PIGMENTS | SPECIAL EFFECT
such as pearlescent or metallic effects, to under- stand how colorant formulations perform in recycling sorting centres using NIR for sortation. “Based on customer specifications, we can recom- mend the best colour effect and level of detectabil- ity for recycling in a sorting centre,” says Reboux. “Our OnColor FX Special Effect Colorants can be specifically developed to be detected by NIR automatic sorting equipment, enabling subsequent recycling.”
Above: An example where colour, material and finish design is used to create an interferential shimmering colour effect that moves between orange and pink
Right: Metallic and pearles- cent caps and closures in gold and silver remain in high demand
Looking forward In Avient’s ColorForward 2025 report, the com- pany’s annual forecast of colour, material and finish (CMF) trends for packaging, consumer and automotive applications, more than a dozen of its 20 featured aesthetic concepts include effects such as copper undertones, silver and gold metallic effects, speckles, and pearlescent effects.
“Some of these effects are combined in some concepts of selected CMF designs to achieve a more complex, dramatic aesthetic, reflecting a feeling of resil- iency we see emerging,” says Roberto Romanin, Designer at ColorWorks Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). “For example, one of our featured aesthetic concepts is an interferential shimmering colour moving between orange and pink. The complex aesthet- ics are exacerbated when used within a textured plastic surface.” Avient’s Senior Marketing Manager Personal &
Home Care Market, Sandrine Reboux, adds that metallic and pearlescent polyolefin caps and closures in silver and gold colours also remain in high demand.
“In cosmetic packaging like mascara or lip
gloss, special effect colourants can be added to achieve a large scope of colour possibilities using a pearlescent by itself or with a mix of metallic particles, depending on the desired shimmer effect, she says. Designing for recycling is also a focus at Avient. The company has studied special effect colorants,
38 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2024
Recycling changes Reboux notes that in PET bottles, packaging recycling guidelines are becoming more strict to maintain high-quality recycling streams. “As a result, special effect colours are decreasing, while transparent-coloured bottles are flourishing, particularly in European countries, where this shift is expected to continue,” she says. In automotive applications, Avient, sees increas- ing number of requests from automotive OEMs for a recycled-look of their parts, especially when produced with recycled materials. “To respond to this market need, we have developed new speckle effects that show both visible dark particles on a white background and white particles on a dark background,” says Laura Carrillo, Senior Marketing Manager Transportation Market.
Moulded-in-colour as an alternative technology to paint, while not a new trend in automotive and other areas, is
T
rapidly growing as a sustainable option generally, she says. “Our Smartbatch FX colorants and additives for paint replacement are examples of formulations that can provide such effects and be combined with other additives for
ultraviolet (UV) resistance and/or anti-dust perfor- mance,” she explains.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.altana.com/divisions/
eckart.html �
www.silberline.com �
www.sunchemical.com �
www.heubach.com �
www.gabriel-chemie.com �
www.lifocolor.de/en/ �
www.grafe.com �
www.sirmax.com �
www.ampacet.com �
www.caiadditives.com/ �
www.avient.com
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: AVIENT
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