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Polyolefins MouldingBottles

I Polyolefins Moulding Bottles I www.borealisgroup.com

About Borealis

Borealis is a leading provider of innovative, value creating plastics

solutions. With more than 40 years of experience in the polyethylene (PE)

and polypropylene (PP) business, we focus on pipe systems, energy and

communications cables, automotive and advanced packaging markets.

We are strong in Europe and growing in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific

through Borouge, our joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil

Company (ADNOC). Our technology shapes plastic products that make an

essential contribution to the society in which we live. We are committed

to lead the way in ‘Shaping the Future with Plastics’.

With EUR 5 billion revenue in sales and 4,500 employees, Borealis is

headquartered in Vienna, Austria with innovation centres, customer

service centres, and main production sites in Europe and the Middle East.

Borealis has representative offices and operations in Asia, North and

South America.

At its heart, the company’s four values of Responsible, Respect, Exceed

and Nimblicity™, define its way of doing business. For Borealis, success

is achieving value creation through innovation.

Borstar® is Borealis’ proprietary technology supporting differentiated

PE and PP products. Borstar is a registered

trademark of Borealis A/S.

Learn more about us at

www.borealisgroup.com

I 0�

02 Blowmoulding:achangingmarket

04 Acompletepolyolefinsportfoliotomeet

yourneeds

05 Ourrangeofhighimpactandhighstiffness

randoms

07 HighmeltstrengthPP

08 SpecialtechnologiesforPP

09 BorealisPEforbottles

�2 PEformilkanddairybeverages

Contents

02

The blow moulding market is currently characterised by continued

consolidation in the industry, with Central Europe becoming the

manufacturing base for leading blow moulding companies. Concurrent with

these developments, the blow moulding industry is increasingly becoming

a service industry to brands, as more and more retailers introduce their own

branded product lines.

Package offerings from suppliers are becoming more common, including

involvement in design issues, and encompassing the bottle, label, closure,

filling line etc. Another aspect of production expected to increase is "hole

through the wall" operations, where instead of receiving bottles from a

remote plant, the customer is supplied directly by an on-site bottle production

facility, literally via a hole through the wall.

A growing preference for plastic

Due to environmental and other factors, plastic bottles are steadily gaining

market share as the switch from glass and metal containers continues. In the

food segment for example, glass packaging for ketchups dressings has been

replaced almost totally by squeezable barrier PP bottles during the last two

years. Other examples include fresh and shelf-stable soups in barrier PP and

HDPE jars and the strongly increasing demand for HDPE and PP bottles and

containers in the personal application segment.

Blow moulding:a changing market

I Polyolefins Moulding Bottles I www.borealisgroup.com

Figure 1: Polymer demand by country

for bottles (2002)

Total = 3.9 million tonnes

Adding strength to the value chain

Consumers and end-producers of food and industrial products are becoming

increasingly demanding in terms of packaging performance and functionality.

Borealis Business Unit Moulding is strongly placed to meet the challenge with

advanced technologies and leading edge products, and is committed to the

continuous development of material saving and cost effective solutions which

provide optimal value along the entire value chain.

Polymer supplier

Converter Brand owner Retailer Consumer

• Broad product range• R&D competence• Best in class

products

• Reliable supply• Compatible to filling

goods & multi-layer-materials

• Functionality• Approved grades• Cost

• Be the first with new packaging

• Strong influence on approvals

• High transparency• High barrier• No taste or odour• Cost

• Increasing influence due to own brands

• High turnover of bottles / time unit

• Basic needs• Cost

• Safety (no leakage)• Risk free• Functionality• Squeezability• Emptying the bottle• Cost

Life cycle for polyolefin bottles

Origin Growth Maturity Saturation

I 0�

Table 1: Market challenges for each player

in the value chain

Figure 2: Life cycle for polyolefin bottlesMarketing/ R&D

Dem

and

/ Qua

ntity

ISBM bottles

PP

EBM bottles

PP

ISBM bottles HDPE

Borealis offers a complete polyolefins product portfolio of competitive and

differentiated products, developed to meet constantly evolving market needs.

We have an extensive number of end user approvals, achieved through focus

and long-term commitment to selected segments, end users and customers.

High performance solutions

Our market understanding, together with patents and proprietary technologies

such as Borstar and BNT (Borealis Nucleation Technology), enable us to

deliver high performance polyolefin solutions, as well the environmentally best

alternative to PVC, PET, PC and glass.

PP proves its value

Polypropylene in general has excellent water vapour barrier properties, good

heat resistance and is suitable for sterilisation, pasteurisation and hot filling.

Borealis has developed a leading product range that is designed to meet our

customers' demanding requirements in Extrusion Blow Moulding and Injection

Stretch Blow Moulding.

The market is dominated by random copolymers on account of their good

transparency and gloss. Market share for random copolymers is currently

around 75%, the remainder being heterophasic copolymers (20%) and

homopolymers (5%).

A complete polyolefins portfolio to meet your needs

I Polyolefins Moulding Bottles I www.borealisgroup.com04

Figure 3: Market segmentation

by application

Property RB206MO RB607MO RB�07MO

Mechanics Tensile modulus (MPa) ��50 900 900

Dropping height �l bottle 0°C (m) �.� �.4 �.4

HDTB (°C) 86 80 80

Optics Haze (%) �7-20 �8-2� �8-2�

Gloss (%) 90-�00 90-�00 90-�00

Processing Filling speed (%) �00 9� 9�

Hot filling �00°C 90°C 90°C

Plate out very low low low

Benefits summary

Our range of high impact and high stiffness randoms

I 05

• Excellent transparency due to highly effective nucleation agent

• Low taste and odour

• Good impact strength and high drop resilience due to high ethylene

content RB307MO, RB477MO

• High stiffness and compatible to hot filling RB206MO

• Organoleptically safe

• Full compliance with food contact regulations

• Full recyclability of all grades

• Exceptional impact for our block copolymer grade BB125MO

Table 2

I

Improved processability with Daploy™

PP randoms are limited in extrusion blow moulding technology in terms of

bottle size and bottle weight due to the melt strength of the materials. The

use of materials with higher molecular weight has a negative influence on

optical properties and cycle time, and increases energy costs. However

with the addition of only a few percent of Daploy HMS (High Melt Strength)

to standard PP random, the melt strength increases without any negative

influence on processability or the article’s properties.

Benefits summary

High melt strength PP

• Dry blend of RB307MO or RB607MO and approximately 5% Daploy

WB130HMS

• Higher melt strength and higher draw down velocity

• Possibility to produce transparent containers up to 10 litre

• Improved processability for large bottles up to 4 litre

Figure 4: Effect of Daploy on melt strength

07

Borealis RF926MO, the newly developed ISBM material, is a highly nucleated

random PP which can be converted in a one-step or two-step process. The very

efficient nucleator, the randomness of the material and the additive package

together provide excellent processing and stretching behaviour as well as a

uniquely competitive product proposition.

Besides detergent packaging, this grade is also suitable for the food, dairy

and water industries and fulfils the strict organoleptic requirements for these

segments. Due to the polymer design, the very efficient nucleation, Millad 3988,

and the additive package, articles produced from this material can achieve a

transparency that rivals glass. It also enlarges the processing window so that it

can compete successfully with other plastics.

Special technologies for PP

I Polyolefins Moulding Bottles I www.borealisgroup.com08

Borealis RF926MO key features compared to

Extrusion blow moulded bottles ISBM materials such as PET Other packaging such as glass

• Superior optical properties• Improved mechanical properties

(biorientation)• Higher productivity• No production waste

• Lower density• Enables weight reduction• Hot fillable• Sterilizable• Environmentally friendly• Lower bottle costs• Lower investment cost• Lower blowing pressure required

• Convenience• Less safety issues (non breakable)• Squeezable

Table 3

Picture 1: Borealis RF926MO: this bottle

was produced in a one step process

I 09

Capable and versatile: Borealis HDPE

HDPE is the most versatile and cost efficient material which fulfils market needs

in consumer packaging. It is also one of the most long standing materials, being

easy to convert and allowing a great variety of bottle design, as well as being

environmentally friendly. Borealis has the capability to produce both unimodal and

bimodal products for HDPE bottles.

Borealis PE for bottles

Figure 5: Market segmentation

of PE bottles applications

I ��

A choice of both bimodal and unimodal

Bimodal and unimodal PE both have their own advantages

in the production of PE bottles. Borealis supplies both, using

our proven proprietary Borstar PE technology for our bimodal

range.

Unimodal materials in general have higher swell. Our product

range includes high impact materials with good ESCR and

high stiffness grades, especially for the food industry. The

lower swell of bimodal materials enables weight reduction

due to the high stiffness and excellent environmental stress

cracking resistance. The ability to switch between unimodal

and bimodal materials very often depends on whether the

equipment can be adjusted to the different swell.

Table 5

Bimodal vs. unimodal for bottles

Bimodal Unimodal

• High ESCR • High stiffness • Better processability at same MFR compared to unimodal • Lower swell

• Good impact • High opacity • Better gloss

Table 4

Unimodal products Bimodal products

• BL252� • BL257� • BL26��

• BS254� • BS258� • BS4646

Figure 6: Influence on MWD on PE

characteristics - bimodal

vs unimodal PE blow moulding

PE for milk and dairy beverages

I Polyolefins Moulding Bottles I www.borealisgroup.com�2

In this market segment, carton is the leading material. For plastics, HDPE has

the biggest share. In product areas such as dairy beverages and probiotics the

annual growth rate is more than 10%. The fresh milk market (pasteurised milk)

is dominated by the northern European countries with the UK by far the biggest

- approximately half of the pasteurised milk volume is consumed in the UK.

The shelf life of pasteurised milk is around 4 to 7 days. On the continent UHT

milk and sterilised milk are mainly packed in HDPE bottles. To protect the milk

against short wavelength and visible light 3-layer bottles are used for UHT milk.

For oxygen sensitive products such as vitaminised milk, multilayer bottles with

up to 6 layers are used. Both products offered by Borealis are suitable for the

converting on shuttle and on wheel machines and can be used for pasteurised

and UHT milk.

Table 6

Figure 7: Due to the environmental issues

plastic bottles gain market share against

the other packaging materials

Requirements BL26�� dairy beverages BS464�MO

Taste & smell • • • • •

Productivity • • • • •

Impact • •

Stiffness • • • •

Suitable for Pasteurisation, UHT milk Fresh milk bottles, juice bottles

Borealis Moulding specialises in supplying advanced polyolefin plastics for injection,

rotational moulding and blow moulding processing technologies. Through leading

Borealis technologies such as Borstar®, and BNT (Borealis Nucleation Technology) and

a product portfolio for a wide range of applications like bottles, thin wall packaging, caps

and closures, transport packaging, houseware and healthcare, Borealis has over 40

years established a leading position on the moulding market across Europe.

Borealis believes that customer-driven innovation is the only way to achieve and sustain

progress. In the moulding industry, Borealis has pioneered the development of several

leading edge solutions. For example, low temperature impact, transparent polyolefins

have opened up new opportunities in deep freeze display packaging. In the ISBM

segment, biaxially oriented PP has reduced the weight and increased the transparency

of bottles. Through foresight and focus on customer needs, Borealis continues to

provide innovative solutions for the moulding industry that add real value throughout

the value chain.

We know the high value that our customers in the moulding industry place on product

consistency and processability. We pride ourselves on the performance of our products,

and through ongoing investment in upgrades and new plant programmes, we continue

to set new records for output efficiency and product reliability.

Borealis believes that responsiveness is the foundation of fruitful customer

partnerships. Business Unit Moulding ensures this through the resources of

strategically placed Borealis hubs across Europe:

Borealis Scandinavia, Borealis Central Europe, Borealis

Belgium and Borealis Finland, an innovation centre at

Borealis Scandinavia in Bamble, Norway, and a strong

sales force across Europe.

DisclaimerThe information contained herein is to ourknowledge accurate and reliable as of the date ofpublication. Borealis extends no warranties andmakes no representations as to the accuracy orcompleteness of the information contained herein,and assumes no responsibility regarding theconsequences of its use or for any printing errors.Our products are intended for sale to industrial andcommercial customers. It is the customer'sresponsibility to inspect and test our products inorder to satisfy himself as to the suitability of theproducts for the customer's particular purpose. Thecustomer is also responsible for the appropriate,safe and legal use, processing and handling of ourproducts. Nothing herein shall constitute anywarranty (express or implied, of merchantability,fitness for a particular purpose, compliance withperformance indicators, conformity to samples ormodels, non-infringement or otherwise), nor isprotection from any law or patent to be inferred.No statement herein shall be construed as anendorsement of any product or process. No one isauthorized to make representations or givewarranties or assume any other liabilities on behalfof Borealis except if in writing and signed by a dulyauthorized Borealis employee. Insofar as productssupplied by Borealis or its subsidiary companiesare used in conjunction with third party materials, itis the responsibility of the customer to obtain allnecessary information relating to the third partymaterials and ensure that Borealis' products whenused together with these materials are suitable forthe customer's particular purpose. No liability canbe accepted in respect of the use of Borealis'products in conjunction with other materials. Theinformation contained herein relates exclusively toour products when not used in conjunction withany third party materials.

Borstar is a registered trademark of Borealis A/S.

Daploy and Nimblicity are trademarks of Borealis A/S.

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Borealis GmbH I IZD Tower I Wagramerstrasse 17-19 I A-1220 Vienna I AustriaTel +43 1 22 400 000 I Fax +43 1 22 400 333 I www.borealisgroup.com

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For more information:visit www.borealisgroup.com/moulding