The mood was just peachy for PolyOne Corp. at K 2010 — thanks to a prototype shampoo bottle that executives with the Avon Lake, Ohio-based firm used to show what three of their product lines can do.
The peach bottle, molded by Kautex Machines Inc. of North Branch, N.J., mimics the smell, feel and look of a ripe peach, according to PolyOne. It uses a GLS soft-touch thermoplastic elastomer colored with an OnColor-brand masterbatch concentrate and scented with onCap fragrance.
Officials described the effect as “multisensory packaging.”
“In cosmetics and personal care, there's a benefit to our customers when the package conveys the quality of the material inside,” PolyOne GLS global marketing director Rick Noller said in an interview at K 2010.
“Cost is always important in packaging,” Noller added. “But if you can increase market share, that's more important than cost.”
Another new product focus for PolyOne at the event was OnFlex S-brand high-temperature TPEs. The materials expand the performance of styrenic block copolymers while offering higher compression set. They can replace thermoset rubber in a number of appliance, packaging, automotive and pipe applications, Noller said.
Vacman Internacional SA de CV of Tlalnepantla, Mexico, is using OnFlex S to replace neoprene rubber in five seals and gaskets used in a wet vacuum. The material also enables Vacman to recycle scrap and end-of-life parts.
PolyOne GLS “has more projects now than we've had in a long time, with the primary objective being differentiation,” General Manager Walt Ripple said at K 2010. “TPEs are a fabulous way to do that with look, feel or scent.
“A big part of it is overall design freedom, like being able to overmold onto substrates,” he added. “TPEs in the early '90s were more about soft touch; now they're about design flexibility.”
Ripple also said that, for PolyOne GLS, the consumer market “bounced back after early 2009.”
“Our project level is very robust,” he said.
Other new or recently introduced materials for PolyOne at K 2010, held Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 in Dusseldorf, included:
* OnCap-brand antifog additives for polypropylene film, which allow packaging film to resist the formation of moisture droplets — or “fog” — on the surface that touches the food product.
* OnColor Complete, an eco-friendly liquid colorant that can help reduce the costs of operations while eliminating waste and enhancing employee safety, according to PolyOne.
* Edgetek AM-brand flame-retardant, non-halogen, nylon-based compounds for thin-walled parts.
PolyOne ranks as North America's largest compounder and concentrate maker.