In the process of polyethylene production, a small amount of oligomer will be produced, that is, low relative molecular weight polyethylene, also known as polymer wax, or polyethylene wax for short. Polymer wax is a non-toxic, tasteless, non corrosive, white or slightly yellowish solid with a relative molecular weight of 1800 ~ 8000. It can be made into blocks, flakes and powders as needed. In normal production, this part of wax can be directly added to polyolefin as an additive, and has excellent cold resistance, heat resistance, chemical resistance and wear resistance.
In the production process of polyethylene wax, controlling the cracking temperature and time is an important factor to ensure the properties and quality of cracking wax. High temperature cracking requires more than 300 ℃. If the temperature is too low, the degradation is incomplete, the molecular chain cannot be fully broken, and the product fluidity is poor, which is not conducive to various processing applications; The temperature is too high, the power consumption is too large, the production cost increases, the fluidity is too fast, the cooling time is too long, and the discharge is too fast, which is easy to cause combustion and accidents. In addition, the discharge circulating cooling system should be perfect. If the cooling effect of the unit is poor, the polyethylene wax is exposed to too high temperature in the air, which is easy to be oxidized, and the product is gray. The discharge temperature should be controlled below 800 ℃.

Application of polyethylene wax
1. Application of pe wax as dispersant
Polyethylene wax is a kind of lubricant and release agent with good external lubrication. Adding it to rubber and plastics can improve the processing efficiency, improve the surface gloss and wear resistance of products, contribute to the dispersion of fillers and pigments, and can also be used as the raw material of colored plastic masterbatch.
Application of polyethylene wax in Color Masterbatch
Polyethylene wax is widely used in color masterbatch processing. The purpose of adding polyethylene wax is not only to improve the processability of the color masterbatch system, but also to promote the pigment dispersion in the color masterbatch. Pigment dispersion is very important for color masterbatch. The quality of Color Masterbatch mainly depends on the dispersion of pigment. Pigment dispersing and lustrous masterbatch has high coloring power, good coloring quality and low coloring cost. Polyethylene wax can improve the dispersion level of pigment to a certain extent. It is a common dispersant in the production of color masterbatch.

2. Application of polyethylene wax as lubricant
Polyethylene wax is a kind of lubricant and release agent with good external lubrication. Adding it to rubber and plastics can improve processing efficiency and surface gloss and wear resistance of products.
Action mechanism: the role of lubricant is to reduce the friction between the contact surface between polymer and processing machinery and between polymerized molecular chains. The former is called external lubricant and the latter is called internal lubricant. The internal lubricant and polymer have certain compatibility. At room temperature, the compatibility is small, while at high temperature, the compatibility increases accordingly. The rate of lubricant incorporation into polymer is related to the compatibility between lubricant and polymer, and the compatibility depends on the molecular structure of lubricant and relative polymer polarity. Internal lubrication for PVC, lubricant and plasticizer can be regarded as the same material, but the polarity of hole sliding agent is low, and the compatibility between lubricant and PVC is lower than that of plasticizer. A few lubricant molecules can penetrate between polymer molecules, weakening the mutual attraction of polymer molecules, making it easier for polymer chains to slide and rotate with each other during deformation.

The main characteristic of lubricant is that it has little or even incompatibility with polymers. In the processing process, it is easy to extrude from the mixed materials under pressure and migrate to the surface or outside the interface between the mixed materials and processing machinery. The lubricant molecules are oriented and arranged, and the polar groups face the metal surface to form a lubricating molecular layer through physical adsorption or chemical bond. Due to the low cohesion energy between lubricant molecules, Therefore, the friction between the polymer and the equipment surface can be reduced to prevent it from adhering to the mechanical surface. The viscosity of lubricating film and its lubrication efficiency depend on the melting point and processing temperature of lubricant. In general, lubricants with long molecular chains have greater lubrication effect.
Polyethylene wax is a good internal lubricant for polyethylene and polypropylene. It is not completely compatible with polyethylene wax, so it plays an external lubrication role to a certain extent. For large injection molded products, wax can not only improve the fluidity in the processing process, but also greatly improve the surface gloss and environmental stress cracking resistance. Both polyethylene and polypropylene should contain up to 2% lubricant and show no change in performance. For recycled materials, up to 5% polyethylene wax can be added and the melt index can be adjusted to the required level.
3. Application of polyethylene wax in other fields
Polyethylene wax used in ink can provide anti friction, anti scratch, anti adhesion and retain luster; It can also change the rheology of the ink and improve the hydrophilicity and printing performance; Polyethylene wax is mainly used for matting and increasing hand feel in paint. The wax for coating is mainly added in the form of additives. It was originally used for the anti-diffusion performance of the film, mainly including improving the smoothness, scratch resistance and waterproof of the film.
Qingdao Sainuo Chemical Co.,Ltd. We are manufacturer for PE wax, PP wax, OPE wax, EVA wax, PEMA, EBS,Zinc/Calcium Stearate…. Our products have passed the REACH, ROHS, PAHS, FDA testing. Sainuo rest assured wax, welcome your inquiry! Website：https://www.sanowax.com
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