Compounding Market Brochure

Entec Polymers has many years of experience in supplying polymers and modifiers to the compounding market. We have a deep understanding of the needs of this market and the types of polymers and modifiers needed for various compounds. This includes polymers used as base resins for compounds and masterbatch concentrates; modifiers used as coupling agents for bonding glass fiber and minerals to the base polymer; compatibilizers for incompatible polymers, polymer blends, and recycled or contaminated feedstocks; impact modifiers used to improve impact performance, and polymers used in hot melt adhesive compounds.

The compounding markets that Entec Polymers supports includes:

• Polypropylene & TPO Compounds
• Nylon Compounds
• Engineering Resin Compounds
• Recycled Compounds
• PVC Compounds
• Wire & Cable Compounds
• Masterbatch Concentrates
• Hot Melt Adhesive Compounds

BASE RESINS FOR COMPOUNDS

Entec Polymers offers a full portfolio of resins used in the compounding market. This includes commodity resins, engineering resins, high performance resins, specialty resins, and elastomers. Whether you’re looking for polypropylene or nylon or ABS or another polymer, Entec can help with all your resin needs and can help you select the best product for your specific application requirements.

BASE RESINS FOR CONCENTRATES

Entec Polymers provides a comprehensive range of resins designed for color and additive concentrates. These include high melt flow resins, specialty resins, and resins that can be used as universal carrier resins. High melt flow resins include ABS, EVA, EBA, LLDPE, POE, PS, SAN and others. Specialty resins include powdered LLDPE, PB-1, a specialty random polypropylene for BOPP film, and a random polypropylene in a spherical porous pellet form.

COUPLING AGENTS

Are you looking for a coupling agent to improve bonding glass fibers or minerals to the polymer matrix? Entec has products used as coupling agents that can perform in a range of different polymer compounds. These coupling agents improve mechanical properties by improving and strengthening the bond between the reinforcing agents and the polymer. Entec can help select the correct coupling agent based on the application requirements and type of polymer compound.

POLYMERIC COMPATIBILIZERS

Polymeric compatibilizers are polymers or copolymers, that when added to an immiscible polymer blend, modifies its interfacial character, promotes adhesion, and stabilizes its morphology against stress. These compatibilizers are added to polymer blends, recycled compounds, or compounds that have contamination and essentially bond the immiscible polymers together. This will significantly improve mechanical properties, especially impact and elongation properties. However, these polymeric compatibilizers not only bond the immiscible polymers together, but they also help with dispersion as well as helping to stabilize the polymer morphology / structure over time.

Polymeric compatibilizers can be broken down into two main categories: Reactive and Non-Reactive compatibilizers. Reactive compatibilizers are generally polymers or copolymers functionalized with maleic anhydride (MAH) or glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). These MAH and GMA compatibilizers chemically react with some of the functional chemical groups present in the polymer forming strong bonds.

Non-reactive compatibilizers are often based on acrylate copolymers, acrylic acid copolymers, and block copolymers and do not chemically react like MAH or GMA compatibilizers. Non-reactive compatibilizers need to be compatible with one component in the compound (typically the non-polar polymer) and have a specific interaction with the other component in the compound (typically the polar polymer). Non-reactive compatibilizers work by migrating to the interface and reducing interfacial tension between the components of the compound which helps improve the adhesion. Block copolymers like SBS, SEBS, SBC and OBC, often make very good non-reactive compatibilizers.

Typical loading levels for compatibilizers are 5% to 15% with 5% to 7% being common. Reactive compatibilizers are most commonly used when compatibilizing polar and non-polar polymers. Non-reactive compatibilizers would be used to compatibilize blends of non-polar polymers like polyethylene and polypropylene or to aid in dispersing fillers and additives.

IMPACT MODIFIERS

Impact modifiers are added to various resins to improve the impact performance, but they can also provide other benefits. Depending on the type and loading level of the impact modifier, they can not only improve the notched impact strength, but they can improve drop impact, improve flexibility, and reduce stress cracking and stress whitening in polyolefins. Impact modifiers are typically elastomers with low crystallinity and low modulus. This is needed in order to provide the best impact / toughening in the final compound. It is also necessary in order to achieve improved cold temperature impact.

While there are a number of different types of impact modifiers that are used, they can be grouped into a handful of common types. These include both reactive and non-reactive impact modifiers. Reactive modifiers are functionalized with maleic anhydride (MAH) or glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) while non-reactive impact modifiers are polyolefin elastomers (POE), olefin block copolymers (OBC), ethylene acrylate copolymers, thermoplastic olefins (TPO), ionomers, ethylene acrylic acid copolymers (EAA), and styrenic block copolymers (SBC). The selection of impact modifier will depend on the type of polymer compound that is being modified, the melt flow or viscosity of the polymer, the type of impact improvement desired (for example, notched impact or drop impact), the desired level of impact improvement, the temperature of impact (room temperature or cold temperature), as well as other desired end properties for the compound.

Entec offers impact modifiers for use in polypropylene and TPO compounds, engineering resin compounds, rubber compounds, PVC compounds, recycled plastic compounds, and adhesive compounds. HOT MELT ADHESIVE COMPOUNDS

Hot melt adhesives are used in a variety of applications such as carpet tape, structural adhesives, glass adhesives, glue sticks, case & carton adhesives, furniture adhesives, woodworking adhesives, mattress assembly, and specialty adhesive applications.

Entec offers a number of different polymers that can be used in hot melt adhesive compounds. While EVA is the most common polymer used, other polymers including ethylene acrylate copolymers, thermoplastic urethane, ethylene acrylic acid copolymers, polybutene-1, olefin block copolymers, and polyolefin elastomers have also been used. Entec’s plastics engineers can help you select the right polymer for use in your hot melt adhesive application.

PRODUCTS FOR THE COMPOUNDING MARKET

No matter what your need, Entec Polymers can provide you with the best solution for your compound. Whether your application is a commodity resin compound, engineering resin compound, specialty resin compound, rubber compound, PVC compound, bitumen compound, wire & cable compound, or adhesive compound, we have the products, knowledge, and experience to help you make a compound that meets your requirements. Contact us today and let us show you how we can help you make your product better.

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