Milliken, a global market leader in plastic additives, has partnered with the FCS Group, to develop a new product in the two stages of clarifier addition and injection molding of plastic products. Milliken’s Millad® NX® 8000 polypropylene (PP) clarifier provides glass-like clarity for PP packaging products and helps FCS machines to save energy and increase productivity during the production process. In addition, through the FCS Advanced Servo Hydraulic Injection Molding Machine, energy consumption is significantly reduced in the output process, achieving energy conservation and carbon reduction in the entire process from material input to injection molding.
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Comparison of standard polypropylene and food packaging containers with Milliken’s Millad® NX® 8000 polypropylene (PP) clarifier. Photo: Milliken |
The addition of Millad® NX® 8000 polypropylene (PP) clarifier has been shown to reduce the molding cycle by 10%, lower injection temperatures, and reduce energy consumption by up to 10% compared to traditional additives, resulting in energy conservation and carbon reduction. The results have also been awarded with the UL Environmental Claim Verification (ECV) label. Millad® NX® 8000 polypropylene (PP) clarifier has been professionally certified for its energy conservation and can be used on injection molded parts to display the UL Environmental Claim Verification (ECV) label on any PP material that has been treated with this clarifier to increase clarity.
In the development of the injection molding process for polypropylene products, Milliken collaborated with material manufacturers and the FCS Group, a leading Taiwanese plastic injection molding machine manufacturer. It used FCS Advanced Servo Hydraulic Injection Molding Machine FA-e series. By applying a fully electric injection/storage design and driving the injection unit with a servo system, it can accurately control the injection position/speed, and its high efficiency and stability meet the GB Class I energy-saving specifications and many other optimized performances. Therefore, it is mainly used in the production of medical appliances with high precision, such as precision medical Syringe Barrels.
In addition, Milliken also uses the FCS All-Electric Two-Component Injection Molding Machine CT-R series for two-component packaging molding systems. With the use of servo motors for injection, the rotary table speed can be increased by 30%-50%, which again significantly shortens the molding cycle; speed switching is fast and smooth, with power savings of up to 40%-70% compared to conventional hydraulic motors. In addition, more than two colors or materials can be molded on the same machine (e.g., food packaging containers), saving labor costs or post-machine processing procedures.
The addition of Millad® NX® 8000 polypropylene (PP) clarifier has been employed by many Taiwanese manufacturers to produce a variety of plastic products with higher transparency and clarity. When a clothing organizer is more transparent, consumers can see the contents at a glance without having to open the organizer, reducing search time with better visibility and higher efficiency. In addition, for exquisite gift packaging containers, the addition of this clarifier will give the container a glass-like transparency, and the texture can be greatly enhanced to attract people's attention.
At the annual Plastics Industry Innovation Forum (PIIF) showing the innovation trend in the plastics industry held by the Plastics Industry Development Center, Milliken and FCS presented a number of products with Millad® NX® 8000 polypropylene (PP) clarifier (e.g., food containers and Syringe Barrels), receiving warm responses. In a technical seminar, FCS shared the sustainable development of the plastic process, which also received a lot of responses.
