CONTINUUM™

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Always a strong choice

How can you combine incredible toughness, long-term durability and surprising levels of flexibility…all in one sustainable solution? CONTINUUM™ Bimodal Polyethylene Resins have a long track record of doing exactly that – with proven, trusted performance that helps make ordinary, everyday applications extraordinary.

Discover the difference

Thanks to UNIPOL™ II Technology – our proprietary dual reactor, gas phase manufacturing process – CONTINUUM™ Resins offer increased polymer design flexibility with an extremely broad range of molecular weight distribution and wider window of high performance characteristics compared to traditional unimodal polyethylene (PE).

This leads to greater batch-to-batch resin consistency, helping increase efficiency, decrease scrap rates and potentially reduce costs for our customers. Equally important, it enables outstanding performance for diverse applications such as pipe, bottles, caps and closures and durable goods – all while supporting sustainability efforts.

PIPE

Building better infrastructure

Aging, deteriorating infrastructure and the need for increased sustainability are major, global concerns. CONTINUUM™ Resins help answer these challenges with extremely high levels of toughness and durability for exceptional, long-term pipeline performance in virtually any climate.

High elevated temperature and pressure ratings, outstanding resistance to slow crack growth (SCG) and rapid crack propagation (RCP) and broad operating windows top the long list of attributes that meet and exceed industry standards for municipal, utility and industrial pipeline applications, including potable water and natural gas distribution, oil and gas gathering, telecommunications conduit, mining, drainage and more.

Dow's rich portfolio of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and medium density polyethylene (MDPE) resins allows production of a broad range of pipe diameters and thicknesses with opportunities for downgauging. Other important benefits include:

Strong fusion capabilities to help produce seamless, virtually leak-free pipelines without mechanical fittings or gaskets, which tend to corrode and leak over time.
Low thermal conductivity for more uniform system temperatures and less need for insulation.
Excellent seismic resistance for improved protection with the potential for reduced repair costs and economic impact in the event of an earthquake.
Good resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light degradation.

Installation advantages

The light weight, flexibility and toughness of pipe made with CONTINUUM™ Resins allow easier, faster installation than metal or concrete on any terrain. These features also enable trenchless horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and pipe bursting installation methods – which are typically less disruptive to communities and the environment, and more cost efficient too. Of course, conventional trench installation can also be used.

BOTTLES

Breaking the mold

Believe it or not, the same qualities that make CONTINUUM™ Resins ideal for municipal water pipe also allow them to produce first-rate bottles for applications that demand more durability, safety and security.

High levels of stiffness, impact strength and environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) mean that our bimodal polyethylene (PE) resins not only enable significant performance improvements, but also offer opportunities to reduce material use, incorporate post-consumer recycle (PCR) content and lower overall costs.

A more sustainable innovation

One example, CONTINUUM™ DMDE-6620 HEALTH+™ Bimodal Polyethylene Resin, is changing the game in pharmaceutical, healthcare and nutritional bottling.

By combining our proven bimodal HDPE with a proprietary nucleating agent, this groundbreaking material offers a single-pellet solution for high-performing, more sustainable mono-layer bottles.

How does it work? Outstanding stiffness, top load and wall strength allow wall thickness and bottle weight reductions of more than 20%, while improved gaseous barrier performance helps provide longer shelf life with up to 50% lower moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR). The result is lighter, thinner, 100% recyclable bottles that maintain stringent pharmaceutical performance requirements (or offer even higher levels of performance at incumbent bottle weights).

And, as part of our DOW™ HEALTH+™ service offering, CONTINUUM™ DMDE-6620 HEALTH+™ Resin also includes:

Secure, global product supply
1-year notification of change (NOC) + 1-year right to buy
U.S. FDA 21 CFR 177.1520(c) 3.2a
U.S. FDA Drug Master File 1847
U.S. Pharmacopoeia (Class VI)
Canadian HPFB No Objection, EU, No 10/2011

Finally, like all CONTINUUM™ blow molding grades, this product offers excellent processability in a wide range of processes, including compression blow forming (CBF), injection blow molding (IBM) and extrusion blow molding (EBM). In fact, CONTINUUM™ DMDE-6620 HEALTH+™ Resin can even help increase productivity, with up to 33% faster cycle times.

CAPS & CLOSURES

Sealing the deal

The tremendous performance that makes CONTINUUM™ Resins a perfect choice for pipe also makes them a powerful option for rigid packaging.

For example, as part of the EVERCAP™ Innovative Closure Resins family, these extremely tough bimodal PE resins offer an exceptional fit for injection or compression molded caps and closures.

Their unique balance of stiffness, impact strength and environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR) allows CONTINUUM™ Resins to offer unsurpassed lightweight closure performance for pressurized beverages, harsh chemicals, medicine, cosmetics and other products that require increased durability, safety and security. And, in addition to significantly enhanced performance, reduced material use and excellent organoleptics, they can also offer opportunities for incorporation of post-consumer recycle (PCR) content and lower overall costs.

The inherent softness of PE also enables functional bore seal, helping create airtight barrier sealing without the need for liners. This allows conversion from two-piece, lined polypropylene (PP) closures to lighter, one-piece PE closures – with the potential for reduced production time and costs.

DURABLE GOODS

Performance that really stacks up

Injection molded durable goods – including housewares, toys/playground equipment, storage bins, crates, pallets and other material handling applications – can also benefit from the excellent durability, impact strength, rigidity, ESCR, and low-temperature performance of CONTINUUM™ Resins.