Milliken to manufacture ClearTint® polymeric colourants in Europe

Milliken Chemical, the global leader in clarifying agents for polypropylene, supports the European introduction of its unique ClearTint® polymeric colourants, with the announcement that it plans to open new manufacturing, colour matching, and technical support operations, in Gent, Belgium, before the end of 2002.

ClearTint® is the leading brand for clear polypropylene colourants in the United States and is the colouring of choice in a variety of applications including food and cosmetic packaging, closures, juvenile products, pharmaceutical packaging, and housewares. The use of ClearTint® in conjunction with Millad® 3988 enhances the aesthetics and physical properties of polypropylene, a highly functional and cost-effective polymer, enabling it to compete against more expensive clear materials like PET, PS, PC, or glass.

Polypropylene has many advantages over other plastics including: density (lightweight), cost effectiveness, hot fillability, microwaveability, moisture/vapour barrier, stiffness/flexibility/impact balance, and chemical resistance. However, it is inherently hazy which, in the past, limited its use in applications where see-through clarity was desired. Milliken Chemical solved this problem with its Millad® clarifying agent technology and the market for clear PP has been growing in double digit figures ever since. Once the clarity issue was solved another critical issue remained, the inadequate colour technologies available when the combination of colour and high clarity was demanded. Dyes maintain transparency but have issues with extraction and migration, whereas pigments are contaminants that inherently impart haze into the plastic and cause further problems like inconsistent shrinkage, warpage, abrasion on machinery, and part-to-part variation.

Milliken Chemical eliminated this problem with the development of its ClearTintI® polymeric colourant technology which combines the transparency of dyes with the migration resistance of pigments while having no adverse effect on shrinkage or warpage.

Brand managers are able to increase the shelf appeal of their product by utilising the high transparency and exceptional aesthetics that can be achieved with deep, rich ClearTint® colours while packaging engineers and fabricators have increased flexibility due to the other important benefits of ClearTint® - no shrinkage or warpage, part to part consistency, and quick changeovers due to the non-particulate nature of ClearTint® polymeric colourants.

With headquarters located in Gent, Singapore, Sao Paulo and Spartanburg, S.C., Milliken Chemical is a leading manufacturer of clarifiers and colorants for plastics applications. It is part of the Milliken Chemical and Industrial Specialties Division of Milliken & Co., a manufacturer of fabrics and yarns for the home furnishings, industrial products, automotive and apparel markets as well as packaging, textile and specialty chemicals.

For more information contact: Milliken Chemical, Ham 18-24, 9000 Gent, Belgium.

Call +32 9 265 1104, e-mail eurochem@milliken.com or visit www.ClearPP.com.

Reader enquiries

Milliken & Company
Veerle de Wolf
Ham 18-24
B-9000 GENT
Belgium

+32 9 265 1136

Veerle.Dewolf@​milliken.com

www.milliken.com/en-us/businesses/chemical

@MillikenChem

milliken-chemical

MillikenChemical

www.milliken.com

millikenandco