Materials engineering company Techmer PM has introduced a polymer processing aid (PPA) without perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS). Commonly called “forever chemicals,” these additives have been classified as hazardous substances by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and come under fire from activist groups and some consumers. Consequently, brand owners and materials suppliers have redoubled efforts to eliminate these PPAs from their products.

Traditional PPAs do a good job of minimizing or eliminating melt fracture, affecting the appearance and physical properties of blown and cast films, said Techmer PM in its announcement. It’s new HiTerra T5 was developed to address melt fractures without the use of fluorinated chemicals. It does not interfere with other performance additives, such as UV stabilizers and anti-blocks, and meets the new EPA guidelines, said the company.

"The quality of film our team was able to produce surpassed our expectations, creating films with higher clarity than proven incumbent technologies," said Dr. Bhushan Deshpande, Techmer PM’s Vice President of Technology. "We are thrilled with the performance of our new HiTerra T5 and even more delighted that our customers will now be able to create the highest quality film while meeting their fluorine-free goals.”

Techmer PM said it has already seen several large-scale commercial successes with the product and can support incoming demand.

Techmer PM draws on a broad portfolio of resins from polyolefins to PEEK to help manufacturers enhance product function and appearance in scores of end-use markets. The company operates six plants in North America and claims extensive expertise in virtually every plastics- and fiber-related process, from additive manufacturing and blown film to nonwovens, injection molding, and sheet extrusion.