TAGS: Surface Modification Sustainability / Natural Solutions
An Interview with Michelle Downham, Category Marketing Director, Polymer Additives at Cargill
In July 2022, Cargill acquired the Croda Performance Technologies business and with it the Polymer Additives range of products. The range included well-known brands such as:
They provide effects such as friction reduction, slip, anti-block, anti-static and anti-fogging in polymers for a variety of processing techniques and applications such as automotives, caps and closures, film structures, extrusion and injection molding to name a few.
Following this acquisition, Cargill has shown commitment to the growth of the Polymer Additives business, with a particular focus on the security of supply, the manufacture of high-quality products, sustainable innovation and excellent customer service. Cargill recently announced the renaming of the Crodamide™ brand of slip & anti-blocking additives to Optislip™, to better align with the performance and benefits that the product range can bring to the plastics industry.
We recently interviewed Michelle Downham, Category Marketing Director, Polymer Additives at Cargill to hear more about the Optislip™ range of slip and anti-blocking additives, as well as the exciting times ahead for the Cargill Polymer Additives business.
#1. What are Optislip™ slip and anti-blocking additives, why are they needed and how do they work?
Polymer surfaces often exhibit high friction leading to problems during manufacture, processing and in-use. High friction can result in difficulties with the winding of film rolls, bag production and packaging operations. There are several factors affecting the development of friction including:
- Polymer type (nature, polarity, crystallinity)
- Process temperature
- Process type (film, blown/cast, co-extrusion, etc.)
- Film gauge & structure
- Presence of other additives (anti-fog, anti-static, pigment, etc.)
Optislip™ slip & anti-block additives are a range of primary, secondary and bis-amides that are incorporated directly into the polymer during the extrusion process. They work by migrating to the surface as the polymer cools forming a solid lubricating layer at the surface which acts to lower the friction or adhesion between contacting polymer surfaces, the polymer and other materials. This effect reduces friction-related issues during polymer production and in the final application.
Slip Development in Polymers
#2. What is the inspiration behind the new name, Optislip™?
The new name, Optislip™ was chosen to reflect the product’s ability to deliver optimized slip & anti-block performance to polymers. The product range is well-known for its wide variety of solutions including high, medium, or low slip properties as well as anti-blocking performance. The speed of migration can also be controlled through careful product selection, depending on the need of the end application.
Manufacturing for over 50 years, we have a wide range of experience and knowledge in the production, application and research of amides, and our technical and sales team are available to help you in finding the right additive to suit your application and requirements.
#3. Are there any other changes that have been made to the product range?
We can confirm that this name change will not impact the products we offer, with the same range of chemistries and physical forms continuing to be available. The products will continue to be made at the same manufacturing sites as they were previously and have the same specifications.
Optislip™ Products Available in Up to Four Physical Forms (Source: Cargill)
#4. How else has Cargill shown its commitment to the amides business?
A major milestone for us achieved since the Cargill acquisition is the completion of our capacity expansion project at Hull, our major
amide manufacturing site in the United Kingdom. Commissioning was completed at the end of 2022 and the new reactor has been part of routine operations since the beginning of 2023.
At its core, the project in Hull has delivered a new, larger reactor that expands the production of Cargill’s proven technology. In addition to this new reactor, Cargill continues to upgrade and improve the infrastructure throughout the site allowing greater production flexibility in using this new capacity. This ongoing investment allows an increase in the production of already well-known and popular amide-based polymer additives including slip, anti-block, mold release and torque release technologies across the
Optislip™ range, as well as the
Incroslip™ and
IncroMold™ brands.
#5. What are the other benefits of being part of Cargill?
We have already seen a tremendous number of benefits since the move to Cargill and look forward to seeing what synergies there are in the future.
One advantage has been the increased transparency and security of our agricultural raw material supply. Cargill is a leading supplier of naturally derived raw materials and we are now benefiting from this across our business. For many years, we have been directly contracting the growing and crushing of High Erucic Rape Oil (HERO) in the UK, a specialty oil from which most of our amides are made.
Cargill’s ownership has already enabled us to expand our UK growing program and start a similar scheme in Eastern Europe. This back integration up to the seed growing process continues to give us visibility right the way through the supply chain and our expanded growing areas now increase our volumes in line with our reactor expansion and further enhance our security of raw material supply.
This knowledge of our sourcing allows us to accurately calculate the life cycle assessments of our products. We are able to source our raw materials more reliably which in turn allows us to supply our customers reliably. Overall, it is a very exciting time to be part of the Polymer Additives business in Cargill, and the team is really looking forward to the future of the business.
View Complete Optislip™ Range by Cargill
About Cargill
Cargill is a privately-owned company that is committed to providing food, ingredients and agricultural solutions to nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Sitting at the heart of the supply chain, Cargill partners with suppliers and customers to source, produce and deliver products that really matter.
Discover Cargill’s website here »
About Michelle Downham
Michelle Downham is the Category Marketing Director for the Polymer Additives business at Cargill. She joined Cargill in 2022 as part of the Croda acquisition after spending 11 years at Croda in various marketing positions. She has a masters degree in Chemistry from the University of Manchester and has previously worked in R&D and regulatory roles within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.