In this article Fournier Polymers presents ExxonMobil Chemical offer for packaging industry, which provides unique solutions to keep, secure and publicize the product in every situation from the factory to store shelves.
New lighter-weight packaging materials, allow ExxonMobil Chemical to improve packaging products specifications while preserving sustainability.
Applications
Bags and sacks
ExxonMobil Chemical performance polymers allow a high-speed production of medium- to heavy-duty bags and Sacks that can achieve an extremely damage resistance. The main applications for these products are food packaging, lawn and garden produce, fertilizers and resins.
Shoppers, liners and trash bags
Performance polymers allow reducing the thickness of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) shopping and garbage bag films without changing product strength.
Containers, cups and tubs
Performance polymers provide accessible and efficient solutions for a wide range of rigid packaging applications, such as food containers, cups and tubs. Besides, common applications include thermoformed packaging, thin-wall injection-molded (TWIM) containers and rotomolded containers.
Some key benefits of performance polymers are impact resistance, flexibility, clarity, reduced stress whitening and process streamlining.
Caps, seals and closures
ExxonMobil Chemical polypropylene resins furnish stiffness, toughness, impact, clarity, cleanliness, colour, protection, shelf life extension, low gel and a faster processing to the final product.
ExxonMobil Chemical supplies a large range of polypropylene resins which provide high-performance plastic packaging solutions for applications like packaging caps, seals and closures for the beverage industry, sealant and coating, etc.
Collation shrink packaging
ExxonMobil Chemical supplies optimized solutions combining an excellent packaging integrity with clarity and gloss to improve its brand promotion and protect the products like beverages, bottled water and soda, hand soaps and detergents, health and beauty aids and newspaper and magazine bundles.
Some of its benefits are toughness, strength, high holding force, downgauging opportunities, excellent reliability on high-speed packaging lines and potential to reduce paperboard.
Compression packaging
High integrity packaging films for products like baby diapers, training pants, adult incontinence products, feminine hygiene products and insulation bags. These films help to protect and preserve goods through the value chain with extremely damage-resistant compression packaging that can withstand the most demanding stresses. In addition, this application has some other benefits such as downgauging opportunities of up to 26 percent, toughness, stiffness, optical properties and simplified formulations.
Flexible food packaging
In order to ensure protection and preserve the integrity of consumer food products such as cheeses, meats, breads and vegetables, ExxonMobil Chemical provides extremely damage-resistant flexible food packaging solutions that can withstand the most difficult environments like freezers.
Some achievable benefits are impact strength, tear strength and flex-crack resistance, excellent sealing properties, outstanding optical properties and improved film output and film downgauging.
Medical packaging
To maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare applications, ExxonMobil provides a consistent, high-quality polymer portfolio, specifically designed for healthcare and medical applications. Besides, there are materials available for all sterilization techniques.
Lamination tubes
ExxonMobil Chemical performance polymers provide high-performance packaging lamination tubes (lamitubes) which can support the most demanding stresses. Some common applications include cosmetics, health products, food and liquid products.
Liquid packaging
ExxonMobil Chemical performance polymers help protect and preserve liquid products such as wine, milk, oil, juice and detergent with a range of products that deliver peak performance in sealing, flexibility, impact resistance and critical properties which can support the most demanding environments. Furthermore, there are some typical liquid-packaging applications like bag-in-box bladder films, pillow and stand-up pouch films that are laminated or nonlaminated, and flexi-tank container liners.
Pallet packaging
Performance polymers are useful to get an optimal load stability and package integrity. These products can also support the most demanding stresses for product protection, helping brand owners protect their goods through the value chain.
Soft-shrink packaging
To wrap, overwrap and bundle-packaging solutions from manufacturer to end use, ExxonMobil Chemical provide cost-effective packaging and efficient solutions to protect delicate or irregularly shaped items. The most common applications are delicate food and irregularly shaped products such as office supplies, stationery products and air filters.
Compounding
Vistamaxx™ performance polymers key benefits for compounding are improved impact strength, greater flexibility, continuous clarity, no changes to existing equipment, accepted for food packaging, process efficiencies and stress whitening reduction or elimination.
Product solutions
| Product solutions | Features/Benefits | Groups of applications |
|---|---|---|
| Performance PE polymers | Toughness Sealing/bag-drop performance Easy processing Outstanding optics Recyclability Downgauging possibilities | Bags and Sacks Collation shrink packaging Compression packaging Flexible food packaging Liquid packaging Pallet stretch packaging Pallet stretch hood packaging Pallet shrink packaging Shoppers, liners and trash bags Soft-shrink packaging |
| Vistamaxx™ performance polymers | Toughness Cling Sealability Softness Clarity Dispersion Adhesion Elasticity Flexibility | Bags and sacks Containers, cups and tubs Flexible food packaging Liquid packaging Pallet stretch packaging Pallet stretch hood packaging Pallet shrink packaging Shoppers, liners and trash bags Surface protection Compounding for food and beverage containers Compounding for rigid packaging |
| ExxonMobil™ PP | Fast cycle times and high productivity Low part weight and cost Excellent stiffness and impact balance Outstanding processability Cost reduction through manufacturing efficiencies and raw material savings | Bags and sacks Containers, cups and tubs Caps, seals and closures Flexible food packaging Medical packaging Liquid packaging Surface protection Compounding for food and beverage containers Compounding for rigid packaging |
| LLDPE | Versatile and cost effective Lower seal initiation temperature balanced with mechanical properties Can reduce costs in high-performance structures | Bags and sacks Containers, cups and tubs Compression packaging Flexible food packaging Liquid packaging Pallet stretch packaging Pallet stretch hood packaging Soft-shrink packaging Surface protection |
| Achieve™ Advanced PP | Extraordinarily tough automotive parts that are lightweight and safe Remarkably rigid containers, cups and tubs that are easier to thermoform Tremendously comfortable nonwovens that are leak-proof and strong Amazingly eye-catching appliances that are more affordable | Containers, cups and tubs |
| LDPE | High melt strength Excellent optical properties Outstanding shrink performance | Containers, cups and tubs Collation shrink packaging Flexible food packaging Liquid packaging Shoppers, liners and trash bags Soft-shrink packaging |
| HDPE | Good processability Excellent environmental stress crack resistance Toughness High modulus and rigidity Heat resistance | Containers, cups and tubs Caps, seals and closures Collation shrink packaging Compression packaging Flexible food packaging Liquid packaging Shoppers, liners and trash bags Compounding for food and beverage containers Compounding for rigid packaging |
| EVA copolymers | Low seal-initiation temperatures, high hot-tack, very good impact strength and excellent optical properties for extrusion film processes High transparency for photovoltaic cell encapsulation | Caps, seals and closures Liquid packaging Pallet stretch hood packaging Surface protection |
| EAA copolymers | Adhesion to a range of polar substrates including metallized films, papers, iron, steel and glass Balance of adhesion onto the substrates and interlayer adhesion with coextruded LDPE and EVAs Formulations can be UV-stabilized for use in outdoor applications High bond resistance when used to pack acidic food products Coextrusion adhesive resin for polyamides Sealing performance: very low temperature sealing with high seal strengths, high hot-tack forces and good seal-through contamination | Caps, seals and closures Flexible food packaging Lamination tubes Liquid packaging |
| TPV | Excellent performance Reduced system costs Potential sustainability | Caps, seals and closures |
| Oppera™ modifiers | Benefits Enhanced optics films with low haze and high gloss Improved shrinkage Improved machinability during challenging converting operations A reduced melt viscosity and the ability to lower stretch/orientation temperatures to reduce power consumption Possibility for smooth extrusion of difficult polymers with fewer films breaks interrupting operations A proven track record of cleanliness and consistency Performance benefits Barrier protection: improves shelf life and product freshness Twist retention: offers excellent candy wrap performance and improved deadfold characteristics Sealability: lower temperature seal for faster line operating speeds, energy efficiency and less heat degradation of films Shrinkage: allows tight overwrap Transparency: enhanced optical properties with lower haze with high gloss Processing benefits Extrudability: enables production at lower temperatures with enhanced melt flow Thin film capability: stiffer film that offers downgauging opportunities Stretchability: better film orientation for easier processing, optimized throughout and reduced waste | Flexible food packaging Liquid packaging |
| Plastomers | Flexible packaging – enhanced toughness, clarity and sealing performance Molded and extruded products – improved impact strength and flexibility Foamed compounds – added durability to lightweight shoe midsoles | Flexible food packaging Surface protection |
