Producers of rigid food packaging, caps and closures, medical devices, pharmaceutical packaging, house wares and kitchen wares will be able to take full advantage of Total Petrochemicals’ new Lumicene® random metallocene product range.

Polymer substitution of polycarbonate and PVC is another target with a strong penetration achieved in demanding applications such as baby bottle production.

Why use Lumicene® random?

  • To reduce production costs
  • To benefit from significant down gauging (cost benefit and environmental benefit)
  • To benefit from a superior food compatibility
  • To improve part aesthetics (gloss and/or transparency)

What’s new?

For years Total Petrochemicals has led the way in developing polypropylene grades to boost the converter’s productivity. Lumicene® random polypropylene grades are the next step forward.

Total Petrochemicals’ Lumicene® random products propose different grades to fit with market needs:

  • MR110MC2: MFI 110g/10min, high transparency
  • MR60MC2: MFI 60g/10min, high transparency
  • MR30MC2: MFI 30g/10min, high transparency
  • MR30MX0: MFI 30g/10min, super high transparency
  • MR10MX0: MFI 10g/10min, super high transparency

New opportunities

  • Production cost reduction: moulding productivity – with standard random (ZN catalyst) dimensional variation occurs from one injection shot to another due to variation in shrinkage. With Lumicene® the moulding precision is much higher, the reproducibility between shots is much improved giving a lower reject rate of out of specification parts. In addition, the higher rigidity allows a faster demoulding
  • Production cost reduction: faster cycle time – reduced cooling and injection time thanks to high fluidity and high rigidity of MR110MC2
  • Down gauging (cost and environmental benefit): Lumicene® PP product range exhibits 150 Mpa more rigidity allowing down gauging. At the same time the impact resistance shows a ductile behavior at room temperatures. In short: higher rigidity and better impact
  • Superior food compatibility: ultra low extractables and best in class organoleptic properties give Lumicene® range the status of universal grade for food packaging
  • Improved parts aesthetics (gloss and/or transparency)

Case study: injected food packaging tray produced with Lumicene® MR110MC2

Case study: thin wall food packaging trays 22g with MR110MC2:

  • Savings on production costs: 30 to 50€/T
  • Better container performance
  • Part weight reduction potential of 4-8%: 50 to 100€/T

Standard production conditions: 5 sec cycle time with MFI 40 at 235°C. Production with MR110MC2 with following advantage:

  • Cycle time of 4.45 sec at 215°C
  • Superior food compatibility
  • Impact resistance: the Lumicene® technology allows to increase the MFI while keeping the impact resistance
  • Further possibilies to reduce the weight thanks to flowability and high rigidity of Lumicene® MR110MC2
  • High moulding reproducibiltity ensuring constant tightness of the lids
  • Excellent aesthetic