New Borealis copolymer points to improvements in rigid plastic packaging

Known as RJ901MO, the plastic is said to be ideal for thin wall packaging, which is invariably specified for colour cosmetic packaging such as lipsticks and mascara cases, together with secondary packaging for luxury or premium products.

“The launch of RJ901MO reinforces our commitment to provide the rigid packaging market with value-added, sustainable solutions for the value chain,”​ said Rainer Höfling, Borealis vice president Business Unit Moulding.

Borealis says it has developed the new plastic using its proprietary Borstar technology, which provides improvements in the performance of the plastic, and means less energy consumption during the manufacturing, ultimately leading to a reduced carbon footprint.

Enhanced environmental profile​

According to the company, the enhancements in the materials environmental profile come about thanks to its high melt flow rate of 110 in combination with nucleation, which enables lower processing temperatures.

The easy processing characteristics of the material means that the resulting lower moulding pressures contribute to longer life moulds and less maintenance, while the grade’s better flow rate enables simpler mould design with fewer runners, leading to a simplified production process.

The rigidity of the plastic also leads to logistical advantages, because enhanced stiffness and impact performance means that the finished moulded packaging can be easily stacked.

Aesthitic advantages: transparency and gloss​

There are also aesthetic advantages, namely that the good flow and stiffness combination translates into a material that can be moulded into complex shapes or longer narrow lengths, while the grade has a fresh look thanks to enhanced transparency and gloss.

It is also said that enhanced transparency of production units can be obtained at low processing temperatures.

 “The potential for lower temperature processing created by the grade’s superior flow results in clear productivity advantages for converters and more environmentally-considerate processing, with converters able to offer the market finished articles displaying highly-appealing transparency,”​ said Höfling.