ExxonMobil Chemical (Baytown, Texas / USA; www.exxonmobil.com) has introduced a new grade to its “Vistamaxx” family of propylene-based elastomers. When used as a pure sealing layer, “Vistamaxx 3588FL” is said to provide outstanding sealing performance in cast PP (cPP) as well as heat-sealable biaxially oriented PP (BOPP) films. The grade, which was debuted at the ongoing “Plastindia” fair (www.plastindia.org), combines very low seal and hot tack initiation temperatures with a broad hermetic seal range, the company said, adding that this makes it particularly suitable for snack, biscuit and candy packaging.

If Vistamaxx 3588FL is used to replace standard terpolymer PP in the sealant layer of 3- or 5-layer heat sealable cPP or BOPP films, it enables higher speeds for horizontal and vertical form fill and seal packaging operations, ExxonMobil Chemical said. The material’s SIT is said to be 10 degrees lower than that of standard terpolymer PP and it reportedly possesses a broader and higher hot tack window.

Using the grade as the sealant layer in cPP films extends the hermetic seal range that is of importance to applications requiring leak-free and airtight packaging, the company said. In addition, the coefficient of friction (COF) can easily be controlled by using commercially available masterbatches that ensure smooth VFFS operations for even more sensitive films, including metallised cPP film, ExxonMobil Chemical added.