PIGMENTS | SPECIAL EFFECTS
Right: This satin effect is produced using the latest ColorWorks NewÆsthetix pigments for PET
As an example, Avient highlights a novel chrome
colour, which it markets under the name of “Mirror, mirror on the wall…”, saying it responds to the growing interest for truly metallic looks. “Particularly in the consumer electronics and technology sector, designers are focusing on silver and chrome with a liquid feel for their premium products,” says Judith van Vliet, ColorWorks Senior Designer. “You see it a lot in glass and that kind of transparency is also very trendy. This new colour concentrate, targeted especially at PET containers, develops a look that is the closest I’ve seen to a true metallized effect. It does a very good job of bringing those bright qualities to plastics for use in bottles containing prestige products.” The colour is slightly translucent, and so well- suited to applications where it is necessary or desirable for the contents in the bottle to be visible. At the same time, it has the power to overcome slightly off-colour resins, including post-consumer recycled (PCR) rPET. The effect was, in fact, first demonstrated on bottles made of rPET resin.
Brilliant solutions According to Avient, the secret to achieving the brilliant chrome effect lies in the pigment particle- size distribution and the way it is incorporated into the concentrate. The chrome colour is available in three Renol concentrates of varying tone, softness, and translucency. Reflectivity is said to be dramatically increased compared to more conventional silver or chrome colours, meaning a 3D look is possible even on very thin sections such as those found in injection-stretch blow moulded PET bottles. Further benefits include a very good reaction to laser marking. “While other colours can turn grey or black and leave a physical,
palpable mark on the surface, the chrome pigment simply disappears leaving only the natural transpar- ent polymer behind,” Avient says. Another new offering, “Prèstige Satinée” is said
to provide new colour takes on a satin effect and is expected to resonate specifically with Asian consumers drawn to the silky, brushed glass of luxury, high-end personal care and cosmetic packaging. It is said to give a brushed-glass look in shades that reflect current consumer preferences for soft, muted colours and those found in nature. The satin effect, which is created by a proprietary additive that is introduced in masterbatch form during preform moulding “creates an illusion of depth within the container walls, making the bottle appear more like glass,” according to Vick Cai, Designer at ColorWorks Asia Pacific. “However, the effect is not only visual. It gives the bottle a softer surface feel.” The growing interest in special effect finishes is a
Gabiel-Chemie’s Magic Touch finish (above) combines pigment and laser technology to create enhanced appearance and haptics while the Simply Magic effect (right) combines special effect pigments and laser marking
trend also seen at Austrian masterbatch specialist Gabriel-Chemie. “We see a continuing demand for special effect pigments to differentiate products at point of sale, especially in the cosmetics industry. Home office may have dampened demand for cosmetics in the short term with ‘grunge’ and ‘tracksuit’ look becoming more popular, but we are still involved in a lot of new projects for the future,” says Mark Hannah, Head of Corporate Marketing. Gabriel-Chemie says it is aiming its develop- ments in three main directions: metallics, effect pigments combined with laser additives, and combinations of different effect pigments.
Metallic alternatives On metallics, Hannah says the trend towards sustainable solutions continues to drive market demand to replace metallic coatings/platings with metallic pigments integrated into compounds. “We are using a new generation of metallic pigments
32 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2021
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: GABRIEL-CHEMIE
IMAGE: GABRIEL-CHEMIE
IMAGE: AVIENT
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