Milliken Helps Manufacture Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Milliken & Company, a global materials science specialist, is once again leveraging its unique capabilities to support the production of medical personal protective equipment (PPE) needed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current shortage of plastic materials used for protective face shields is prompting manufacturers to offer existing polypropylene plastic. However, this material is naturally hazy, so plastic producers are turning to Milliken and its NX® UltraClear™ polypropylene concentrate to produce plastics with clarity levels suitable for healthcare industry face shields. "The need for medical PPE continues to grow in this global pandemic," says Halsey M. Cook, President and CEO of Milliken & Company. "We are committed to finding solutions that allow us to participate in fighting COVID-19 wherever we can help our customers and make a difference," he added. Milliken has collaborated with a range of plastic producers, from global players to regional companies, to evaluate NX UltraClear in this new product application. Impact Plastics is among U.S. companies using NX UltraClear concentrates to clarify polypropylene for use in face shields. Plascony in Brazil and Mezger in Germany are also using NX UltraClear concentrates to produce polypropylene sheets suitable for use in face shields. Medical face shields made with NX UltraClear polypropylene are now on the market and in use by frontline workers.