaging as well as the product are subjected to tough thermal and mechanical conditions. Furthermore, the new grade’s well-balanced set of mechanical properties, with a good combination of stiffness, impact resistance and environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) is well suited for this high-demanding segment“.
“HDPE used in this application is not a commodity product; numerous processors are not in a position where they can quickly and easily change supplier. Through its unique technology SABIC has developed a product which could fit our customers’ needs”, says Mario Scholle, Business Manager HDPE at SABIC in Sittard.
“SABIC HDPE B5260ULS is available as a neutral product that can be colored on the blow molding machine or on suitable compounding equipment, using color masterbatch”, says Gilles Mignard, Product Sales Manager HDPE at SABIC in Paris.
