MATERIALS | COLOURS AND MASTERBATCH


Right: Bottle designers have begun focusing on silver and chrome with a liquid feel, says Clariant


And at Rowa Masterbatch, Rowalid-IR master- batches perform a similar role. Both companies are based in Germany. Swiss masterbatch specialist Sukano says it has


been at the forefront of efforts to create NIR-detect- able black. It says its Sukano NIR-Black detectable and certified masterbatch has been tested by various authorised sorting equipment manufactur- ing companies. Alessandra Funcia, Head of Sales and Marketing


for Sukano, points out that it is not only carbon black colourants that are unable to be detected under NIR, but some other dark colorants as well. She says Sukano is using its analytical labs and colourist expertise to broaden the NIR detectability concept to ensure that any coloured product can be designed for NIR detectability. Ampacet has introduced the Silky Bliss collec-


tion, designed to provide an elegant silky surface treatment as well as NIR sortability to PET and rPET packaging applications. “Silky Bliss offers a sophis- ticated, modern look, enabling brand owners to increase product shelf appeal and consumer interaction with the packaging,” the company says. The Silky Bliss collection features a very low light


reflection for better readability of packaging graph- ics and text and includes six shades: Diablo, Akoya, Crushed Ice, Mint Breeze, Alaska and Sakura. This product range can be customised with an unlim- ited number of colours.


Below: Paint for metallic effects can be avoided with Smartbatch FX masterbatch, says PolyOne


Metallics PolyOne and Clariant have also separately been working on metallic effects. In February, Clariant Masterbatches said it had developed a novel chrome colour that opens new opportunities for designers and manufacturers of high-end products, bottles, and packaging. Targeted especially at PET containers (which are mostly made in two-stage operations that involve injection moulding the preform and later stretch-


blow moulding the bottle), the colour is slightly translucent, so it is ideal for applications where it is necessary or desirable for the contents in the bottle to be visible. “Yet it has the power to overcome slightly off-colour resins, including PCR PET,” said Clariant. Bottle designers, especially in the technology


sector, have recently begun focusing on silver and chrome with a liquid feel, says Judith van Vliet, ColorWorks Senior Designer, and a recognised colour expert. “Clariant’s new chrome masterbatch develops a look that is the closest I’ve seen to a true metallized effect.” The secret to achieving the brilliant chrome


effect lies in the pigment particle-size distribution and the way it is incorporated into the masterbatch, Clariant said. Reflectivity is dramatically increased compared to more conventional silver or chrome colours. In May, PolyOne announced that it had been


collaborating with a leading global automotive OEM and its injection moulder to eliminate paint from a new vehicle’s interior. To support the transition to moulded-in-colour (MIC) parts, PolyOne provided metallic-effect Smartbatch FX masterbatch colourants for two PC/ABS side panels on the centre console of a compact SUV now entering commercial production. Painting always adds cost, time, and additional logistics require- ments to the production of a part. PolyOne said Smartbatch FX reduces the cost per part by 30% or more compared to painted parts. Gary Fielding, Vice President and General


Manager, Color and Additives EMEA at PolyOne, said in May: “We have successfully helped carmak- ers transition from paint to MIC for many exterior applications such as skid plates and trims. This recent project is a significant step forward in reducing the cost to manufacture highly visible interior applications.”


34 INJECTION WORLD | July/August 2020


� www.injectionworld.com


IMAGE: POLYONE/THINKSTOCK


IMAGE: CLARIANT


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