Rotterdam, Netherlands, Oct. 23, 2008 – Using its proprietary Hostalen Advanced Cascade Process (ACP) technology, LyondellBasell Industries has launched a new high density polyethylene (HDPE) resin that offers outstanding benefits to converters of bottles for personal care and detergents. The new resin provides an outstanding combination of optimized density and tailor-made stiffness, very high environmental stress-cracking resistance (ESCR) and smooth processability. The Hostalen ACP 5231D resin expands the range of the company’s ACP resins used in blow molding applications.
Custom-designed molecular weight distribution
According to LyondellBasell’s tests, the new resin can enable customers to obtain an ESCR up to three times higher than a typical HDPE grade with the same density. Helmut Gersema, LyondellBasell’s Application Development Manager for Blow Molding, said: “ESCR and density are normally conflicting objectives. If the density increases, the ESCR decreases. Using Hostalen ACP technology, the molecular weight distribution can be custom-designed, helping us to achieve an ESCR which is much higher than that of a standard unimodal grade of the same density.”
Due to the resin’s high ESCR, the Hostalen ACP 5231D grade has also demonstrated that converters can reduce the wall thickness of their products, which is essential to achieving competitiveness and value. Numerous trials conducted by LyondellBasell have shown that a 1:1 replacement of a conventional unimodal material with Hostalen ACP 5231D resin ultimately yielded significant weight saving. As a consequence, products can be produced with Hostalen ACP 5231D resin to increase the ESCR of blow molded containers without impacting weight.
Good wall-thickness distribution
In addition to these advantages, industrial trials have shown that the new HDPE resin can achieve smooth processability with a broad processing window. “Customers reported already that they were able to convert the resin on their machines without any modification to the processing parameters. Be it temperature or flow characteristics, the resin performed very smoothly,” explained Gersema. The resin is also characterized by good wall-thickness distribution which should enable customers to save material by producing finished parts that are lighter.
The Hostalen ACP 5231D resin can also be considered by converters to produce a wide range of containers of up to 5 litres in size, but also to produce multi-layer packaging and toys. The new resin is currently manufactured in Europe and is available for export. By utilizing cascade reactor technology, multimodal resins based on the Hostalen ACP process offer flexibility in terms of product properties that is not achievable with conventional HDPE grades which are unimodal- or bimodal-based.
Note for editorial offices: Press photographs can be also downloaded from:
http://lyondellbasell.mediaroom.com/file.php/160/Hostalen.jpg
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LyondellBasell Industries is one of the world’s largest polymers, petrochemicals and fuels companies. We are the global leader in polyolefins technology, production and marketing; a pioneer in propylene oxide and derivatives; and a significant producer of fuels and refined products, including biofuels. Through research and development, LyondellBasell develops innovative materials and technologies that deliver exceptional customer value and products that improve quality of life for people around the world. Headquartered in The Netherlands, LyondellBasell (www.lyondellbasell.com) is privately owned by Access Industries.
For information, contact:
Media – Waldemar Oldenburger, +49 69 305 854 59 or waldemar.oldenburger@lyondellbasell.com
