Packaging processor Ball Corp. (Broomfield, CO) will now extend its proprietary barrier technology to the industry at large by granting a license under its oxygen scavenger patents to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) supplier Invista. PolyShield uses modified PET copolymers which offer an active oxygen barrier, carbonation retention, and clarity in colored monolayer containers when blended with up to 5% MXD6 at a preform molding machine. The company says the barrier technology has been commercially applied in beer, wine, and juice applications around the world.

Ball has worked with multilayer preform injection technology supplier, Kortec, to create multilayer barrier containers that incorporate its proprietary oxygen-scavenging technology. Competitive technologies include plasma coating, as well as monolayer packages with barrier additives mixed in, such as Valspar’s ValOR.—[email protected]