Baerlocher USA supplies its Baeropol resin stabilization technology (RST) to F&D Plastics in Dorval, QC, to address various manufacturing challenges for its customers.
F&D Plastics, manufacturer of additive masterbatches and colour concentrates that serves customers across the Americas, required two advanced material solutions that not only addressed its customer’s issues with plate out, but also helped meet stringent oxidative induction time (OIT) requirements for a demanding geomembrane application.
Baeropol DRS 6812 polyolefin stabilizer, based on Baerlocher USA’s RST platform, replaced phosphite antioxidants previously used by F&D Plastics in its linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) masterbatches. High loadings of these antioxidant materials were causing the phosphite to leach out of the solution, leaving residue (plate-out) on the processing equipment. This plate-out irritated workers’ hands, caused part rejects, and interrupted production throughput because of the need for frequent cleaning. Baeropol DRS 6812 offered a high-performance solution with multiple advantages over phosphites, including:
- Higher solubility
- Ability to be used for generally recognized as safe (GRAS) applications
- Offered as low-dust sprayed prills, reducing airborne particles that can be sources of skin irritation
“Baerlocher USA’s Baeropol DRS 6812 additive provided an environmentally safe, cost-effective additive material that allowed us to address some of our key processing concerns,” said Sylvain Séguin, technical sales and product manager, F&D Plastics. “Additionally, Baerlocher USA provided us with excellent customer service and technical support that have been extremely helpful to us in our efforts to find the right solution.”
Further, F&D Plastics needed a stabilization technology for a customer that could meet the OIT requirements under two different standards:
- ASTM D5885-06 – Standard test method for OIT of polyolefin geosynthetics by high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry
- ASTM 3895-14 – Standard test method for oxidative induction time of polyolefins by differential scanning calorimetry
In this case, the customer required a stabilization masterbatch to produce high-molecular weight LLDPE geomembranes for the mining and petroleum industries. These critical geomembranes had to withstand harsh temperature and chemical extremes and still deliver an extended useful life. The phenolic and phosphite antioxidants F&D Plastics had been supplying to this customer for less demanding applications could not meet the required ASTM D5885-06 OIT standard.
Baerlocher USA’s Baeropol T-1111, one of its T-BLEND products that incorporates RST chemistry, is a blended synergistic polymer stabilizer pre-formulated to provide superior stabilization for most polymer applications including films, pipe, wood-plastic composites, and automotive applications. Baeropol T-1111 enabled F&D Plastics to develop a very highly loaded masterbatch that was tested by the geomembrane customer in an approval process requiring a number of scale-up production trials, with subsequent product testing.
“We are very pleased with the OIT test results from Baeropol T-1111 because it proves that the product meets our geomembrane customer’s tough requirements,” Séguin, said. “This technology also offers us huge potential for sales growth in geomembrane applications and may be of interest to customers in other sectors. Our close collaboration with Baerlocher USA is helping us address a wide range of industry challenges so we can grow our business.”
Baeropol DRS 6812 and Baeropol T-1111 additives each offered F&D Plastics customizable solutions to address their customer’s key concerns, while Baerlocher USA’s extensive test data on RST products also avoided the need for additional testing. Further, since RST can be used for GRAS applications, the material is ideal for F&D Plastics’ target products such as toys, maple syrup tubing and food packaging film.
“Baerlocher USA consistently goes above and beyond for customers like F&D Plastics by delivering the technologies and services needed to solve real-world problems,” said Victor Satov, account manager, Canada and North East Region, Baerlocher USA. “Products based on our RST platform surpass traditional stabilization technologies, helping customers boost performance, comply with rigorous standards and streamline processing. We look forward to continuing our trusted relationship with F&D Plastics.”
www.baerlocher.com.
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