COLOUR | MASTERBATCH
Colour masterbatch suppliers are finding ways to get more from their products through processing and performance enhancement and using more challenging polymers, writes Peter Mapleston
Colours that perform
For plastics processors willing to take the responsi- bility for colour consistency in moulded parts, colour masterbatches provide an excellent means of reducing inventory and increasing production flexibility. They reduce the need to stock warehouses with different shades of the same plastics com- pound, and they are particularly well suited to short runs. Producers of colour masterbatch (also called concentrate, especially in North America) continue to improve and expand their offerings in response to upstream and downstream developments. In recent months, the choice in products for bioplastics has increased, there are new products for engineering thermoplastics that process at very high temperatures, and processors in the medical field also have more masterbatches to choose from.
www.compoundingworld.com
But before all that: should you be using a universal masterbatch, or one with a carrier matched specifically to the polymer it is going to be mixed with? As in so many areas, the answer seems to be: “It depends.”
Universal masterbatch questions It is not uncommon for injection moulders to adopt universal masterbatches as a convenient option, says Tony Bestall, CEO at Silvergate Plastics in the UK, with cash flow and costs always being high priorities. “Generally, they are considered to be a quick and effective colouring solution. However, when you compare their performance during processing and the aesthetics of the finished product, this is evidently a misconception and the
November 2017 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 65
Main image: Colour
accuracy is paramount
PHOTO: SILVERGATE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
