SABIC expands its PP portfolio

SABIC has announced the launch of a new impact copolymer (ICP) grade – SABIC PP PPA20 – targeted at demanding home appliances as well as high-end cosmetics and household consumer goods.

The new compound has been developed to offer well-balanced mechanical properties and easy processability, making it a promising alternative to incumbent ABS materials in these markets.

The new polymer is aimed to provide a combination of high gloss, high scratch resistance and low stress whitening over regular impact copolymers together with balanced impact strength and stiffness.

SABIC says in many application cases, it can offer brand owners, moulders and OEMs a significant cost and energy savings potential based on its lower density, higher flow and faster crystallisation than currently used materials resulting in potentially shorter cycle times.

Further energy savings may be leveraged as the material eliminates the need for pre-drying and can be injection moulded at lower mould and barrel temperatures versus ABS.

Low density and high flow also open conceivable new material and weight saving design opportunities for more resource-efficient and waste-reducing products, such as sleek housings with lower wall-thicknesses.