When packing for a trip, whether for work or a vacation, we often bring along some medicine just in case. Inside a bag or pouch, individually packaged pills may bump against other items or get pressed beneath them. Although the packaging looks thin and lightweight, it helps maintain its shape and protect the contents while on the move.

So, how does this thin plastic withstand external impact? Behind it is materials technology that enhances the properties of plastic.

Today, we take a closer look at MBS(Methacrylate Butadiene Styrene), a material that improves plastic performance across a wide range of applications, from pill packaging and window profiles to pipes and home appliance housings.

MBS: A Material That Improves Plastic Properties

Plastics are lightweight and can be processed into various shapes, making them a familiar part of everyday life. To be made into practical products, however, they need properties suited to their intended use. Some products must withstand external impact, while others need to be smoothly formed into complex shapes.

A material added to improve these properties is called a modifier. It enhances the performance of the base polymer, making it suitable for use in the finished product.

MBS is a modifier in powder form used to enhance the impact strength of plastics. Impact strength refers to a material’s ability to withstand a sudden force without breaking or becoming damaged. For this reason, MBS is also called an impact modifier.

MBS is added during the manufacturing process of rigid and semi-rigid PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) and engineering plastics. Depending on the application, it improves impact strength and processability, helping plastics achieve the required shape and performance.

What If There Were Tiny Cushions Inside Rigid Plastic?

Does making a plastic harder always make it tougher? Withstanding impact requires more than resisting force. The ability to absorb and disperse the energy of an impact is also important.

The secret to how MBS enhances impact strength lies in its core-shell structure. Each particle consists of a central core and an outer shell, with the two parts serving different functions.

The rubber core deforms under an external force, absorbing and dispersing impact energy. This deformation helps cushion the effect of a sudden impact.

The shell helps the rubber core blend with the base polymer. Because rubber may have limited compatibility with PVC and other base polymers, a highly compatible material is used for the outer shell. Compatibility refers to how well different materials blend together, and enhancing it is the shell’s key role.

In simple terms, it is like adding tiny shock absorbers inside the plastic. Just as cushioning materials help reduce impact when packing an item, the rubber core of MBS helps cushion impact within the material itself.

With the core absorbing impact and the shell improving compatibility with the base polymer, MBS helps reduce the likelihood of plastic breaking or becoming damaged. Although it is not visible in the finished product, it supports the durability needed for everyday use.

From Pill Packaging to Window Profiles and Home Appliances

Pill packaging offers a familiar example of how MBS is used. PVC is sometimes used for the transparent plastic that encloses each pill. Adding MBS enhances its impact strength, helping the packaging withstand external impact and protect its contents. In particular, MBS is designed to minimize the difference in refractive index between the modifier and the base polymer, allowing the packaging to retain its transparency. This makes it possible to check the condition of the pills while keeping them in protective packaging that resists breakage.

Thin packaging also needs good processability so it can be formed into the desired shape. Each cavity must accommodate the size and shape of a pill, while the packaging must be produced with consistent quality. MBS helps improve both the durability and processability of these PVC products.

Its applications also extend to PVC profiles used in window frames and related components, as well as pipes and fittings. A profile is a component with a consistent cross-sectional shape, while fittings are parts used to connect pipes or change their direction. MBS is added to the materials used in these products to enhance their ability to withstand external impact.

Housings for IT devices such as laptops and for home appliances are another application. A housing is the exterior enclosure that surrounds and protects internal components. It must contribute to the product’s appearance while withstanding impact during use. MBS enhances the performance of the engineering plastics used in these housings, helping improve their durability.

LG Chem’s MBS: Supporting the Plastics in Everyday Life

LG Chem has built its expertise in modifier technologies since developing an impact modifier for PVC in 1982. In 1990, it became the first company in Korea to independently develop and commercialize MBS. It expanded its applications further in 2005 by commercializing impact modifiers for engineering plastics.

Since then, LG Chem has continued to develop products tailored to specific application needs. In 2019, it developed MB875 for transparent applications and EM538 for engineering plastics, followed by MB839 for opaque applications in 2021. These developments address a range of requirements, from transparent and opaque products to engineering plastics where mechanical performance is important.

The properties required of plastics vary with the operating environment and manufacturing process. Through MBS, LG Chem enhances the characteristics needed for each application, from PVC to engineering plastics, supporting the quality of everyday products.

From thin pill packaging to the housings of home appliances we use every day, the durability of plastics is not determined by visible thickness or hardness alone. The ability of the materials within them to absorb and disperse impact also plays a part.

The next time you take out a pack of pills or use a home appliance, think of the material acting like tiny cushions inside it. Working behind the scenes, LG Chem’s MBS helps everyday products deliver the performance they need.

Learn more about MBS 👉 https://www.lgchem.com/product-detail/mbs 

※Some images in this content were generated using AI.