Nepheline Syenite
Nepheline syenite is a holocrystalline plutonic rock that consist of nepheline, albite and microcline. The most unique characteristic of nepheline syenite is that it does not contain respirable crystalline silica, has stable chemical composition and high alkali and alumina content.
Glass
In glass application, nepheline syenite primarily serves as an excellent fluxing agent and has the following advantages:
- Higher alumina content which improves matrix formation, stabilization and physical resistance
- Higher alkali volume and improves fluxing, which lowers the melting temperature of the batch and reduces the quantity of high-cost soda ash to be added
- Higher alkali/alumina ratio and lower fusion, which increase savings in raw materials handling, storages and energy used in production
- No free silica
Ceramic
In ceramic application, nepheline syenite primarily serves as an excellent fluxing or matte agent and has the following functions:
- Significantly lowers melting point, and speeds up firing process
- Increases body vitrification over a wide range of firing temperature
- Lowers absorption and moisture expansion
- Improves mechanical strength
- Increases thermal expansion and reduces variations of thermal expansion during production
Paints & Coatings
In filler application, nepheline syenite primarily serves as a performance enhancer and has the following functions/advantages:
- Improves weatherability
- Improves abrasion, scrub, stain, mildew and chalking resistance
- High brightness (> 92)
- Great UV protection to resin and pigment system, and high yellowing resistance
- Low tint strength even at high loading that maximizes the color strength
- Low refractive index allows for high loading in transparent and translucent coatings and stains
- Good dispersibility in both water and solvent systems, and low viscosity even in high pigment loading
- Stable pH and chemical inertness
- Low vehicle demand and exceptional resistance to frosting
In addition to the features of the conventional FinEx® grades, our newly developed FinEx® X series is customized to achieve a powerful matte effect:
- Engineered particle size distribution (PSD), which results in superior matte effect to reduce the consumption of expensive matte agent
- Super-low oil absorption (low viscosity even at high loading) maximizes the filler loading, which in turn reducing the resin usage to further save material cost
Plastic
In plastic film application, nepheline syenite primarily serves as a functional filler and FinEx® P provides the following functions/advantages:
- Similar refractive index to high clarity polyolefin resin, such as butene, hexene and octene LLDPE resins, high clarity metallocene, and a variety co-polymer and blended resins
- Engineered PSD with maximum 2-10μm particles to not only enhance anti-blocking performance, but also to reduce hazing and improve clarity, and to improve tensile strength, tear resistance and impact properties of the polyolefin films
- Non-porous particles with low surface area, thus offers good wetting and particle-to-polymer bonding
- Highly inert, and would not react with other additives, in turn to improve cost effectiveness and performance
- A Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) material and complies with all known international regulatory requirements (such as FDA, The Commission of the European Communities Directive and JHOSPA) for direct and indirect food contact applications
- A natural mineral, and is exempted under Japan's MITI Regulation, CONEG and European Communities Directive 2015/830/EU (RoHS)
In thermoplastic application, nepheline syenite primarily serves as a functional filler and FinEx® P provides the following functions/advantages:
- Designed to promote light transmittance, thermal retention and product durability in horticultural thermal film made of LDPE, LLDPE, EVA, etc.
- Engineered PSD (maximize 7-14μm particles) to reduce thermicity, and to retain heat during nighttime. The unique PSD also maximizes visible light transmittance as well as the critical photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) of the film, which is advantageous for plant growth as it promotes photosynthesis
- FinEx® P Similar refractive index to the popular host plastics, and thus improve clarity, such optimum refractive index enables higher loading without compromising the optical properties, tensile strength and durability of the thermal film. The high clarity is also critical to slow down degradation of the film by UV
- Largely eliminates impurities that may cause environmental weathering