A trade show highlight of masterbatch manufacturer Lifocolor will be its biodegradable plant-based color concentrates. These are claimed to enable a closed-loop system for biodegradable plastics.

When it comes to long-term closed-loop recycling, it is not only the plastics that matter, but also the colorants employed. Lifocolor has developed masterbatches specifically for coloring recycled materials.

16:9

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Masterbatches

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Additive

Farbstoffe und Pigmente

Farbkonzentrate (Batches)

Biokunststoffe

Farbstoffe

Biodegradable Plant-Based Colors

Plastics processors have a wide range of colors at their disposal to color their products. Choosing the right color can ultimately be the key to success. But colors are just as subject to trends as materials and designs. Kunststoffe asked manufacturers of pigments, masterbatches, and colorants which colors would be particularly popular in the coming year.

Colors inspired by nature will also be very much in demand in2021. They give products a more sustainable appearance

Trend Report on the Coloration of Plastics

Pigmente

Pigmente, bunt

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Streifinger, Florian

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Effektpigmente

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Farben, flüssig

What Will Be the Color of 2021?

Besides compounds modified for special applications and lightweight components, sustainable materials are also becoming an increasingly important focus. In the additives sector, too, recyclates, the circular economy, and reprocessing are now playing a key role.

Not only Polymers but also Additives and Masterbatches Must Be Sustainable

Zubehör / Hilfsmittel Wärmebehandlung

Wärmebehandlung

Compound

Thermoplaste

PVC-Additive

Andere Werkstoffe

Werkstoffe für additive Verfahren

Vernetzungsmittel

Compoundeure

Dienstleistungen

Handel

PVC-weich (Compounds)

Verarbeitungshilfsmittel, allgemein

Flammhemmende Mittel, allgemein

Betriebsausrüstung / Betriebsmittel

Verarbeitungshilfmittel

Filamente für additive Verfahren

Flammschutzmittel

Gleitmittel für Kunststoff

Attention to Detail

Colored plastics are not just a marketing gimmick, but fulfill important functions with technical components. In particular, they warn of hazards and permit the fast and direct identification of components. However, when coloring such plastic components, the processors are faced with several difficulties. For example, the colorants used must exhibit long-term resistance to high temperatures and must not impair the polymer’s mechanical properties. Therefore, when selecting the colorant, compounders and processors must observe several important points.

How Plastics Processors Find the Most Suitable Colorants for High-Performance Polymers

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Colors for the High-Performance Sector

The circular economy, electromobility and the continuing corona pandemic are influencing color selection for plastics. Kunststoffe asked colorant manufacturers about the resulting color trends. We also wanted to know what effects the increased use of recyclates is having and the extent to which manufacturers are affected by the present supply bottlenecks.

Colored Mood Enhancers

Sustainable development is the focus of the Israeli company Tosaf’s trade show presence. The company presents functional, color and combined masterbatches for processing by extrusion and injection molding. These will include color masterbatches for recyclates with a special focus on post-consumer plastics as well as biodegradable masterbatches.

Special masterbatches can be used for permanent orange coloring of high-voltage components in electric vehicles

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Messe Fakuma

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Masterbatches for Current Trends

At Fakuma, Granula presents masterbatches specially tailored to more sustainable plastic products. For this purpose, the company has developed grades with biological pigments and degradable additives for injection molding and extrusion.

The masterbatches are used, e. g., for pigmenting the lids of to-go cups 

Bio- and PCR-Based Masterbatches

A metallic look and decorative design using lasers have been very popular for some time. To meet this demand, Rowa Masterbatch includes optimized raw materials in its portfolio.

Metallic surfaces are very popular right now for personal care products and packaging. The fact that they can also be laser-marked without any loss of quality is ensured by a specially developed masterbatch. 

Laserbeschriftung in Farben

Oberflächentechnik

Laserbearbeitungen

Laserbeschriftung

Laser without Color Loss

Colors can turn plastics products into real eye-catchers. Kunststoffe asked colorant manufacturers to predict which colors will be trending in the coming year.

Trend Report on the Coloring of Plastics

Garish or Necessarily Plain?

Automated Color Measurement for Bulk Materials

With the measuring system, color analysis measurements are possible inline, online and atline. This allows for quick intervention during production.

With automated color measurement, it is possible to check the color of pellets during production. 

Farbmessgeräte

Messtechnik

Optische Mess- und Prüftechnik

Messgeräte für Farbe

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Inline, Online, Atline But Not Offline

Grafe’s color experts not only had a very special presentation but also a good cause in mind for this year’s color preview. A bold and informative campaign has been developed in cooperation with a youth initiative. Colors are becoming more natural in pastel hues with a disco revival of pink, purple, and gold in 2020.

Fig. 1. Managing Director Matthias Grafe (left) and Roman Malessa, Secretary General & spokesperson for Youth Against Aids, wanted to send a message with the color preview

Grafe Trend Colors Are Presented together with the “Youth Against Aids” Association

Einfärben

Educational Design

Effect pigments can be used to injection mold thermoplastic parts with a shiny metallic surface. However, non-uniform pigment orientation can lead to optical defects. Suitable simulation methodology enables defects to be predicted and prevented.

There is huge demand for automobiles that have metallic finishes. Plastic parts are often painted or electroplated for this purpose. Metallic effect pigments constitute an alternative. Audi and PEG are working on a simulation process for these pigments with a view to ruling out surface defects. 

Simulating Surface Defects in Parts Using Effect Pigments

Simulation

Software

Effective Prediction

Milliken introduced an orange colorant for electric vehicles. It is said to be very color-stable even at high temperatures.

The colorant offers excellent thermal stability up to 300 °C or more.

Orange Colorant for Engineering Plastics

Every year, several million tons of titanium dioxide are added to, among other things, plastics products. The EU Commission is currently considering the classification of titanium oxide as a suspicious substance which may potentionally cause cancer. A current study provides well-founded data on the use and recovery of titanium dioxide in plastics processing and recycling.

Fig. 2. Titanium dioxide use in plastics conversion in Germany [kt] [1]

Use and Recovery of TiO2 in Plastics Products

Verbände, Institutionen, Messen

Umweltschutz

Kreislaufwirtschaft

An Irreplaceable Additive

An innovative process allows to fabricate thin, white polymer surfaces without white pigments. For that, the polymer is foamed with supercritical CO2 resulting in a fine structure of nanobubbles. Film thicknesses of a few 10 µm are sufficient to obtain a perfect white surface.

The white beetle Cyphochilus insulanus is almost completely covered with white scales

Porous Nanostructures as Replacement for White Pigments

Schäumen / Reaktive Verarbeitung

White without Titanium-Dioxide

To be able to manufacture products from 100 % recycled post-consumer materials (PCR), Avient has developed appropriate colorant and additive masterbatches with PCR matrix.

Avient presents colorant and additive masterbatches with recycled post-consumer materials matrix.

Achieving 100 % post-consumer recycled packaging is at the forefront of the sustainability goals for many consumer goods companies. Avient ’s Rejoin PCR masterbatch enables recycled post-consumer materials (PCR) to be used as a carrier resin, effectively allowing a bottle or part to be manufactured with 100 % PCR. As stated in a press release, it combines pigments and functional additives into one solution without creating a negative impact on color or mechanical properties. Rejoin can be added at the press using standard equipment and having little to no impact on processing. 

Until now, masterbatch has generally been made using virgin material as a carrier resin. This means reportedly that at typical let-down ratios, the finished product would contain 3 to 5 % non-recycled plastic. With major consumer goods companies actively defining sustainability goals of 100 % PCR polyolefin packaging, Avient has responded by developing Rejoin PCR masterbatch in customizable colors and special effects.

Avient Corporation Headquarter 

https://www.avient.com

Especially for packaging, post-consumer recycled percentages of 100 % are increasingly in demand

2021-07-16 Avient

Verpackungsmaterial

Logistik

Standardkunststoffe

Additiv-Batches

issue 02/2023

issue 01/2023

issue 09/2022

About the journal

About the Journal

Contact

Media Data

Subscriptions

Subscription Offers

Subscription Cancellation

My Login

Imprint

Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions

Privacy Policy

News

Mobility

Packaging

Medical

Electrical/Electronics

Plastics Recycling

Lightweight Construction

Applications

Standard Thermoplastics

Engineering Plastics

High-Performance Plastics

Elastomers

Thermosets

Additives/Masterbatches

Bioplastics

Composites

Materials

Injection Molding

Extrusion

Additive Manufacturing

Further Processing Methods

Compounding

Composite Processing

Peripheral Equipment

Processing

Research & Development

Dissertations

Patents

Journal of Plastics Technology

HANSER

Career at HANSER

Publisher

FORM+Werkzeug

HANSER automotive

QZ Qualität und Zuverlässigkeit

WB Werkstatt + Betrieb

More Technical Portals

Publisher/Career

E-Paper

Subscription

Newsletter

Deutsch

Service Menu

linkedin

Products

Partners & Associations

Organ

Business Directory

Online Archive

Multi-User License

FACHARTIKEL_2023, FACHARTIKEL_2022, FACHARTIKEL_2021, FACHARTIKEL_2020, FACHARTIKEL_2019, FACHARTIKEL_2018, INTERVIEWARTIKEL_2023, INTERVIEWARTIKEL_2022, INTERVIEWARTIKEL_2021, INTERVIEWARTIKEL_2020, INTERVIEWARTIKEL_2019

You want to read more? To continue reading this content please log in or register for the Hanser Customer Center.