Ascend Nylon Film Polymer Presentation

Agenda Welcome Film Barrier Requirements Nylon Film Characteristics Blown vs. Cast Film Material Selection Property Comparisons Mono vs Multi-layer Films Ascend Nylon film Polymers Nylon Film Market Growth Areas for Nylon Films Summary Graphs Resources

Barrier Requirements Oxygen Carbon Dioxide Moisture Grease / Oil Aroma UV Light

Typical Polymer Requirements for Food Packaging Oxygen / Moisture barrier 0.5-1 cc-mil/ 100 in2-day atm O2 0.5 g/100 in2 - day H2O Shrink Characteristics Toughness Flex crack resistance Puncture resistance Abrasion resistance Sealability and Strength Low temperature properties Clarity

Nylon Film Characteristics Oxygen barrier Toughness, tear and puncture/pin resistance Resistance to flex and stress cracking Heat resistance Chemical resistance alkalies, alcohols, ethers, ketones, hydrocarbons and oils Transparent Easily printed

Film Barrier Chart Permeability Source: Schwarz Packaging Systems

Film Polymer Property Comparison

Nylon Properties Source: Nylon Plastics Handbook. Permeabilities are in cc/m2/atm/day Nylon 66 offers the highest melting point with the best moisture/oxygen barrier characteristics of all the common nylons. It may require a combination of different nylons to achieve the desired film characteristics

Comparison of Properties of Nylon 66 and Nylon 6 The majority of the differences between nylon 66 and nylon 6 are due to crystallinity.

Nylon Monolayer Film High Temperature Applications Toughness/Puncture Resistance Resistance to Oils/Greases/Fats Reynolds Oven Bags are made with Ascend Nylon

Nylon Blown Film Blow Up Ratio: 1.5::1 to 3::1 Extruder Screw L/D 24::1 or Greater Compression Ratio: 3.5::1 or Greater

Blown vs. Cast Nylon Films The difference in properties between blown and cast film are due largely to crystallization differences. The rapidly quenched cast film has smaller and fewer crystals than the relatively slow quenching blown film.

Typical Layered Co-ex Film Construction Ascend Nylon for Oxygen/Aroma Barrier Polypropylene for Moisture Barrier Ionomer for sealing “Tie” Layer Adhesive to bind layers of different materials

Roles of Co-ex Film Components Nylon Toughness Some gas barrier capability PVDC / EVOH Primary oxygen barrier EVA / LDPE / Ionomer Sealing LLDPE / PP Moisture barrier Co-ex Films Offer a “Blend” of Polymer Properties

Co-Extruded Film Examples Fresh Meats PVDC/LLDPE/EVOH/Nylon High Oxygen Barrier Good Shrink Characteristics Puncture/Abrasion Resistance Low Temperature Strength Cheese Nylon/EVOH/PE CO2 Breathability O2 & H2O Barrier

Nylon 6 Nylon 6 is made from caprolactam Caprolactam is a commodity chemical. Easy to polymerize “Cheap” but LOTS of competition

Nylon 66 Nylon 66 is made from Adipic Acid and Hexamethylene Diamine (HMD) Only a handful of Companies are Basic in Nylon 66 Intermediates Solutia, DuPont, Asahi, BASF, Rhodia + H2O water

Film Material Selection Typically the end user specifies film performance criteria as opposed to film construction Example: High temperature, low oxygen & water vapor permeability Film Producers then develop a film to meet the given performance criteria Need for Film Producers & Resin Suppliers to Work Closely Together in Developing New Applications

Nylon Film Polymers Heat Stabilized: 66J, 66R, 76HF Neat: 63A, 66B, 67B, 76F Blown Film Line

Extrusion Grades 6,6 Based: 260oC MP 63A 65A 66B, 66J 66R 67B (New) Copolymer Based: 216oC MP 75F 75HF

Extrusion Grade - High Viscosity to Give High Melt Strength for Profile Extrusion and Film Applications (Mono and multi layer bi axial orientation) Nylon 6,6 63A: 80 RV 6,6 Designed for Cast Film. Meets FDA for direct food contact. Offers high tensile strength and elongation 65A, 65B: 125 RV 6,6 for Cast Film, Monofilament, Bristles, Sheet

Extrusion Grade Cont. 6,6 Cont. 66B, 66J: 250 RV 6,6 for Profile Extrusions and Blown Film. Meets FDA for direct food contact. High tensile strength and elongation 66R: Same as 66J but contains Slip agent to Provide Easier Opening Bags. FDA approved for direct food contact. 66B (T1119): Nucleated product for improved transparency and strength. Currently under development. 67B: High viscosity for applications requiring higher melt strength. 320 RV.

Extrusion Grades 6,6/6 Copolymer 75F/75HF: 200 RV Designed for Blown Film Applications Requiring: Transparency, Toughness, and Soft Hand. Low modulus, good tensile strength, excellent elongation and transparency properties.

Relative Viscosity Conversion Table Note: Formic Viscosities Determined Via Solutia Method at 25C Sulfuric Viscosities Determined Via Various Methods Due to Differences in Methods, Please Use the Column that Gives You the “Closest Fit”

Nanocomposite Film Nylon 6,6 or 6,6/6 polymer base Good processability @ 285oC Improvements in: barrier properties toughness stiffness dimensional stability heat resistance

North American Market Nylon Film Resin Use by Application Source: Peppin & Associates

Nylon Film Market Split between nylon 6,6 and nylon 6, including copolymers Cast or blown Uni- or bi-axially oriented Can be co-extruded with other polymers in a layered construction No need for tie layer against acid copolymers Coated/metallized/laminated Thermoformable to produce cavities

Market Growth of Nylon Packaging Film: 10%/yr

Growth Areas for Nylon Films North America - 5-6%/Yr Continued Growth in smaller portion cheese packs Growth in meat packaging Europe - 5-6%/Yr Barrier films for cheese and meats Thinner but higher performance co-extruded films to reduce packaging costs

Summary The difference in properties between blown and cast film are due largely to crystallization differences. Need for Film Producers & Resin Suppliers to Work Closely Together Typically the end user specifies film performance criteria as opposed to film construction Nylon 66 offers the highest melting point with the best moisture/oxygen barrier characteristics of all the common nylons Co-ex Films Offer a “Blend” of Polymer Properties Markets are split roughly 60/40 between co-extruded and monolayer films Growth in Nylon Films is projected at 5-6%/Yr

Resources Equipment Manufacturers Viscosity Conversion Chart Articles on Films Ascend Product Data