The packaging division of US-headquartered multinational chemical and speciality coating manufacturer Valspar Corporation has developed a family of barrier/oxygen scavenger resins, ValOR, which - depending on the grade - offer either or both active and passive barrier enhancement of PET.
Available at a "comparable price' to existing PET barrier grades, they can be used as a passive barrier/oxygen scavenger layer in multilayer containers or blended with PET to produce "relatively clear" monolayer PET containers.
ValOR products will be shown for the first time at Nova-Pack Americas 2006, the 20th International Conference on PET Containers for Food & Beverages next February in Florida (www.schotland.com).
Valspar says, as proprietary polyesters, the resins avoid patent issues, while the polyester architecture is "less prone to delamination than other barrier resins usually used in multiplayer PET structures".
The "inherently clear" resins are available in number of grades, including ones suitable for customisation. Key target applications include beer and small carbonated soft drink bottles.
ValOR says, if the preliminary indications of "attractive economics and performance" are borne out, the resins may prove "the breakthrough which finally allows brewers to justify a plastic beer bottle in large volumes".
