Article made from post consumer resin with smooth surface finish

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12179396-B2
Application number	US-202017771924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2020
Priority date	Oct 31, 2019
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a process. In an embodiment, the process includes providing pellets of a regrind material. The regrind material is a post-consumer recycle multilayer film (PCR multilayer film) having at least three layers. The PCR multilayer film is composed of (i) a polyethylene layer, (ii) a polyamide layer, and (iii) a tie layer. The tie layer is composed of maleic anhydride grafted substantially linear ethylene polymer (MAH-g-SLEP) having a Mw/Mn from 1.5 to less than 3.5 and a melt index from 0.5 g/10 min to less than 25 g/10 min. The process includes extruding the pellets to form an extrudate, molding the extrudate, and forming, with the extrudate, a molded article having a surface. The surface of the molded article has a surface roughness value, Sa, less than 1000 nm and a root mean square roughness value, Sq, less than 1400 nm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process comprising:
providing pellets of a regrind material, the regrind material being a post-consumer recycle multilayer film (PCR multilayer film) having at least three layers of (i) a polyethylene layer, (ii) a polyamide layer, and (iii) a tie layer, the tie layer composed of maleic anhydride grafted substantially linear ethylene polymer (MAH-g-SLEP) having a Mw/Mn from 1.5 to less than 3.5 and a melt index from 0.3 g/10 min to less than 25 g/10 min as measured in accordance with ASTM D1238 (190° C./2.16 kg), the regrind material comprising
from 82 wt % to 89.5 wt % polyethylene,
from 10 wt % to 15 wt % polyamide, and
from 0.5 wt % to 3.0 wt % MAH-g-SLEP;
extruding the pellets to form an extrudate;
molding the extrudate; and
forming, with the extrudate, a molded article having a surface, the surface having a surface roughness value, Sa, less than 1000 nm and a root mean square roughness value, Sq, less than 1400 nm.

2. The process of claim 1 comprising
flaking, before the providing, the PCR multilayer film to form flakes of the PCR multilayer film; and
densifying the flakes to form the pellets of the regrind material.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein
the molding step comprises injection molding the extrudate; and
the forming step comprises forming an injection molded article having a surface, the surface having an Sa value from 400 nm to 900 nm and an Sq value from 500 nm to 1200 nm.

4. The process of claim 1 comprising
blending from 1 wt % to 70 wt % of the pellets of the regrind material with
from 99 wt % to 30 wt % of a virgin polyethylene;
extruding the pellets and the virgin polyethylene to form an extrudate of the blend;
molding the extrudate of the blend; and
forming a molded article.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the extruding comprises
melting, in an extruder, the pellets of the regrind material; and
forcing the melted regrind material through a die.

6. A molded article comprising:
a body composed of an extruded post-consumer recycle multilayer film, the body comprising
polyethylene;
polyamide; and
maleic anhydride-grafted substantially linear ethylene polymer having a Mw/Mn from 1.5 to less than 3.5 and a melt index from 0.3 g/10 min to less than 25 g/10 min as measured in accordance with ASTM D1238 (190° C./2.16 kg);
the body having a surface, the surface having a surface roughness value, Sa, less than 1000 nm and a root mean square roughness value, Sq, less than 1400 nm.

7. The molded article of claim 6 wherein the body comprises
from 82 wt % to 89.5 wt % polyethylene;
from 10 wt % to 15 wt % polyamide; and
from 0.5 wt % to 3.0 wt % maleic anhydride grafted substantially linear ethylene polymer MAH-g-SLEP;
the body having a surface, the surface having a surface roughness value, Sa, from 400 nm to 900 nm and a root mean square roughness value, Sq, from 500 nm to 1200 nm.

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Walther Brian W
• Laddha Sachin

Classifications

• C08L23/06

  Polyethylene · CPC title

• B29K2023/06

  PE, i.e. polyethylene · CPC title

• B29B17/0412

  to large particles, e.g. beads, granules, flakes, slices · CPC title

• B29B17/0042

  for shaping parts, e.g. multilayered parts with at least one layer containing regenerated plastic · CPC title

• B29B17/0005 Primary

  Direct recuperation and re-use of scrap material during moulding operation, i.e. feed-back of used material · CPC title