Special effect pigments | additives feature


Add some sparkle to your plastics


Suppliers of pearlescent and metallic special effect pigments for plastics are upping their game. They are broadening their palettes for an extended range of applications, and they have developed grades that are easier to process and safer to handle. This article reviews the latest developments. Many special effect pigments are produced by coating


a substrate such as mica with one or more metal oxides. Leading producer Merck (known as EMD in North America) says that for masterbatch makers and compounders, these often fragile pigments can have limitations during the conversion process – if they break, the visual effect in the end product is reduced. To counter this, the company developed the Iriodin WM range of pigment preparations comprising 70% Iriodin effect pigments and 30% of a low-molecular-weight carrier. The latest WM generation is Iriodin WM 10, which


Merck says is as easy to use as its WM 8 predecessor, maintains all the original benefi ts and demonstrates additional advantages. “Iriodin WM 10 products are currently among the


safest densifi ed pearl effect pigments available in the world,” Merck says. They comply with the Global Harmonization Standard (GHS), which goes into full effect this year. Unlike WM 8 types they are not subject to 4.2 shipping restrictions (covering hazardous self-heat- ing substances), thanks to an optimized stabilization


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Peter Mapleston reviews the latest developments in pearlescent and


metallic pigments for adding special effects to the appearance of plastics


process. The pigment preparation may be transported by land, sea and air, and has no storage constraints. Merck says that its Iriodin Pearlets and Miraval


Pearlets preparations give additional advantages over monobatches or single pigment concentrates (SPC) in two-step masterbatch processes. Pearlets PO are designed to be used in polyolefi ns and are offered as alternatives to monobatches. They contain up to 80% effect pigments loaded onto a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) core. Merck says this provides production, economic and aesthetic advantages.


Safe handling Conventional powder effect pigments are very fl uffy and tend to dust, creating handling problems for compound- ers says BASF. For this reason, they are searching for solutions which enable an easy, effi cient and safe processing of effect pigments while maintaining the


March 2015 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 19


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