Denesting Agent for Thermoformed Film
Hello! I’m Shelley Doyle, a Technical Sales Representative at Penn Color. A few months ago, I received a call from one of our long-time customers - a converter supplying PET film for a thermoforming application. But this time, they weren’t calling to talk about color or aesthetics. They had a critical problem: their customer was experiencing production line slowdowns - and even complete stoppages - due to a deceptively simple issue…
Sticking scoops.
The PET film supplied is thermoformed into measuring scoops for one of the biggest powder laundry detergent brands. After forming, these scoops are stacked and later picked individually to be placed into the final container along with the detergent powder. This automated process should run smoothly - but instead, the scoops were sticking together, causing jams, delays, and costly downtime. In today’s manufacturing world, where speed, efficiency, and reliability are essential, even a small hiccup like this can lead to major operational headaches.
So, we asked ourselves: could we re-engineer the existing blue tint masterbatch to solve the problem – without disrupting the customer’s current process? We brought in technical experts at Penn Color, who quickly identified an opportunity. By modifying the coefficient of friction through the incorporation of specialty additives – within the existing color formulation – we developed a one-pellet solution that enhanced the automated denesting performance without compromising the crisp blue appearance of the thermoformed scoops.
What we delivered was more than just a formula tweak – it allowed the customer’s automation to operate at full speed again, significantly reduced total cost-to-produce, and preserved the aesthetics of the final product from a consumer standpoint. There were no extra components and no adjustments to the thermoforming equipment – just a smarter masterbatch engineered to meet the real-world demands of modern manufacturing. This case is a great example of how we don’t just sell products at Penn Color – we engineer solutions.
