MASTERBATCH | MATERIALS
Recent innovations in masterbatch include PLA- and PPA-based grades, several medical compounds and formulations incorporating carbon fibre and even graphene
Perfect blends: recent advances in masterbatch
Masterbatch formulations help injection moulders to create products with extra properties – such as vibrant colours or enhanced physical performance – without needing to create their own formulations from scratch. Recent innovations include both colours and additives that help moulders to enhance the properties of their products. For instance, Xenia has added its new Whitened Shade option to its portfolio of carbon fibre-rein- forced grades. Carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastics have typically been limited in aesthetics due to their dark appearance. Despite their mechanical properties, their deep black colour – from the carbon fibre – has restricted their use in industries where colour and design are essential. Xenia says the new grade overcomes this, enabling new design potential without compromising performance. Xenia’s R&D team modified the base colour of carbon fibre-reinforced composites to a lighter, more neutral tone. This allows the material to be coloured using masterbatches during both injection moulding and 3D printing with pellets. The range of applications includes aerospace, motorsport and sporting goods – such as ski bindings and ski boots. It also has potential in the watch industry, such as for watch cases, and as
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frames in the eyewear industry. The materials are available across all Xenia’s carbon fibre-reinforced grades, allowing customers to select a polymer base and reinforce it with carbon fibre at levels of 5-40%. The material can be ordered in its natural black colour or in the custom- isable Whitened Shade version. It is available in a wide range of polymer bases.
CNT enhancement Insight Polymers & Compounding has intro- duced new carbon nanotube (CNT) masterbatches in materials including polypropylene and PA66. The CNT concentrates claim to improve tensile
strength and stiffness by 20-100% while maintain- ing impact strength. The masterbatches contain 15% CNTs by weight.
They can be let down in the associated carrier materials with loadings of 2-7% by weight in the final compound. Results, including improvements in electrical resistance, impact strength, stiffness and strength, vary by polymer and loading. The concentrates are available in PP, PETG, PA6,
PA66, PA12 and PPS, but the company says it can customise compounds with specific polymers and loadings to develop a material for specific custom- er requirements. It also plans to add other poly- mers to its concentrate portfolio.
Main image: Xenia has added a ‘lighter’ option to its range of carbon fibre-reinforced grades
� May/June 2025 | INJECTION WORLD 33
IMAGE: XENIA
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