LyondellBaselltoday announced the North American commercial launch of a new low density polyethylene (LDPE) resin at the Applied Market Information's Polyethylene 2010 Conference in Daytona, Fla. Petrothene L3035 LDPE is used in a wide range of blown film applications. Compared to competitive LDPE grades, it features higher stiffness, shrink energy and puncture strength, while still delivering excellent optics and processability. These properties make Petrothene L3035 the resin of choice for high visual impact film applications such as collation shrink film, overwraps and food and medical packaging, among others.
"Through our state-of-the-art technology centers, LyondellBasell is dedicated to developing innovative products for our customers such as Petrothene L3035 that provide enhanced properties for superior performance," said Jim Clark, business manager of polyethylene flexible applications for LyondellBasell in the Americas.
Less packaging
Customers can utilize the performance features of Petrothene L3035 to downgauge their flexible packages, resulting in material savings. "The puncture strength, high stiffness and shrink energy are of particular benefit to collation shrink film, contributing to a tighter, more robust package which enables the elimination of trays," explained Steve Imfeld, LyondellBasell's new business development manager for polyethylene flexible applications in the Americas. The reduced material requirements offer potential cost savings that can benefit both converters and end-users.
Enhanced collation shrink film
The new resin offers customers the flexibility to produce very high quality film. For collation shrink film, the tighter package helps maintain package integrity during transportation, while the enhanced visual appearance presents a more appealing consumer product on the store shelf.
Variety of applications
Petrothene L3035 expands the company's broad range of high-performance materials sold to converters for use in a variety of flexible film applications. The resin is now available on a commercial scale and is produced in LyondellBasell's Lupotech T process plant in Morris, Illinois.