Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, today announced the expansion of its Hiformer™ Non-PFAS Process Aid portfolio to the Asian market with two new liquid grades for polyolefin film applications, offering customers formulations that include both a siloxane-based and a non-siloxane-based non-PFAS liquid process aid.
“The demand for non-PFAS solutions is accelerating rapidly in the flexible packaging industry,” said Derrick Chan, General Manager of Color and Additives, Southeast Asia, at Avient. “Our new Hiformer Non-PFAS Process Aid grades represent a significant advancement to address the changing needs of film producers in Asia, helping them remain competitive and meet changing regulations.”
The new grades offer the following benefits:
- Low dosage requirements for cost efficiency
- Rapid melt fracture clearing
- Competitive market pricing
- Meets FDA requirements and aligns with evolving European Union (EU) standards for food contact
- Can be used with blown film applications, including food packaging, agricultural and industrial films, and extrusion blow molding applications for bottles
At ultra-low dosage levels of 0.1% to 0.4%, Avient’s internal testing showed that these new Hiformer liquid grades significantly outperformed four leading solid non-PFAS competitor formulations across multiple performance metrics. Key benefits include rapid melt fracture clearing, excellent retention of film transparency, balloon stability — even in ultra-thin film gauges — and low risk of black speck and gel formation. In a three-layer high-density polyethylene (HDPE) paper lamination film, the liquid formulations can be used at target let-down ratios of 0.12% to 0.15% while clearing sharkskin defects in less than 20 minutes.
In addition to exceptional processing performance, the new liquid solutions allow for low operating temperatures, which can reduce energy use and advance sustainability goals compared to solid process aids. The formulations can be used with standard downstream processes, including corona treatment, flame treatment, printing, and lamination operations, offering smooth integration into existing production workflows.
