How APS Developed a New Process for Infusing Fragrance into Polymer Material

Introduction

Polymer material is a versatile and innovative product that can be used for various applications, such as packaging, insulation, electronics, and more. However, one of the challenges of using polymer material is how to infuse fragrance into it without compromising its quality or performance.

The customer who had this problem contacted Advanced Powder Solutions (APS), GEMCO’s sister company and a leading contract manufacturer that provides customized solutions. APS has been in the industry for over 30 years, providing high-quality solutions for customers in various sectors, such as food and beverage, personal care, household care, and more. APS has a state-of-the-art facility that can test and produce flavors and fragrances for candles, cosmetics, detergents, and other products.

Problem

The customer that APS worked with was a company that produces candles with unique and personalized scents. They wanted to infuse up to 25 different fragrances into their candles using a material that acts like a sponge and melts easily with the wax. The company had previously tried working with a Chinese contract manufacturer who was four times more expensive, and they were not satisfied with the results.

Candles are made from wax, which is a mixture of hydrocarbons derived from plants or animals. They could be mixed with various additives to improve their properties, and one of them is polymer. A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating units called monomers. They can have different structures and functions depending on their composition and arrangement, and they can be used as fillers, binders, stabilizers, or coatings for candles.

The biggest challenge in this case was how to infuse fragrance into a polymer without compromising its quality or performance.

Process

We used our GEMCO machine to blend, sift, dry, and pulverize the polymer material into small pellets. Then we used our GEMCO machine again to infuse the fragrance into the pellets using hot air or vacuum drying methods. The process was designed to open the pores of the polymer material and trap the fragrance molecules inside them. The result was a material that had little lumps or messiness and could release the fragrance when melted into wax.

We tested our process on different types of fragrances and materials to see how well it worked. We also compared it with other technologies that were available on the market at the time. We found that our process was superior in terms of quality, performance, cost-effectiveness, and customer satisfaction.

Results

The customer was amazed by our process and how it solved their problem. They were able to infuse up to 25 different fragrances into their candles using our material without compromising their quality or performance. They were also able to reduce their production time and costs by using our process.

The customer was so happy with our service that they came back to us for other solutions after testing our new and unique process. They also started making some of their candles by themselves, using our process as a guide.

Conclusion

We are proud of what we achieved with this customer and how we helped them infuse fragrance into polymer material using our GEMCO machines. We developed a unique and new process for them and learned a lot from this project about polymer technology and how it can be used for various applications. Again, we proved the versatility of GEMCO’s industrial machinery.