Sukano, a leading global developer and producer of additives, masterbatches, and polyester and specialty resin blends, has introduced a new mobility additive masterbatch for injection-pull-blow ("ISBM") PET bottles.

This new additive masterbatch allows bottle producers and brand operators to run their conveyor systems and manipulators without the need for spray coating.

The bottle must rotate freely as it passes through the conveyor belt of the production line, as forced rotation caused by friction can lead to clogging of the line.

New SUKANO® The Mobility Aid solution, believed to be the first commercial product developed for this application, comes as a solid PET masterbatch, which is mixed with pure PET or RPET material during molding or processing.

Even at low concentrations, this masterbatch can be continuously dispersed through the PET material, thereby reducing the coefficient of friction and changing the surface texture of the micro-structure.

The new masterbatch can produce a flow additive effect similar to silica gel in PET material, which can maintain the transparency of the material with minimal fog.

It is ideal for clear, translucent, and colored bottles produced for personal care, home and cleaning, cosmetics, and food and beverage applications, and has a wide range of adaptability as PET materials containing the new masterbatch can be processed on existing ISBM bottle production equipment without requiring changes to the equipment.

Sukano is currently helping a customer in the United States optimise its production process.

As an important global leader in the consumer goods industry, this customer is using Sukano's Sukano & REG; Mobility Aid masterbatch has resulted in a 6x reduction in mis-pick of PET bottles by its manipulators.

The uniform distribution of masterbatches resulted in improved material properties.

This additive masterbatch preserves secondary processing steps that require bonding, such as labeling and printing.

It also helps to reduce costs and the associated cleaning needs caused by spraying, which leaves a waxy residue on bottles and packaging equipment that must be cleaned regularly.

In addition, SUKANO® Mobility Aid masterbatch also avoids the potential risk of microbial contamination of the bottle surface caused by water-based coatings.

To develop new PET additive masterbatches, Sukano applied its more than 30 years of experience in developing masterbatches for the extrusion of packaging films to the development of PET bottle masterbatches and expanded its expertise in this area.

"SUKANO® Mobility Aid offers a valuable and safe alternative for bottle producers who until now have had to apply coatings in PET preforms and PET bottles to manage production issues associated with ISBM production." Michael Kirch, Global Head of Research and Development at Sukano, said, "Bottle manufacturers and brand operators can now run their delivery lines continuously without interruption and minimize mis-pick operations by the robot to increase production efficiency and maximize yield. "Our high-performance masterbatch technology can be adapted to any delivery system."

In an increasingly environmentally conscious world, the recyclability of PET is critical.

Sukano's innovative walking aid additive is no less important in this regard, as it is formulated in accordance with the EU PET Bottle Platform guidelines, which helps the industry to innovate and bring new PET bottle packaging solutions to market without affecting the existing clear PET recycling value chain with a special focus on "bottle-to-bottle recovery".

Sukano is committed to the concept of "circular economy" and has recently joined forces with plastic recycling companies in Europe to establish the Global Plastics Promotion Alliance and publish a globally harmonized definition of plastic recyclability.

This new mobility additive supports the PET value chain to maintain and further improve its recycling objectives in order to meet the voluntary commitment to exceed the Plastics Strategic Target for PET recycling by 2025.

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