Flame retardants are in a unique position among plastics additives in that they are both created by regulations and yet are threatened by other regulations. They are expensive and lower the physical properties of the plastics in which they are employed.

On the other hand, environmental and toxicity concerns now have regulators looking at the important halogenated and antimony-based synergist flame retardants that have been developed over the years. Any regulations which limit the use of such products will again change the industry and force producers to develop a new generation of products.

Flame retardant overview

Flame-retardant additives for plastics are essential safety materials. The transportation, building, appliance, and electronic industries use flame retardants in plastics to prevent human injury or death and to protect property from fire damage.

Fundamentally, flame retardants reduce the ease of ignition smoke generation and the rate of burn of plastics. Flame retardants can be organic or inorganic in composition and typically contain either bromine, chlorine, phosphorus, antimony, or aluminum materials.

The products can be further classified as being reactive or additive. Reactive flame retardants chemically bind with the host resin. Additive types are physically mixed with a resin and do not chemically bind with the polymer.

Flame retardants are used at loading levels from a few percents to more than 60% of the total weight of a treated resin. They typically degrade the inherent physical properties of the polymer, some types significantly more than others.

Resin formulators and compounders must select a flame retardant that is both physically and economically suitable for specific resin systems and the intended applications.

It is common to formulate resins with multiple flame-retardant types, typically a primary flame retardant plus a synergist such as antimony oxide, to enhance overall flame-retardant efficiency at the lowest cost. Several hundred different flame-retardant systems are used by the plastics industry because of these formulation practices.

Driving forces

In addition to cost and performance demands, the plastics market for flame retardants is driven by a number of competing forces ranging from fire standard legislation and toxicity regulations to price situations, performance, and other market factors.

These combined factors have resulted recently in significant shifts in demand for the major types of flame retardants.

Further, large numbers of new flame retardants have emerged, designed for both traditional and specialty niche markets.

Recent acquisitions, joint ventures, and alliances by flame- retardant producers have also created constant change in this market. The largest area of activity is in non-halogenated flame retardants because of environmental concerns associated with the halogen-based products.

Down the road, the need and the market exist for non-halogenated approaches to the flame retarding of plastics. All the major flame retardant companies, including those making halogenated types, are working in the area.

Viable, non-halogenated flame-retardant products do exist, but customers are reluctant to sacrifice the cost/performance advantage of brominated products. Organic phosphate, inorganic phosphorus, melamine salts, and inorganic metal hydrate approaches seem to be the major directions being followed to develop non-halogenated alternatives.

Suppliers

MTB has 2 kinds of ABS Flame Retardant Compounds:

• Non-halogen
• Halogen

 

 

 

 

 

The packaging is the biggest market for additives.

The output of plastic packaging depends strongly on the population, people’s average income, and expenditure.

We need plastic packaging mostly for the food and beverage industry. Therefore, the increase in the population and the average income will have a positive effect on the demands of plastic packaging as well as additives.

Packaging industry

Foreign market

Asia has the rapid growth in the consumption of plastic packaging.

The first reason is that Asia has the highest and most developing population rate. Researchers forecast that Asia is going to reach 4,3 billion people in 2022. Moreover, the population growth rate and GDP growth rate are “gold rate” and desirable.

Besides, Europe and North America consume plastic packaging a lot. While those 2 regions have a quite low population density, they have a good source of income and their consumption habits of plastic packaging were established a long time ago (since 1950).

Flexible packaging makes up 59% of the total consumption of plastic packaging.

Flexible packaging is made from PE and PP resins by blow molding. The consumption of flexible packaging and bottle packaging is forecasted to decrease a little bit due to the increase in people’s awareness of the environment.

Food packaging and bottle packaging made up for 93% in 2,400 billion of packaging products in 2018. The demand for food packaging will reach 1,788 billion products in 2022.

Asia is the main and most potential market for the plastic packaging industry.

As I said before, Asia has the gold growth rate of population and average income.

Another reason is that many developed countries are moving towards “green life”, minimizing the use of single-use plastic products.

Vietnam

The development in the non-alcohol beverage market will drive the plastic packing industry in a new chapter.

The demand for plastic packaging products mainly depends on the growth of food production, the beverage industry, and household income and expenditure in general.

According to BMI, household spending will be about VND 3.3 million billion in 2019 VND and 4.7 million billion VND in 2022. Of which, spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages will still account for a large proportion, about 20% of total household expenditure.

The growth of food and non-alcoholic beverages is expected to grow by 11.8% and 12% per year, respectively, from 2019 to 2022. This is the main driving force for the growth of food processing and beverage industries.

Main Additives used

Materials/Resins

The 5 most popular additives used in the packaging industry are anti-blocking and slip agents, anti-fogging agents, the usual heat and light stabilizers, and pigments.

Oxygen scavengers are also getting popular in food packaging.

PE is the dominant packaging polymer, it is used in very high-volume shopping bags, rubbish sacks, and food packaging. HDPE is the most essential, especially in Europe.

PP is used more in the specialized role of industrial goods.

Polyethylene naphthenate is being promoted in the form of thin, flexible film with good barrier properties.

Specific additives for packaging industries

Social habits change, people’s expenditure habits change. The increasing popularity of hanging out with premade meals and microwaveable containers leads to a remarkable increase in using food packaging; therefore, increasing the use of additives.

The technology to premade and packaged food requires special additives.

Plastic bottles and containers have undergone considerable changes in recent years due to increased interest in barrier layers.

Consumers also like bottles to have a wide mouth. PVC has been defeated as a bottle material by PET.

Adding an impact modifier creates a favorable condition for PET to gain competitive advantages over polycarbonate in manufacturing larger bottle sizes.

Moreover, PE clarifying additives allows you to produce cheaper and cleaner packaging.

Anti-fogging agents are used in flexible PVC food wrapping. UV absorbers used in transparent bottles to protect the contents and the polymer.

People are considering to stop using single-use plastic in many packaging applications. Due to litter issues, the fast-food industry is criticized a lot. Several countries have banned single-trip shopping bags.

Non-woven and multi-trip packages are trendy.

 

Additives are essential. Plastics are not plastics anymore without additives. Plastics on their own have many properties that make them ideal for creating durable consumer goods. Plastic additives help to enhance these features and add new features that are often needed to assist in the processing, manufacture, and final uses.

Additives solve problems

Melting temperature and sticking to machines are problems in the process of extrusion.

Additives are added to the plastic to help deal with it. Process aids help the pigments in the plastic to dissolve in the liquid around them.

Lubricant is used with plastic, which becomes very sticky when melted. It reduces friction between particles and construction machines. In the antioxidant process, additives are used to protect plastics from excessive heat, which can often lead to breakage or adversely have a significant effect on product color.

The problem of dissolving plastic in heat when it melts is called heat stabilizer. All of this helps make the manufacturing process more accessible and cheaper.

Extra items can also be used for purely aesthetic reasons. Pigment binders serve a variety of practical and aesthetic purposes. Plastic made to match the color of other large product parts, such as in automobiles, or they can be colored to attract the attention of consumers.

Additives bring more values to plastic products

Practical use includes the manufacture of opaque plastics to protect lightly sensitive materials, such as milk bottles or medicine containers. The pellets are added to the plastic before melting and mixing for the plastic to be dyed expertly.

Different compounds and blends combine to create different colors and light properties. Carbonic black and titanium oxide are two common pigment additives. Carbon black light-reducing plastics look black, while titanium oxide blocks light and blends the plastic with white.

Reduce the frequency of product replacements and maintenance

Another beneficial use of additives in plastics is to add value to final products. This will ultimately save money for consumers who need to reduce the frequency of product repairs or replacements.

Impact modifiers have been combined to improve crack resistance. It is useful for durable plastic products. Light stabilizers and UV absorbers enhance durability. They protect the plastic from the negative effects of the sun and extend plastic life. Without such additives, plastic products are more likely to be useless in a short time.

Increase the safety level for end-users

Additives to make plastic more economically beneficial and more durable. Additives also contribute to the safety of end-users. Many additives mentioned above make the products safer.

For example, flame retardant is suitable for extrusion coating and other high-temperature applications. It exhibits good thermal and UV stability and also does not adversely affect sealability in films.

Save money and energy  

Plastic additives make plastics more environmentally-friendly. Plastic parts are perfect alternatives to metal parts in cars. It is not only lighter but can also take less energy to produce.

Besides, additives save your money. For example, mineral fillers boost the thermal conductivity of plastics; therefore, they cool down and heat up quicker than normal. What does that mean to you? It means shorter mold cycle times and more articles produced at a lower cost. 

0.5p/molding may not sound remarkable. However, if you produce several injection moldings every few seconds, you will be surprised at how much you save after a year. There is a wide variety of additives available to help reduce costs that mention below.

10 common types of additives

MTB has developed successfully 10 types of additives that will enhance your products and save cost-effectively:

• Weather Stabilizer
• Anti-Aging
• Anti-Fog
• Anti-static
• Flame retardant
• Desiccant / Humidity absorber
• Anti-Blocking Slip
• Anti-blocking and Slip
• Processing Aid
• Odor scavenger

 

 

 

 

Main function of polymer additives.

Normally, manufactures choose additives used in plastics materials based on their intended performance over a chemical basis. For more convenience, MTB classifies additives into 8 groups with similar applications and functions.

Functions	Additives
Polymerization/chemical modification aids	Accelerators Chain growth regulators Compatibilizers Cross-linking agents Promoters
Improvement in processability and productivity (transformation aids)	Flow promoters Plasticizers Processing aids Release agent Surfactants Thixotropic agents Wetting agents Defoaming and blowing agents
Increased resistance to degradation during processing application	Acid scavengers Biostabilisers Light/UV stabilizers Metal deactivators Processing/thermal stabilisers
Improvement/modification of mechanical properties	Compatibilizers Cross-linking agents Fibrous reinforcements (glass, carbon) Fillers and particle reinforcements Impact modifiers (elastomers) Nucleating agents Plasticizers or flexibility
Improvement of product performance	Antistatic agents Blowing agents EMI shielding agents Flame retardants Friction agents Odour modifiers Plasticisers Smoke suppressants
Improvement of surface properties	Adhesion promoters Anti Fogging agents Antistatic agents Antiwear additives Coupling agents Lubricants Slip and anti blocking agents Surfactants Wetting agents
Improvement of optical properties	Nucleating agents Optical brighteners Pigments and colorants
Reduction of formulation cost	Diluents and extenders Particulate fillers

Generally speaking, the main applications of additives are to reduce cost and alter polymer properties. In the past, manufacturers just sought to have one or two particular material improvements. However, in present, with the strong and fast development of R&D departments, multifunctional additives are born. Now, we can combine several different additive functionalities together. For example, EuP processing aid and flame retardant in cross-linked epoxies.

Common concerns over additives

There are some typical concerns about additive technology raised by plastics manufacturers and producers. MTB takes the application of injection moulding of polyamides as an example.

However, the appropriate addition of chain extenders and nucleating agents, release agents…etc can tackle the problems without much effort. The benefits of additives are obvious. Additives are not simply a kind of optional ingredient, but an essential factor to plastics producers and manufacturers’ success.

Main technology concerns

Short cycle times Better mould release Plate-out and deposits on moulds and plastics surfaces Feeding problems Increased dimensional stability, less shrinkage Processing protection against depolymerisation and yellowing Better melt flow Improved surface of glass-reinforced parts Better strength of flow lines in moulded parts Higher molecular weight Rise of impact strength and elongation at break

Understand customer’s concern, MTB has developed 10 types of additives that will enhance your products and save cost effectively:

1. Weather Stabilizer
2. Anti-Aging
3. Anti-Fog
4. Anti-static
5. Flame retardant
6. Desiccant / Humidity absorber
7. Anti-Blocking
8. Slip Anti-blocking and Slip
9. Processing Aid
10. Odor scavenger

Contact us for more information and get a solution for optimizing your business.

 

 

 

One of the most evolutionary changes of humankind has been the wide adoption of plastics for daily applications that relied mostly on metal, glass, and cotton in the past. Plastics have benefited and enhanced the way many industries work. Plastics are generally safe and economical for daily use, they are widely available and are suitable for many different applications.

The history of plastics

After World War II, the rise in plastics consumption rate has gone through several phases. In the past, polymer materials were used as a cheap alternative to traditional materials, and the result was very positive and promising to the industry. The technical service departments of major plastics manufacturers have put a lot of time and effort into developing and testing that the use of plastics guarantees product quality and minimize cost-effectively. Even at present, many people do not fully appreciate the essential role of plastics in raising the living standard and quality of life and have a misunderstanding about plastics.

How polymer applications make the world greater?

Photographic industry

One of the earliest adopters of plastics was the photographic industry that applied plastics technology for photographic film. It was also popular for using plastics in darkroom equipment. There has also been widespread use of plastics in expensive and inexpensive cameras because well-designed bodies made from plastics materials showed the advantage of roughness and resistance over metal camera bodies. Besides, in the audio field, the increasing use of plastics as a standard material for the housings of reproduction equipment has changed people’s view about plastics remarkably.

Electrical industry

Plastics materials have played an important role in some areas of applications for a long time before confidence was regained in the use of plastics. For example, the electrical industry has early taken advantage of plastics properties such as toughness, flame-retardation, durability and insulation characteristics to manufacture plugs, wire, cable insulation, and sockets…

This trend has led to the booming use of general-purpose polymers. However, they are found useful in complex techniques. A well-known example is a poly(vinyl carbazole) photoconductive behavior is used in photocopying equipment and in holograph preparation, while the notable piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of poly(vinyl fluoride) are used in transducers, loudspeakers, and detectors.

Building and construction industry

Since plastics have gained more trust from the public, and the plastics industry has become matured, manufacturers found that plastics create a favorable condition for some applications against traditional materials and investing in plastics technology should be the right choice. In the building industry, this idea has resulted in numerous uses of plastics including flooring, damp course layers, piping… Otherwise, armchair body shells, cupboard drawers, stacking chairs, and other products in the commercial furniture industry are formed from plastics.

To achieve ambitious goals on reducing the energy consumption of buildings would be nearly impossible without the contribution of plastics. Plastics have shown the advantages of energy efficiency, cost efficiency, and quality improvement over traditional materials. The two most important things is that the use of plastics in building and construction helps to protect the environment, and plastics applications are likely to be easy to install and require less time for maintenance. Materials like plastics use such limited additional energy and resources consumption should be ensured their development.

Automotive industry

The key uses of plastics in the automotive industry have been associated for many years with automotive electrical equipment such as batteries, connectors, switches, flex, and distributor caps, as well as interior body trim including light fittings and seating upholstery. Subsequently, the use of under-the-bonnet (under-the-hood) applications was increased. The need for lightweight vehicles for better fuel economy and the focus on improved passenger protection have resulted in a significantly increased use of plastics materials for bumpers, radiator grills, and fascia assemblies in recent years. As a result, the automotive industry is now a big consumer of plastics, increasing the weight of plastics used per vehicle each year.

Medical industry

In a variety of medical applications, plastics play a number of critical functions. While some of these are throw-away, low-tech products, many of the applications place essential requirements regarding mechanical efficiency, chemical resistance, biocompatibility, ability to sterilize and stay sterile. Simple products like bandages to complex nontoxic sterilizable items such as catheters and tubing to spare-part surgery are benefited from plastics. Medical grades of polystyrene and PVC are the most commonly used in these applications.

 

The unpredictability of oil prices across global

What have people thought when US president Trump announced to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal? Politicians worried about Iran’s regional wars, human right activists concerned about terrorism, citizen safety and economists held their breath watching the oil price chart spike up.

For industry specialist, the fluctuated movement of crude prices is nature to them, a nature that is normal and still terrifying. A rise or slump in oil price can be a consequence of several international events and can lead to price change in myriad oil-related sector. As in March, 2019, the oil price flow in on the increase, and it can be accounted for three indicator:

Decrease crude supply from the Middle East.

Global economic growth leading to more consumption of electricity and transportation, hence the rising demand for oil.

Tension between major oil-producing countries. If there is conflict between regions as occur quite frequently now in the Middle East, crude inventories will fluctuate.

Oil price and plastic cost

The relationship between oil price and plastic cost is simple: most polymers are refined from crude. In an oil refinery, manufacturer distill heavy crude oil into groups of lighter fractions. Each of these fraction is a fusion of hydrocarbon chains. One of them, naphtha, is the vital compound for plastic production.

As a result, raw plastic price fluctuates along the price flow of oil price. An increase on the price of crude oil will lead to the rise of plastic production cost and vice versa.

Relationship between oil price and plastic price.

The key role of filler in the market

As oil price rockets, CaC03 filler masterbatch has become the rule for survivor. Filler Masterbatch (or Calcium carbonate CaCO3 Filler Masterbatch) is the combination of calcium carbonate powder and other additives, based on polymer carrier resin. This material is used for filling in plastics to replace a part of expensive virgin polymer. Several types of plastic products today, PE bottle cap, PP flip-top bottle, PVC pipe, HDPE for 3D printing, contain CaCO3 filler in their material.

Climbing resin prices, heavy tariff and strict competition, firms are turning to increase their stock of mineral filler. “More Filler, Less Resin” has become the solution for plastic bag producers or other plastic sectors prioritize cost value.

Masterbatch (Viet Nam) Pty. Ltd has nearly 16 years experience as a key supplier of custom-made masterbatch and additive to the plastic industry following to customers’ requirement.

Masterbatch (Viet Nam) Pty. Ltd bases on Long Thanh IP has been operating since 2010, specilaizing in producing Masterbatch and Additive with the diverse assortment on PP, PE, PET, ABS, GPPS, POM, TOE, TPU…applied on different processing methods such as Blow Moulding, Injection Mouding, Rotate Mouding, Weaving, Extruder…

 

 

Filler masterbatch, especially calcium carbonate (calcium carbonate) masterbatch is considered as one of the most excellent objects in the plastics industry. Calcium carbonate filler masterbatch has a multitude of applications with the large number of products made from them. Here are the salient features and 4 most popular applications of this mastebatch.

What is a filler masterbatch made of calcium carbonate?

Calcium carbonate filler masterbatch is a mixture containing a large amount of fine calcium carbonate (CaCO3) powder mixed with a part of virgin plastic and some suitable plastic additives. The mixture is heated to high temperatures until it melts into a liquid form. After the ingredients in the mixture are mixed together, the mixture will be left to stand until it coagulates and passes through an extruder and finally chopped into small plastic particles. These plastic particles are the filler master batch. CaCO3 masterbatch is widely applied as a filler used in manufacturing and manufacturing plastic products. They function to replace a part of input materials, help manufacturers save costs and reinforce many features of the products made at the same time.

Calcium carbonate filler masterbatch is naturally white, but they cannot be used as coloring agents for resins (because whiteness is not enough). However, when combined with white masterbatch containing titanium dioxide (TiO2), they play an active role in increasing whiteness and enabling white pigments to be evenly dispersed in the plastic mixture. As a result, the finished product will achieve higher opacity than usual.

What are the superior features of calcium carbonate filler masterbatch?

Calcium carbonate powder makes up the majority of the masterbatch mixture, usually ranging from 60% to a maximum of 90%. They are most compatible with polyolefin (PP, PE) resins but can still be mixed with some other common resins such as PS, ABS, PVC, EPS, etc. This masterbatch filer was originally designed to be used as a filler providing economical and economical solutions for the entire plastic industry around the world. However, over time, as the demand for multi-purpose materials is increasing, these days they not only play a simple role as a filler but also become special plastic additives. Has the function of improving the physical and chemical properties of the base resin. In general, thanks to the appearance of masterbatch, the quality of plastic products has improved significantly.

Overview of the application of calcium carbonate filler masterbatch

In general, the variety of calcium carbonate masterbatch applications is immeasurable and it is difficult to list them all. Some of the most outstanding applications are HDPE blowing, raffia tape, tarpaulin production, High Density (HD) and Low Density (LD) fabrics from PP / PE based resins, LDPE / LLDPE / HDPE films , plastic interior / exterior, etc. However, these applications can be divided into several major groups based on the method of manufacture or the origin of the resin. In this article we divide them by production method criteria.

Use CaCO3 filler masterbatch in the production of non-woven fabric

The range of fields with products made from calcium carbonate nonwoven fabric is very large, ranging from medical care, personal care to hygiene, geotextile (fabrics capable of absorbing, separating). , filtration, protection, reinforcement and drainage are used in engineering industries such as irrigation, transportation, environment). Benefits of using calcium carbonate filler masterbatch additive in nonwoven production include:

• Improve product surface by
• Reduced luster effect makes the surface more matte, more opaque, leading to increased coverage of the fabric structure
• Natural white product not yellowing
• Improve material texture by
• Create a soft and soothing feel like cotton fabric, avoiding fingerprints when touched
• Create microscopic air vents to filter the air and absorb oil
• Enhanced thermal conductivity and mechanical strength
• Contributing to lower processing temperatures, from which manufacturers can achieve higher productivity as well as save energy and production costs at the same time.
• Easily combined with many different types of plastic base (thanks to good dispersion ability) and can be processed, shaped by many methods

Treatment of calcium carbonate filler masterbatch by injection molding method

Calcium carbonate masterbatch mixed with PP base resin is the perfect solution for the production of household items such as furniture, containers, containers, bottles, jars, baskets, etc. through injection molding. The rate of CaCO3 in a PP resin mixture can be up to 50%. However, the exact formula for each production line should be carefully thought out and largely depends on specific requirements.

Besides calcium carbonate filler masterbatch with PP resin, other options for primary plastic sources are PS (polystyrene) and ABS. These are used in cases where surface scratches are acceptable. Products made from a mixture of PP and CaCO3 plastics through injection molding achieve thermal conductivity, better impact resistance, more flexible stiffness with less shrinkage.

Apply CaCO3 filler mastebatch to extruded sheet and plastic film

With some special artificial materials such as LDPE, LLDPE or HDPE, calcium carbonate filler masterbatch can be added directly to the virgin plastic and these blends will work simultaneously as plastic fillers and plastic additives. Producing films and plastic sheets Basically, they provide higher non-stick, non-slip properties. The surface of the finished product will achieve an opacity suitable for printing. The tensile strength of the finished product is also improved, allowing their shape and structure to be fully protected even when they are stretched. Moreover, this material is safe to contact with food because it does not contain any harmful ingredients.

Calcium carbonate masterbatch is also found in spun yarns

CaCO3 filler masterbatch is said to be the perfect solution to help manufacturers partially or completely avoid the problem of fibers and fibers. Fiber yarn is one of the most common problems that manufacturers face in plastic and tape production processes. It causes the phenomenon of uncontrolled plastic structure separation when the PP / PE yarn is stretched. By adding only a small amount (3-4% of the total raw material content), the additive of calcium carbonate resin additive into the production of flat PP / PE fibers, not only is the problem of fibers and fibers solved, but also brings Some other benefits to this material include:

• Improving tensile strength and resistance to tearing, splitting of yarns, yarn twisted and woven fabrics after being stretched
• Provides anti-slip and non-sticking effect, facilitating the next winding step
• Improve weaving ability, welding ability and printing ability of materials
• Improving the rigidity of products makes them harder and more stable
• Less damage to machinery, especially the blade (by replacing the amount of titanium dioxide, nonstick and anti-slip agents used, which can cause abrasive effects on the blade). Generally, the service life of machinery is extended.
• Increase productivity
• Partially replacing the need to use a white masterbatch, thus helping manufacturers save costs
• Reduce input costs because calcium carbon masterbatch filler is much cheaper than other primary resins
• Easier handling
• Provides self-cleaning effect on other materials (like dyes) and machines (like extruders)