Atlantic Poly Blog
Insight On The Chemical Make Up Of Polyethylene And Its Uses
Darren Kincaid - Monday, August 23, 2010
In
this blog post we'd like to share with you the chemical strands and
uses of polyethylene. Polyethylene, as we commonly know and popularly
use at almost every purpose, is the most flexible, durable and
chemically resistant material. Going by its chemical structures, you
will find is made up of polyethylene molecules. According to structural
variations, polyethylene molecules can broadly be differentiated into
Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).
LDPE is used in making plastic bags and other packaging materials while
HDPE is used in developing containers, pipes, laundry detergent bottles,
etc.
The polymers of High Density Polyethylene molecules are more opaque, stronger, harder and slightly heavier than Low Density Polyethylene. It is broadly composed of Carbon and Hydrogen. The other recycled polymeric ingredients of HDPE have made it a perfect component for pyrotechnics trade. Carbon black or UV-stabilizers are commonly used to make them resistant to weather and other reactive solvents.HDPE has a wide variety of industrial application in consumer products like, liquid distributor pipe, channels for domestic water supply, natural gas distributors, inner cable insulators, corrosion protectors for pipelines, plastic lumbers, sheds, ducts for telecoms and other cell liners for homogeneous supply and extrusions. HDPE is readily available in various forms like sheet or tubes for fabrication.
Another most popular nonmetallic polymer used in the poly industry is the Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). While we don't really deal with PVC, as it is mainly use for pipe-lining, we will be glad to offer you some insight into PVC. When used in underground pressure piping, PVC differs greatly in terms of strength, price of material, installation cost, and connection procedure.
But in terms of widespread industrial applications, Polyethylene is king. Both polyethylene materials (HDPE and LDPE) have successful track records in terms of capacity and utility rating. In fact, innumerable industries and consumers are getting massive cost of production benefit from the growing usability of polyethylene products...from plastic bags, to water tanks, domestic and commercial pipeline distribution, and other applications too numerous to mention.
The polymers of High Density Polyethylene molecules are more opaque, stronger, harder and slightly heavier than Low Density Polyethylene. It is broadly composed of Carbon and Hydrogen. The other recycled polymeric ingredients of HDPE have made it a perfect component for pyrotechnics trade. Carbon black or UV-stabilizers are commonly used to make them resistant to weather and other reactive solvents.HDPE has a wide variety of industrial application in consumer products like, liquid distributor pipe, channels for domestic water supply, natural gas distributors, inner cable insulators, corrosion protectors for pipelines, plastic lumbers, sheds, ducts for telecoms and other cell liners for homogeneous supply and extrusions. HDPE is readily available in various forms like sheet or tubes for fabrication.
Another most popular nonmetallic polymer used in the poly industry is the Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). While we don't really deal with PVC, as it is mainly use for pipe-lining, we will be glad to offer you some insight into PVC. When used in underground pressure piping, PVC differs greatly in terms of strength, price of material, installation cost, and connection procedure.
But in terms of widespread industrial applications, Polyethylene is king. Both polyethylene materials (HDPE and LDPE) have successful track records in terms of capacity and utility rating. In fact, innumerable industries and consumers are getting massive cost of production benefit from the growing usability of polyethylene products...from plastic bags, to water tanks, domestic and commercial pipeline distribution, and other applications too numerous to mention.
Slip Manufacturing Defined and Discussed
Darren Kincaid - Monday, August 16, 2010
Most
of our blog posts have information about our products, how they work,
or just the general specifications about polyethylene. We talked briefly
about the history of how poly bags came to be and how they are widely
used. In this blog we're going to get a bit technical to inform you what
“slip” is and how it is manufactured in plastics. If you have never
heard of slip before, we believe you’ll find this blog to be quite
enlightening.
Slip is an organic chemical that is added to the blend during film extrusion process to modify the coefficient of friction or COF. COF is a measurement of the amount of friction between two surfaces as they begin to slide and as they continue to drag against one another. The amount of energy it takes to put an object in motion is always greater than the amount of energy that it takes to keep it moving while it is in motion. Although there are a number of chemicals that are used to modify the COF, the two main ones used in Polyethylene and Polypropylene are Erucamide (which is considered a slow bloom) and Oleamide (which is a fast bloom.) The materials are sometimes called primary amides.
Slip is a very efficient molecule it has been added to a plastic film in very low concentrations typically 500 to 1500 parts per million. The slip additive can be let down at the levels of 1 to 3% by weight in blending while extruding the plastic film. Slip molecules are very low in molecular weight as compared to the polymer in which they are used. These molecules are somewhat incompatible because of their nature. This means the material is bi-polar and has one end that has a positive charge and the other has a neutral charge. This incompatibility causes the molecule to migrate referred to as bloom through the polymer to the surface of the plastic film. The more slip that migrates on the surface the lower the COF and the more slippery the plastic film becomes.
The COF relates to packaging because the substrates used to package objects always come in contact with other surfaces or themselves. As most packaging operations are very high speed, COF plays a very large role. The packaging material must have just the right COF in order to track properly on the packaging machines. If a material is too slippery the film will not track properly and may cause issues such as bad sealing or cause a powdery substance that builds up on the tracking rolls which will cause packaging failures. If a material becomes too sticky it can have the opposite effect listed above. It may not allow the film to un-wind properly and cause web brakes or other tracking problems. Either scenario can shut a packaging line down.
We enjoy educating our clients and the general public and appreciate your positive feedback for doing this. An educated consumer benefits us all. And of course, we always welcome your questions and feedback.
Slip is an organic chemical that is added to the blend during film extrusion process to modify the coefficient of friction or COF. COF is a measurement of the amount of friction between two surfaces as they begin to slide and as they continue to drag against one another. The amount of energy it takes to put an object in motion is always greater than the amount of energy that it takes to keep it moving while it is in motion. Although there are a number of chemicals that are used to modify the COF, the two main ones used in Polyethylene and Polypropylene are Erucamide (which is considered a slow bloom) and Oleamide (which is a fast bloom.) The materials are sometimes called primary amides.
Slip is a very efficient molecule it has been added to a plastic film in very low concentrations typically 500 to 1500 parts per million. The slip additive can be let down at the levels of 1 to 3% by weight in blending while extruding the plastic film. Slip molecules are very low in molecular weight as compared to the polymer in which they are used. These molecules are somewhat incompatible because of their nature. This means the material is bi-polar and has one end that has a positive charge and the other has a neutral charge. This incompatibility causes the molecule to migrate referred to as bloom through the polymer to the surface of the plastic film. The more slip that migrates on the surface the lower the COF and the more slippery the plastic film becomes.
The COF relates to packaging because the substrates used to package objects always come in contact with other surfaces or themselves. As most packaging operations are very high speed, COF plays a very large role. The packaging material must have just the right COF in order to track properly on the packaging machines. If a material is too slippery the film will not track properly and may cause issues such as bad sealing or cause a powdery substance that builds up on the tracking rolls which will cause packaging failures. If a material becomes too sticky it can have the opposite effect listed above. It may not allow the film to un-wind properly and cause web brakes or other tracking problems. Either scenario can shut a packaging line down.
We enjoy educating our clients and the general public and appreciate your positive feedback for doing this. An educated consumer benefits us all. And of course, we always welcome your questions and feedback.
Atlantic Poly Provides A Brief History On Polyethylene
Darren Kincaid - Monday, August 09, 2010
The
history of manufactured plastics goes back more than 100 years;
however, when compared to other materials, plastics are relatively
modern. Their usage over the past century has enabled society to make
huge technological advances. Although plastics are thought of as a
modern invention, there have always been "natural polymers" such as
amber, tortoise shells and animal horns. These materials behaved very
much like today's manufactured plastics and were often used similar to
the way manufactured plastics are currently applied. For example, before
the sixteenth century, animal horns, which become transparent and pale
yellow when heated, were sometimes used to replace glass.
Alexander Parkes unveiled the first man-made plastic at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. This material -- which was dubbed Parkesine, now called celluloid -- was an organic material derived from cellulose that once heated could be molded but retained its shape when cooled. Parkes claimed that this new material could do anything that rubber was capable of, yet at a lower price. He had discovered a material that could be transparent as well as carved into thousands of different shapes. Then in 1907, chemist Leo Hendrik Baekland, while striving to produce a synthetic varnish, stumbled upon the formula for a new synthetic polymer originating from coal tar. Baekland had coined "plastics" as the term to describe this completely new category of materials.
The first patent for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a substance now used widely in vinyl siding and water pipes, was registered in 1914. Cellophane was also discovered during this period.
Plastics did not really take off until after the First World War, with the use of petroleum, a substance easier to process than coal into raw materials. Plastics served as substitutes for wood, glass and metal during the hardship times of World War's I & II. After World War II, newer plastics, such as polyurethane, polyester, silicones, and polypropylene joined PVC in widespread applications. Many more would follow and by the 1960s, plastics were within everyone's reach due to their inexpensive cost. Plastics had thus come to be considered 'common' - a symbol of the consumer society.
Alexander Parkes unveiled the first man-made plastic at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. This material -- which was dubbed Parkesine, now called celluloid -- was an organic material derived from cellulose that once heated could be molded but retained its shape when cooled. Parkes claimed that this new material could do anything that rubber was capable of, yet at a lower price. He had discovered a material that could be transparent as well as carved into thousands of different shapes. Then in 1907, chemist Leo Hendrik Baekland, while striving to produce a synthetic varnish, stumbled upon the formula for a new synthetic polymer originating from coal tar. Baekland had coined "plastics" as the term to describe this completely new category of materials.
The first patent for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a substance now used widely in vinyl siding and water pipes, was registered in 1914. Cellophane was also discovered during this period.
Plastics did not really take off until after the First World War, with the use of petroleum, a substance easier to process than coal into raw materials. Plastics served as substitutes for wood, glass and metal during the hardship times of World War's I & II. After World War II, newer plastics, such as polyurethane, polyester, silicones, and polypropylene joined PVC in widespread applications. Many more would follow and by the 1960s, plastics were within everyone's reach due to their inexpensive cost. Plastics had thus come to be considered 'common' - a symbol of the consumer society.
Atlantic Poly Plastic Bags have many uses
Darren Kincaid - Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Atlantic
Poly’s polyethylene bags are popular and commonly required items. These
bags are also known as clear poly bags and are always available with an
opening at the top. They are mainly required for packaging purposes,
and these bags can be heat-sealed or secured with a bag-tie. These bags
are useful for many needs, such as:
- For the storage and protection of art and furniture
- Packing of electronic parts
- For the packing of garment and bedding covers
- Bags for waste disposal
- To pack goods that are in transit
- Retail display
- Sale of goods at craft and pet shops
- To package food and medical devices
- Bags for freezer grade
Atlantic Poly Envirotech Recycling Division Wants To Help Your Recycling Efforts
Darren Kincaid - Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Atlantic Poly Envirotech Recycling Division Wants To Help Your Recycling Efforts
If you are disposing plastic bags or any of the such, Atlantic Poly wants to help in your contribution to our environment. We have the capabilities to remove the material and recycle it into some of our recycled products. While recycling plastic bags might seem like just a small action, it is actually one of the most important you can take for the environment. Recycled plastics can be used to create new plastics, reducing the need to find new sources of oil. Plastics also create a significant percentage of our solid waste. Garbage dumped into the ocean has created a large area in the Pacific Ocean called the Pacific Garbage Patch, an area covered in floating plastic that is twice the size of the state of Texas. Removing plastic bags from the waste cycle plays an important role in reducing land and water pollution.
Recycling plastic bags helps reduce the use of new plastics. It also helps reduce the use of wood. Most recycled plastic bags become part of a plastic-lumber composite material, reducing the need to cut down forests to create lumber products. In an era of increasing environmental constraint, thinking wisely about reuse rather than using new materials makes sense.
If you are disposing plastic bags or any of the such, Atlantic Poly wants to help in your contribution to our environment. We have the capabilities to remove the material and recycle it into some of our recycled products. While recycling plastic bags might seem like just a small action, it is actually one of the most important you can take for the environment. Recycled plastics can be used to create new plastics, reducing the need to find new sources of oil. Plastics also create a significant percentage of our solid waste. Garbage dumped into the ocean has created a large area in the Pacific Ocean called the Pacific Garbage Patch, an area covered in floating plastic that is twice the size of the state of Texas. Removing plastic bags from the waste cycle plays an important role in reducing land and water pollution.
Recycling plastic bags helps reduce the use of new plastics. It also helps reduce the use of wood. Most recycled plastic bags become part of a plastic-lumber composite material, reducing the need to cut down forests to create lumber products. In an era of increasing environmental constraint, thinking wisely about reuse rather than using new materials makes sense.
Atlantic Poly Plastic Bags Are Reuseable
Darren Kincaid - Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Atlantic
Poly’s Plastic Bags Are Reuseable - Atlantic Poly can be the source of
all your polyethelene needs. We offer a wide variety of products to
suit your poly needs. One of the most common are plastic bags.
They are multi-purpose bags made of polyethylene. Plastic bags can be
used for varied purposes such as to wrap food, store extra stuff while
traveling, and to hoard wet or dirty clothes. They are also ideal as
trash bags during journeys. Strength, durability, versatility, and
variety are some of the key advantages of Atlantic Poly’s plastic bags.
Plastic bags aren’t just used for household purposes they can serve industrial purposes as well. Self-adhesive, resalable drawstring or tote bags are the most commonly used plastic bag. Shrink bags, and durable plastic bags for heavy machinery are all used daily in the industrial areas. Many food items that are available these days come in a wide variety of plastic bags, each suiting a different purpose. Some bags that are used in the vegetable and fruit sections come in rolls that can be easily cut off. These have opening at one end and do not have any sealing attachments. Plastic bags that need to be vacuum-free are made of more durable plastic and are closed from all sides except for a small opening through which the air is sucked out to create a vacuum inside before sealing it. Many of the bags Atlantic Poly provides are supplied to grocery chains, and when consumers use those bags they become useful bags for other items they own.
Plastic bags aren’t just used for household purposes they can serve industrial purposes as well. Self-adhesive, resalable drawstring or tote bags are the most commonly used plastic bag. Shrink bags, and durable plastic bags for heavy machinery are all used daily in the industrial areas. Many food items that are available these days come in a wide variety of plastic bags, each suiting a different purpose. Some bags that are used in the vegetable and fruit sections come in rolls that can be easily cut off. These have opening at one end and do not have any sealing attachments. Plastic bags that need to be vacuum-free are made of more durable plastic and are closed from all sides except for a small opening through which the air is sucked out to create a vacuum inside before sealing it. Many of the bags Atlantic Poly provides are supplied to grocery chains, and when consumers use those bags they become useful bags for other items they own.
Polyethylene Bubble wrap: Great for protection and stress relief
Darren Kincaid - Friday, July 02, 2010
Some
people wonder how sensitive products should be wrapped in the bubble
wrap product. Well first of all the bubbles should be INSIDE. By doing
it this way all of the surface sections are protected by several bubbles
at the same time. Not to mention, since the external plastic layer will
distribute the sharp impact on a group of bubbles simultaneously, and
also it protects the individual bubbles from unnecessary breaking.
Polyethylene bubble wrap can come in various sizes. It can range from 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) in diameter, to an inch (26 millimeters) or more, to provide added levels of shock absorption during transportation. In addition to the degree of protection available from the size of the air bubbles in the plastic, the bubble wrap itself can offer some forms of protection for the object in question. Atlantic Poly also offers anti-static type of bubble wrap. So when shipping those sensitive electronic parts and components, an anti-static bubble wrap dissipates a static charge, thereby protecting the sensitive electronic chips from static which can damage them.
And who cannot deny the recognizable "popping" sound bubble wrap makes when compressed and punctured? According to many stress relief programs and sites, bubble wrap is one of the leading causes to reduce stress. Acknowledging this alternative use, some websites provide a "virtual bubble wrap" program which displays a sheet of bubble wrap that users may "pop" by clicking on the bubbles. So here at Atlantic Poly, Inc. our bubble wrap protects in so many ways.
Polyethylene bubble wrap can come in various sizes. It can range from 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) in diameter, to an inch (26 millimeters) or more, to provide added levels of shock absorption during transportation. In addition to the degree of protection available from the size of the air bubbles in the plastic, the bubble wrap itself can offer some forms of protection for the object in question. Atlantic Poly also offers anti-static type of bubble wrap. So when shipping those sensitive electronic parts and components, an anti-static bubble wrap dissipates a static charge, thereby protecting the sensitive electronic chips from static which can damage them.
And who cannot deny the recognizable "popping" sound bubble wrap makes when compressed and punctured? According to many stress relief programs and sites, bubble wrap is one of the leading causes to reduce stress. Acknowledging this alternative use, some websites provide a "virtual bubble wrap" program which displays a sheet of bubble wrap that users may "pop" by clicking on the bubbles. So here at Atlantic Poly, Inc. our bubble wrap protects in so many ways.
Polypropylene Making A Difference in the Gulf Oil Spill
Darren Kincaid - Monday, June 28, 2010
Polypropylene Making A Difference in the Gulf Oil Spill
Did you know mechanical recovery of oil by oil sorbents is one of the most important countermeasures in marine oil-spill response? Polypropylene is the ideal material for marine oil-spill recovery due to its low density, low water uptake and excellent physical and chemical resistance. If you are currently or plan to support the Gulf clean up, give us a call to discuss how we can quickly and economically help equip you to get the job done.
Did you know mechanical recovery of oil by oil sorbents is one of the most important countermeasures in marine oil-spill response? Polypropylene is the ideal material for marine oil-spill recovery due to its low density, low water uptake and excellent physical and chemical resistance. If you are currently or plan to support the Gulf clean up, give us a call to discuss how we can quickly and economically help equip you to get the job done.
Recycling Tip on Mailing Lists
Darren Kincaid - Tuesday, June 22, 2010
If
you’re interested in living a more eco-friendly lifestyle like we are
at Atlantic Poly, here’s something you can do that will help protect the
environment and preserve your sanity... reduce the amount of junk mail
you receive by 90 percent.
Get Off the Lists - You can also go to OptOutPreScreen.com, which can enable you to remove your name from lists that mortgage, credit card and insurance companies use to mail you offers and solicitations. It’s a centralized website run by the four major credit bureaus in the United States: Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion.
Most businesses check with one or more of these companies before accepting your credit card or granting you credit for a long-term purchase. They are also a huge source of names and addresses for credit card, mortgage and insurance companies that routinely send junk mail to attract new customers and solicit new business. But there’s a way to fight back. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires credit bureaus to delete your name from their rented lists if you make the request.
Get Off the Lists - You can also go to OptOutPreScreen.com, which can enable you to remove your name from lists that mortgage, credit card and insurance companies use to mail you offers and solicitations. It’s a centralized website run by the four major credit bureaus in the United States: Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion.
Most businesses check with one or more of these companies before accepting your credit card or granting you credit for a long-term purchase. They are also a huge source of names and addresses for credit card, mortgage and insurance companies that routinely send junk mail to attract new customers and solicit new business. But there’s a way to fight back. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires credit bureaus to delete your name from their rented lists if you make the request.
Use Anti Static Ploy Tubing to package sensitive devices with varying lengths
Darren Kincaid - Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Anti
static poly tubing is an economical way to package or enclose objects
of same width but various lengths. Poly tubing can be heat sealed or
taped at either one or both ends. Surface resistivity of 1012
ohms/sq.in. Amine-free, PAS tubing is designed for applications in
which Faraday Cage Protection is NOT required. Anti static material
effectively eliminates the hazard of electro-static damage to sensitive
electronic components during packaging, storing, handling, and shipping.