US specialist for surface coatings, additives and compounds, Avient (Avon Lake, Ohio; www.avient.com) has added new, high-impact polypropylene-based grades to its Gravi-Tech portfolio of density-modified materials. Developed to deliver the look and feel of machined metals in high-impact applications, the materials work for enhanced metallic surface finishes and handles for personal, oral, skin, and cosmetic products.

The high-density injection moulding formulations can be customised to be as light as plastic or up to four times as heavy as aluminium, with excellent weight distribution, the company says. The materials pass drop-test requirements, provide low-temperature impact performance, offer flowability, and deliver finished components in a single process step.

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The materials are available in several special grades for vacuum metallisation and moulded-in pre-coloured options and application-specific surface effects, according to Avient. The formulations, currently manufactured in Asia but available globally, are a cost-effective alternative to metal and, claims Avient, can be used to produce more complex, thin-wall designs.