Stretchene has eight-fold higher barrier properties than PET, says company

Developed especially for stretch blow moulding applications, Stretchene polypropylene materials from Basell are seen by the company as an alternative to the conventional glass and PET bottle materials.

Two grades were launched yesterday - RP 1685 and RP 1903. Basell said both grades are characterised by higher stiffness, transparency, impact strength and production efficiency than conventional PP materials.

The Stretchene RP 1685 grade is expected to find appplication in stretch blow moulded bottles and as an alternative to PET for hot fill bottles, on account of its high stiffness, low density of 0.9 gm/cc and high heat distortion temperature of 109°C.

The equally low density but especially highly transparent RP 1685 grade is foreseen in particular for cosmetic packaging, due to its particularly high transparency, where Basell considers it an alternative to both PET and HDPE. Mike Rogers is responsible at Basell for development of the Stretchene materials and points out that other advantages of the new grades over PET include eight-fold better moisture permeability, absence of acetaldehyde (AA), and that “bottles in Stretchene can be produced with much lower pressure than with PET”, eliminating the need for high pressure compressors. Space and energy are also saved, Rogers states, since the PP grades do not need to be pre-dried.

Rogers advises that a further development is imminent in the form of PP grades for medical applications that will carry the Purell name.