Düsseldorf, Germany — Materials maker Ampacet Corp. is looking to gain medical market share with new masterbatch concentrates.
ProVital-brand masterbatches made by Tarrytown, N.Y.-based Ampacet are available in white and color grades, Strategic Business Manager Philippe Hugele said at K 2022 in Düsseldorf. The polyethylene-based and polypropylene-based materials are designed for pharmaceutical packaging, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic equipment. They're made with raw materials pre-tested for European Pharmacopoeia and biocompatibility according to ISO 10993 standards.
Ampacet also showed "a large range of recycled-content and bio-based materials" to meet sustainability demands during K 2022, Hugele said. That range includes Secret Sea-Grit, new color materials made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled and aquaculture waste, including oyster shells.
French bioplastics firm Nature Plast worked with Ampacet on Secret Sea-Grit. Officials said that the line "shows that waste can be converted into a useful, sustainable product." The materials are designed for injection molded products, consumer goods and packaging applications in multiple markets.
Colors in the Secret Sea-Grit collection include Bivalve Brown, Nude Nacre, Muted Murex, Softshell Celadon, Beachcomber Blue, Salty Sienna, Brackish Brown and Saltwater Sand.
Earlier this year, Ampacet opened a new production plant in Brembate, Italy. The new site doubles additive capacity there.
Also in 2022, Ampacet's LIAD unit launched Spectro 4.0 Smart Technologies, a lineup of continuous in-line solutions for color management. The first application of the technology is a color management system — including an in-line spectrophotometer — for finished parts.
Ampacet is one of North America's 30 largest compounders and concentrate makers. It employs more than 2,000 at 25 manufacturing sites worldwide and has annual sales of more than $1 billion.