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Specialty Minerals Products in Reinforced Polyolefins for Appliances

Increasingly, manufacturers of large household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, and refrigerators are turning to reinforced polyolefins—primarily polypropylene—for use in component parts. Mineral fillers are needed in these parts to give the required balance of performance and cost.


Minerals in Appliance Polyolefins
Ultrafine and fine talcs, ground calcium carbonates (GCCs), and barytes are commonly used in polypropylene components in appliances.

As true functional minerals, talcs improve flexural modulus (stiffness), heat and dimensional stability, and processability. They add opacity and improve surface finish. Talcs act as nucleating agents, an attribute that, combined with their thermal properties, yields faster cycle times and improved production rates. By replacing more expensive ingredients, talcs also reduce costs.

GCCs are excellent fillers for economy and resin extension. Die scrubbing, better and faster processing, and increased opacity are additional contributions made by these minerals.

Barytes, also called barite, is an effective absorber of sound and is often included in polyolefin applications where sound deadening is important. Because it is the densest of the common mineral fillers, it is useful where a manufacturer seeks to add weight to a part.

The links below will bring you to Specialty Minerals Inc.’s (SMI’s) web pages with more information on the fundamentals of flexural modulus, impact strength, and nucleation, as well as the use of particular mineral types in plastics.

Specialty Minerals Products for Polyolefin Appliance Applications
SMI manufactures a range of talc and GCC products of different particle sizes and brightnesses to service the range of polypropylene uses in appliances. The ultrafine, 0.8 or 1 micron talcs give the highest improvement in flexural modulus. Use one of these links to read more about SMI talcs in reinforced polyolefins:


Coated fine ground calcium carbonates add impact strength, with both coated and uncoated grades being economical fillers. Click here to read more about the value of coated fine ground carbonates in improving the impact strength of polyolefins.

High-brightness barytes confer sound deadening.

Click on a product name to download the technical data sheet for that product. 

 

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