Sabic to Introduce New Ultra-High Melt Flow PP For Lightweight Breathable Non-woven Fabrics In Personal Hygiene Applications

new-ultra-high-melt-flow-PPAt the upcoming RISI Asia Pacific Hygiene Products Symposium, SABIC will unveil an innovative new polypropylene (PP) resin product engineered to deliver enhanced properties in melt-blown fibers for nonwoven fabrics. The new product, designated SABIC® PP 514M12, can serve a wide range of potential end-uses in personal hygiene applications and other market segments. It is the first grade of a new family of high-flow resin compounds which SABIC started to develop only two years ago, and is expected to be commercially available by end of 2018.

The current hygiene market challenges and the high level of consumer needs have pushed the partners along the entire hygiene value chain to accelerate their development programs and deploy highly innovative solutions. We always take challenges as opportunities and seek to anticipate market trends and dynamics to introduce new products for smart applications. SABIC will also be a keynote speaker at the RISI Asia Pacific Hygiene Products Symposium venue to take place from October 24 to 26, 2018, in Xiamen, China, where representatives of more than 160 top industry players from all over the world are expected to attend.

SABIC® PP 514M12 material is based on phthalate-free and odor-free technology that offers very good processability for melt-blown fibers with high levels of drawability, spinnability and uniformity. The resulting nonwovens are developed to combine high barrier properties and absorption with breathability in thin and lightweight high-performance webs of enhanced conformability and reduced material consumption.

With a final melt flow rate of >1,000 g/10 min, melt-blown fibers made from SABIC®514M12 polymer open unique potential manufacturing possibilities for very lightweight and thin nonwovens aiming to provide improved wearability and air permeability, while maintaining very good barrier property. The potential improved absorption and barrier performance of fabrics based on SABIC® PP 514M12 polymer has also been underscored in hydrostatic head tests, a frequent requirement for specific configurations of spun-bond/melt-blown/spun-bond (SMS) nonwovens for hygiene applications.

Moreover, SABIC® PP 514M12 polymer with phthalate-free, single-material technology aims to provide high purity and enhanced customer convenience over incumbent melt blown resins and benchmark blends. The polymer resin is supplied in regular pellet form, which facilitates handling, storage, and use.

The personal hygiene industry is constantly seeking advanced material solutions helping manufacturers to push the limits of consumer safety and convenience, function, sustainability, and cost control. Our innovative new polypropylene product for melt-blown fibers aims to address these challenges while meeting strict hygiene and consumer protection standards.

SABIC® PP 514M12 can easily be tailored to specific customer and application needs. Trials performed in collaboration with a dedicated machine manufacturer’s latest high-speed machine using production quantities of the new melt blown PP confirmed its very good processing and performance properties on par with or better than reference market grades. Subsequent sampling by selected nonwoven manufacturers successfully underscored the innovative new material as a great candidate for a wide range of potential end-use products, from diapers, sanitary napkins, and other hygiene applications. Beyond single-material and composite nonwovens, it can also lend itself as a base resin for color master-batches.

As a strategic supplier of new material solutions to the market, we are committed to making a significant contribution to the success of our customers by constantly raising the bar of quality and performance, ensuring long-term dependability and building valuable relationships to leverage mutual growth opportunities.

SABIC has an extensive PP portfolio providing solutions for a range of industry segments that include automotive, packaging, healthcare, home appliances and construction next to Personal Hygiene. Our dedicated global segment organization to these segments with polymer portfolio that is designed to cater needs of our customers in the industries, is an evidence of SABIC’s commitment to the customer-driven strategy and industry focus to effectively support our customer’s needs for innovation, service and application development around the world.

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