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

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

Colorant manufacturers inform about current color trends and the role of the carbon footprint in their products.

Streifinger, Florian

Farben, flüssig

Seeking Harmony and Sustainability

Which paths are the manufacturers of compounds, masterbatches and additives taking? Fakuma 2023 will provide the answer.

For packaging and furniture, Lifocolor is exhibiting masterbatches in expressive colors.

Messe Fakuma

Additiv-Batches

Materials Manufacturers Focus on Sustainability

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

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Effektpigmente

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

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

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

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

Verpackungsmaterial

Logistik

Standardkunststoffe

100 Percent Made from Recycling Material

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

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?

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

The K 2022 offered an immense range of innovations and application examples for – and with more – sustainable materials. Interestingly hereby was that bio-based versions were extremely popular.

Shoes made from waste gas: genetically modified bacteria produce ethanol from waste gas, which is then used to create plastic, e.g. for the Cloudprime shoes from On.

Thermoplastische Elastomere

Silikone

Polyethylen

Polylactid

Polyamide

Polypropylen

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Silikonkautschuk

Kautschuk / Elastomere

Is Bio the New Standard?

Making Plastic Products Shine and Smell Good

Masterbatch manufacturer Grafe launches three new variants of its scented batches. They combine colorants with fragrances.

Grafe, a masterbatch manufacturer, has launched further variants of its range of scented batches – masterbatches containing not only colorants, but also fragrances. They contain effect pigments from Merck and were designed in collaboration with the company.

Grafe, a masterbatch manufacturer, has launched further variants of its range of scented batches – masterbatches containing not only colorants, but also fragrances. These latest variants are intended for polypropylene (PP) and are available in three colors. They contain effect pigments from Merck and were designed in collaboration with the company. The scents chosen by Grafe are pine, lavender and a floral note. The masterbatch manufacturer unveiled the variants at PCD 2023 in Paris, France.

“The olfactory principle of action utilizes the migration of a fragrance oil to the surface. As the rate of migration depends on the type of plastic, it can be slowed down, thereby enabling the effect to be prolonged,” said Lars Schulze, Head of Color Development and Materials Science at Grafe. According to Schulze, there are hardly any comparable applications on the market at present. He added that the fragrances should last for about half a year. The exact time span depends on the dosage, the polymer and external factors, such as the temperature and the field of application. If the masterbatches are used to make packaging, the scent does not transfer into the product, he said, but instead is merely emitted from the packaging plastic to the outside.

For each of the three variants presented, the developers at Grafe have tried to come up with a suitable combination of scent and color. The pine note is redolent of a fragrant bark and, says the manufacturer, exudes a slightly resinous and spicy aroma. It is said to evoke a sense of relaxation and naturalness. It has been matched with a light, reddish-brown hue. This combination is intended to create a warm atmosphere with a natural touch.

The lavender scent, in contrast, is designed to radiate beauty and joie de vivre. The color chosen for it is a rich violet. This combination is meant to bring together romance, relaxation and calm. According to Grafe, the use of various high-quality pigments creates a lively transition of colors from red to dark purple.

The company opted to combine the floral note with a cream color. It contains just one effect pigment and is intended to radiate unobtrusive elegance and lightness, thus ensuring a positive sense of well-being.

Grafe is aiming its scented batches at various user industries and sees huge benefits for the customer, especially through the color combinations. “A yellow that smells like fresh lemon or a green that gives off the scent of mint has excellent marketing potential,” explains Schulze, the color expert. He also sees another advantage: “With our fragrance batches, bad odors are trapped and masked. This means that the unpacking of an end-consumer product that otherwise has the typical plastic smell when untreated could now become a genuine experience.”

Grafe says it has been working for three years on developing a process technology for the fragrance batches. A number of hurdles had to be overcome. “Heat stability is just as much a challenge as flame retardance and mechanical stability. In addition, implementation of strict hygiene requirements in the medical technology and packaging and food industries also proved challenging. “There are many specifics to consider before a fragrance can be incorporated into a final product,” notes Schulze.