Process for preparing a cap or closure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12202180-B2
Application number	US-202017607059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2020
Priority date	Apr 29, 2019
Publication date	Jan 21, 2025
Grant date	Jan 21, 2025

Abstract

A process for producing a cap or closure comprising obtaining a polypropylene composition by sequential polymerization comprising the steps: A) polymerizing in a first reactor, preferably a slurry reactor, in the presence of a Ziegler-Natta catalyst monomers comprising propylene and optionally one or more comonomers selected from ethylene and C4-C10 alpha-olefins, to obtain a first propylene polymer fraction having a comonomer content in the range of 0.0 to 1.8 wt %, and a MFR2 in the range of from 12.0 to 40.0 g/10 min, as measured according to ISO 1133 at 230° C. under a load of 2.16 kg; B) polymerizing in a second reactor, preferably a first gas-phase reactor, monomers comprising propylene and one or more comonomers selected from ethylene and C4-C10 alpha-olefins, in the presence of the first propylene polymer fraction, to obtain a second propylene polymer fraction, wherein the polypropylene composition comprising said first and second propylene polymer fractions has an MFR2 in the range of from 12.0 to 60.0 g/10 min, as measured according to ISO 1133 at 230° C. under a load of 2.16 kg, has a comonomer content in the range of from 2.2 to 5.0 wt % and wherein the ratio of the comonomer content of component A) to the comonomer content of the polypropylene composition is 0.35 or less, C) melting, extruding and moulding the polypropylene composition in the presence of at least one nucleating agent to prepare a cap or closure; and D) exposing the cap or closure obtained in step (C) to a cooling rate of 50 K/s or more.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for producing a cap or closure comprising obtaining a polypropylene composition by sequential polymerization comprising the steps:
A) polymerizing in a first reactor, in the presence of a Ziegler-Natta catalyst, monomers comprising propylene and optionally one or more comonomers selected from ethylene and C4-C10 alpha-olefins, to obtain a first propylene polymer fraction having a comonomer content in the range of 0.0 to 1.8 wt %, and a MFR2 in the range of from 12.0 to 40.0 g/10 min, as measured according to ISO 1133 at 230° C. under a load of 2.16 kg;
B1) polymerizing in a second reactor, monomers comprising propylene and one or more comonomers selected from ethylene and C4-C10 alpha-olefins, in the presence of the first propylene polymer fraction, to obtain a second propylene polymer fraction,
wherein the polypropylene composition comprising said first and second propylene polymer fractions and optionally a third propylene polymer fraction has an MFR2 in the range of from 12.0 to 60.0 g/10 min, as measured according to ISO 1133 at 230° C. under a load of 2.16 kg, has a comonomer content in the range of from 2.2 to 5.0 wt % and wherein the ratio of the comonomer content of the first propylene polymer fraction to the comonomer content of the polypropylene composition is 0.35 or less,

C) melting, extruding and moulding the polypropylene composition in the presence of at least one nucleating agent to prepare a cap or closure; and
D) exposing the cap or closure obtained in step (C) to a cooling rate of 50K/s or more.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, after step A and B1, and before step C) and D),
(B2) polymerizing in a third reactor, monomers comprising propylene and one or more comonomers selected from ethylene and optionally C4-C10 alpha olefins, in the presence of the second propylene polymer fraction to obtain the third propylene polymer fraction.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the polymerization is carried out in the presence of a Ziegler-Natta catalyst which is free of a phthalic compound.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the one or more comonomers are selected from solely ethylene.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the comonomer content of the polypropylene composition is in the range of 2.2 to 4.5 wt %.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nucleating agent is present in the range of from 0.01 to 1.0 wt %, relative to the total amount of polypropylene composition.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein said polypropylene composition has
a crystallisation temperature (Tc) of at least 55° C. when subjected to a cooling rate of 100 K/s; and
a crystallisation temperature (Tc) of at least 40° C. when subjected to a cooling rate of 300 K/s.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the cooling rate is 100 to 600 K/s.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the melting step is effected at a temperature of at least 200° C.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the moulding in step C) is effected in a mould and after cooling step D), the cap or closure is ejected from the mould and a new cap or closure is then formed in the mould and subjected to cooling step D).

11. The process of claim 10 , wherein the cycle time for each cap to be moulded, cooled, and ejected from the mould is 6.0 secs or less.

12. The cap or closure obtained by the process of claim 1 .

13. The process of claim 2 , wherein the moulding in step C) is effected in a mould and after cooling step D), the cap or closure is ejected from the mould and a new cap or closure is then formed in the mould and subjected to cooling step D).

14. The process of claim 13 , wherein the cycle time for each cap to be moulded, cooled, and ejected from the mould is 6.0 secs or less.

15. The cap or closure is obtained by the process of claim 2 .

16. The process of claim 1 , wherein the first reactor is a slurry reactor and/or the second reactor is a first gas-phase reactor.

17. The process of claim 2 , wherein the first reactor is a slurry reactor and/or the second reactor is a first gas-phase reactor, and/or the third reactor is a third gas-phase reactor.

18. A cap or closure comprising a polypropylene composition and at least one nucleating agent, wherein said polypropylene composition having a first homo or copolymer fraction, a second copolymer fraction and optionally a third copolymer fraction, said polypropylene composition having an ethylene content of 2.2 to 5.0 wt % and wherein said polypropylene composition has
a crystallisation temperature (Tc) of at least 90° C. when subjected to a cooling rate of 10 K/s;
a crystallisation temperature (Tc) of at least 55° C. when subjected to a cooling rate of 100 K/s; and
a crystallisation temperature (Tc) of at least 40° C. when subjected to a cooling rate of 300 K/s.

19. The cap or closure of claim 18 , wherein the polypropylene composition has an MFR2 in the range of from 12.0 to 60.0 g/10 min, as measured according to ISO 1133 at 230° C. under a load of 2.16 kg, and wherein the ratio of the comonomer content of the first homo or copolymer fraction to the comonomer content of the polypropylene composition is 0.35 or less.

20. The cap or closure as claimed in claim 18 , wherein said polypropylene composition comprises the first homo or copolymer fraction, the second copolymer fraction and the third copolymer fraction.

21. A process for producing a cap or closure comprising obtaining a first polypropylene composition comprising a nucleating agent and a second polypropylene composition having a first homo or copolymer fraction, a second copolymer fraction and optionally a third copolymer fraction, wherein said second polypropylene composition having an ethylene content of 2.2 to 5.0 wt % and, wherein said second polypropylene composition has
a crystallisation temperature (Tc) of at least 90° C. when subjected to a cooling rate of 10 K/s;
a crystallisation temperature (Tc) of at least 55° C. when subjected to a cooling rate of 100 K/s; and
a crystallisation temperature (Tc) of at least 40° C. when subjected to a cooling rate of 300 K/s;
melting, extruding and moulding the second polypropylene composition in the presence of the at least one nucleating agent to prepare a cap or closure; and
exposing the cap or closure obtained to a cooling rate of 100K/s or more.

Assignees

• Borealis Ag

Inventors

• Wang Jingbo
• Gahleitner Markus
• Potter Elisabeth
• Monnissen Luc
• Cigon Meta
• Mileva Daniela

Classifications

• B29C45/46

  Means for plasticising or homogenising the moulding material or forcing it into the mould {(combined with mould opening, closing or clamping devices B29C45/70)} · CPC title

• B29C48/00

  Extrusion moulding, i.e. expressing the moulding material through a die or nozzle which imparts the desired form; Apparatus therefor (extrusion blow-moulding B29C49/04) · CPC title

• C08F110/06

  Propene · CPC title

• B29L2031/56

  Stoppers or lids for bottles, jars, or the like {, e.g. closures} · CPC title

• B29K2023/12

  PP, i.e. polypropylene · CPC title