Milliken boosts plastic industrys ability to supply materials for personal protective equipment

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Global materials science expert Milliken & Company is once again leveraging its unique capabilities to help produce needed medical personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The current shortage in plastic materials used for protective face shields is leading manufacturers to offer the readily available polypropylene plastic. The material, however, is naturally hazy, so plastic manufacturers are turning to Milliken and the company’s NX® UltraClear™ polypropylene concentrate to produce plastics with clarity levels suitable for healthcare industry face shields.

“In this global pandemic, the need for medical PPE continues to rise,” says Halsey M. Cook, president and CEO of Milliken & Company. “We are committed to finding solutions that assist our customers and allow us to join in the fight against COVID-19 wherever we can make a difference.”

Milliken has collaborated with a number of plastic manufacturers, from global players to regionally based companies, to evaluate NX® UltraClear™ in this new product application. Impact Plastics is among the U.S. companies using NX® UltraClear™ concentrates to make polypropylene clear for use in face shields. Mezger in Germany is also employing NX® UltraClear™ concentrates to produce polypropylene sheet suitable for use in face shields.

Medical face shields made with NX® UltraClear™ polypropylene are now in the market and being used by front-line workers.

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About Milliken

Milliken has been solving everyday problems with innovative solutions for more than 150 years. Our research, design and manufacturing expertise reaches across a breadth of disciplines including specialty chemicals, healthcare, floor covering, and performance and protective textiles. An unwavering commitment to ethics guides our work to redefine how we add strength and protection to products, how we infuse vibrancy and color into our surroundings, and how we care for the environment. For us, success is when discoveries made within Milliken help us all have more meaningful connections with the world. Discover Milliken at www.milliken.com, and join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.