Polyethylene Wax
Application of Polyethylene Wax, Oxidized Polyethylene Wax, and Fischer Tropsch Wax in PVC products
Due to the characteristics of PVC, the molten material has severe adhesion to the metal surfaces of screws, barrels, molds, etc. during processing. Therefore, lubricants need to be added to reduce the adhesion of the molten material to the metal and ensure the smooth progress of PVC processing. There are many products that can be used as PVC external lubricants, and the most widely used are polyethylene wax, oxidized polyethylene wax, and Fischer Tropsch wax.
1. Polyethylene wax is currently the most advantageous metal lubricant, with advantages such as low toxicity, high softening point, low melt viscosity, wear resistance, heat resistance, as well as good lubricity, dispersibility, and flowability. It can effectively improve the processing efficiency of pipes, profiles, films, cables, and other plastic rubber, and has a good demolding effect.
2. Oxidized Polyethylene Wax is divided into high-density oxidized polyethylene wax and low-density oxidized polyethylene wax.
High density oxidized polyethylene wax, in addition to polarity, is characterized by high viscosity and melting point, which can significantly increase the viscosity of the melt. While increasing the plasticization degree of the melt, the metal stripping performance (demolding performance) is also correspondingly improved, especially suitable for PVC rigid foam boards, injection molded products, low calcium products, and transparent sheets.
Low density oxidized polyethylene wax has a lower viscosity compared to high-density oxidized polyethylene wax, and its effect on promoting plasticization is not significant. However, it has a significant effect on improving the extrusion speed and appearance glossiness of PVC product processing, and is suitable for most PVC product processing applications.
3. Fischer Tropsch wax
Fischer Tropsch wax belongs to straight chain alkane wax. Due to its low price, it is added in large quantities in PVC stabilizers and PVC product processing. However, adding a large amount of Fischer Tropsch wax can cause side effects such as insufficient plasticization, severe precipitation, and decreased physical properties. Therefore, low-density oxidized polyethylene wax or high-density oxidized polyethylene wax needs to be added to the formula to improve the plasticization of PVC melt, reduce precipitation, increase later demolding performance, and improve the physical properties of the product.