NOVA Chemicals Debuts High-Performance Sealant Resins for Flexible Packaging
Calgary, Alberta (September 27, 2017) – NOVA Chemicals Corporation (“NOVA Chemicals”), a leading supplier of polyethylene in the Americas, has introduced three new high-performance sealant resins for multi-layer film structures. The cutting-edge octene resins were developed using NOVA Chemicals’ proprietary Advanced SCLAIRTECH™ technology, enabling outstanding physical properties and performance for demanding sealant applications.
All of the new resins have several features in common. Critical for converters, a wide sealing and hot tack window improves packaging operations. Exceptional clarity with low haze and high gloss delivers package shelf appeal for consumers. A superior balance of stiffness and toughness allows structure redesign to improve package integrity and durability, including drop impact resistance, in demanding applications such as hot fill and institutional packaging.
“The need for sealants is extensive and wide ranging,” says Mark Kay, performance films marketing leader, NOVA Chemicals. “These new grades cover the gamut of performance requirements for food packaging and other flexible film applications. We’re excited to share them with our customers and help them improve their current packaging manufacturing, and even enter new markets and applications.”
VPsK914 is an ultra-durable, abuse-resistant resin for the most demanding packaging applications. A low seal initiation temperature combined with a broad sealing window enables worry-free packaging runs. This grade also offers triple the toughness of a typical PE sealant resin and more stiffness than a 20% plastomer blend, making it ideal for packaging sharp and heavy contents. In addition, high resin melt strength can enable up to a 20% increase in blown film line speeds vs. a typical Octene LLDPE.
SPsK919, developed for the unique needs of the heavy duty sack market, offers an exceptional balance of physical properties, sealing, and processability. Like VPsK914, this resin offers a low seal initiation temperature and broad sealing window, resulting in robust seals that provide package integrity. The resin’s creep performance, a critical attribute for heavy duty packaging that measures resistance to product deformation, is best-in-class of all PE heavy duty sack resins on the market today. SPsK919 also has high melt strength which can allow an increase in blown film output rates.
SPs116 is an ultra-versatile, all-around performer for applications from liquid, dry, and frozen foods to the special demands of meat, cheese and poultry. The resin’s breadth of properties allows converters to substitute SPs116 for a wide range of resins, including metallocene LLDPE, and to use the new resin in several different layers of a coextruded structure:
- Sealant layer – the broad sealing window and dimensional stability enable consistent lamination and filling operations
- Abuse layer – mechanical properties help ensure package integrity at reduced gauge
- Skin layer – as with the other new grades, SPs116 has exceptional optics for shelf appeal
- Tie layer – base resin for tie concentrate blend enhances adhesion, minimizing package leaks
The development of these new sealant resins is the result of NOVA Chemicals’ ongoing customer-centric research and development work at the company’s Centre for Applied Research in Calgary and at its Advanced SCLAIRTECH facility at Joffre. For more information on each of the new sealant grades, visit NOVA Chemicals’ product finder online at https://www.novachem.com/product-finder/. To learn more about our Advanced SCLAIRTECH technology, visit our commercial process technologies web page.
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About NOVA Chemicals
NOVA Chemicals develops and manufactures chemicals and plastic resins that make everyday life safer, healthier and easier. Our employees work to ensure health, safety, security and environmental stewardship through our commitment to sustainability and Responsible Care®. NOVA Chemicals, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is wholly-owned ultimately by Mubadala Investment Company of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
About NOVA Chemicals Polyethylene Business
The NOVA Chemicals polyethylene business enables its customers’ success with a portfolio of more than 125 specialized SURPASS®, SCLAIR® and NOVAPOL® resins. Each new NOVA Chemicals resin is developed to meet customer requirements, from drop-in consistency to step-out performance attributes. Our customer-centric approach drives our business.
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Media inquiries, please contact
Andie Stiles
NOVA Chemicals
E-mail: andie.stiles@novachem.com
The NOVA Chemicals logo and NOVAPOL are registered trademarks of NOVA Brands Ltd.; authorized use/utilisation autorisée. Advanced SCLAIRTECH™ is a trademark of NOVA Chemicals. SURPASS and SCLAIR are registered trademarks of NOVA Chemicals Corporation in Canada and of NOVA Chemicals (International) S.A. elsewhere; authorized use/utilisation autorisée. Responsible Care is a registered trade mark of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada.
