PIGMENTS | BLACK AND WHITE
Graph showing reflectance of Kafrit’s CC 90778 LL Black masterbatch in the NIR range compared to carbon black Source: Kafrit
ber of next-generation products in the offing. The CC 90778 LL Black masterbatch from Kafrit is another non NIR-absorbing alternative. The company says it has high tinting strength and opacity, NIR-reflectivity at any concentration, and is extremely heat resistant, making it suitable for use with all plastics, even after multiple processing steps. Launched in 2019, the grade now has food contact approval in the US as well as Europe and Japan. Colloids has also developed two NIR-detectable black masterbatch products: MPT9D2281 for PET food trays and MPE9D2282 for PP or PE trays.
Carbon impact Whether these alternative pigments are taking much of a bite out of the carbon black cake is not yet clear, according to Ferro Global Marketing Manager for Plastics, Daniel Lladó. “The NIR sortable black plastics market is not still fully developed these days, but a lot of projects along the value chain are under development,” he says. He also says that developments are ongoing to
increase the cost:performance positioning and colour strength of CB alternatives. “When formulat- ing black plastic parts, usually the bluish undertone and the jetness are very important assets to achieve. One of the possible strategies to obtain a bluish black without losing jetness is to add ultramarine blue to the formula.” Cabot Corporation, with a business largely built on carbon, certainly sees plenty of life in carbon black products. “Carbon black provides differenti- ated performance attributes that are beneficial for various plastics applications, including superior opacity, tinting strength and black colour,” the com- pany says. “We are not aware of NIR-based sorting
20 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2021
systems in recycling operations impacting the use of carbon black in plastics.” For customers needing a masterbatch that is detectable by standard NIR spectroscopy, Cabot offers Plasblak PE8590NIR black masterbatch. This is said to be suitable for use in polyolefin packag- ing and consumer goods, including plastics that come into contact with food and Cabot says the pigment is NIR detectable. Away from the packaging market, Cabot has launched new masterbatches aimed at automotive applications. They include the Plasblak master- batches XP6622A, XP6633A, and XP6589B, which it says deliver superior odour, better or equal colour properties, and lower VOC emissions in com- pounds than competitive products. These masterbatches were introduced in April at the same time as three blue undertone black masterbatches, Plasblak XP6621A, XP6623A and XP6632A black masterbatches, which were developed in response to requests, from the automotive, electronics and consumer goods sectors, for ways to reduce blue pigment in compounds and replace it with black masterbatch. “Our new line provides low odour, as well as mechanical strength and blue undertone proprie- ties,” says Wentzel Coetzer, Senior Product Man- ager, Specialty Compounds, EMEA and Americas Regions at Cabot. The new masterbatches are also said to allow reduced usage of pigments in the compound compared to benchmark materials. “The morphology of the carbon black used, primarily its particle size, will influence the under- tone,” Coetzer says. “As a general guideline, carbon blacks with larger particles contribute to the blue tone of the plastic parts.” Plasblak XP6559A black masterbatch, which was launched in January, is a PA6 black masterbatch for compounders and converters that need strong parts with improved colour. It is said to deliver good performance in both filled (glass reinforced and flame retardant) and unfilled systems and allows manufacturers to use as much three times less masterbatch to reach the same jetness as benchmark materials, according to Cabot. Introduced at the end of last year, Plasblak XP6801D black masterbatch is a styrene acryloni- trile-based formulation that Coetzer says meets the needs of the styrenics market without usual trade-off between colour and mechanical proper- ties. “Manufacturers can achieve higher colour without sacrificing impact properties, decrease masterbatch loading in the final compound, and reduce handling and transportation related greenhouse gas emissions,” he says.
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