Colours & masterbatch | materials 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 responsibility 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 compound, 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.injectionworld.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, managing director at Silvergate 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 reason why polymer-specific masterbatches are overwhelmingly preferred.”


July/August 2017 | INJECTION WORLD 29


Main image: Colour


accuracy is paramount


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PHOTO: SILVERGATE


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