Category Archives: Rheology Control

Electron Beam Rheology Control

Does your PE or PP resin have the exact material properties you want? If you’re manufacturing a specialty film, bottle, foam, or other plastic product, the standard off-the-shelf grades offered by the big resin manufacturers don’t always meet your needs.

Also posted in Crosslinking & Polymer Modification | Comments closed

What is the difference between crosslinking, branching, and chain scissioning?

In the latest Crash Course, the E-BEAM team talks about the difference between three different types of polymer modification: crosslinking, branching, and chain scissioning.

Also posted in Chain Scissioning, Crosslinking & Polymer Modification | Comments closed

Long Chain Branching, Part 3 – Demonstrating Improved Drawability

In Part 2, we irradiated three samples of LLDPE with the electron beam to impart long chain branching and we achieved the improvement in melt tension we were looking for. In Part 3, we irradiated one of the samples with a higher dose to produce LCB (long chain branched) LLDPE with a melt tension measurement […]

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Long Chain Branching, Part 2 – Experimental results

Hypothesis:  long chain branching of LLDPEs can improve melt strength in terms of drawability.  We irradiated 3 LLDPE feedstocks with an electron beam and compared the properties of the 3 processed resins to a LDPE Control.  The starting samples were: Radiation Processing We dosed the samples with a 150kW, 4.5 MeV electron beam accelerator.  The […]

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Long Chain Branching – Background. Part I

This is the first of a three part series highlighting the advantages of long chain branching and crosslinking – – valuable modifications made by electron beam treatment. History Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) has been used in extrusion coating and blown film since the 1950s, where its excellent melt strength created new possibilities. Polypropylene (PP) […]

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At home with electrons

At this point, if you’ve read through a number of our blog entries you might be thinking, “Okay, this electron beam thing is REALLY cool, but I’m not a medical device manufacturer or a resin supplier, so it doesn’t really affect me.” In actuality, you might be surprised to learn that products modified by electron […]

Also posted in Bioreduction, Chain Scissioning, Crosslinking & Polymer Modification, E-Beam, Molded Parts, Property Improvements, Sheet Processing, Sterilization, Wire, Cable, & Tubing | Comments closed

The Story of E-BEAM Services: Crosslinking

We are E-BEAM Services, we are committed to the power of electrons, and we are crosslinking. In the video below, you will learn about the history of crosslinking at E-BEAM and how we are the industry leaders in the changing the material properties of polymers in order to create a superior product.     Transcript […]

Also posted in Chain Scissioning, Crosslinking & Polymer Modification, E-Beam, Molded Parts, Processing Capabilities, Product Qualification, Property Improvements, Sheet Processing, Wire, Cable, & Tubing | Comments closed

5 Common Questions About Rheology

When you e-beam polyethylene resin pellets, won’t there be gels? This is often one of the first questions asked in regards to e-beam processing in relation to changing the rheology of polymers. The concern is that with the e-beam irradiation, crosslinking is occurring and therefore hard gels are being formed. However, at low doses, before crosslinking […]

Also posted in E-Beam, Property Improvements | Comments closed

What is chain branching?

Crosslinking of polymers via electron beam irradiation (e-beam) is  well known and the number of success stories involving it touch our daily lives in many ways – but more on that in a later blog. An important similar concept that might be a little less familiar to some is the process of chain branching. What […]

Also posted in Crosslinking & Polymer Modification, Property Improvements | Comments closed

What can I expect from E-BEAM as a company?

Let me tell you a story. In June of 2013, I was standing in our booth at the MD&M show in Philadelphia when I turned to face a stately looking gentleman holding some sort of medical device in his hand. He was shaking his head, saying “you sterilization guys have a history of horrible service.” […]

Also posted in Bioreduction, Chain Scissioning, Crosslinking & Polymer Modification, Molded Parts, Product Validation, Sheet Processing, Sterilization, Wire, Cable, & Tubing | Comments closed