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

Masterbatches

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Additive

Farbstoffe und Pigmente

Farbkonzentrate (Batches)

Farbstoffe

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Thermoplaste

Farben, flüssig

Colors for the High-Performance Sector

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

What Will Be the Color of 2021?

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

16:9

Trend Report on the Coloring of Plastics

Garish or Necessarily Plain?

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.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Biokunststoffe

Biodegradable Plant-Based Colors

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

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

Additiv-Batches

100 Percent Made from Recycling Material

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

A new process developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP is able to isolate carbon black ash recovered from old tires – allowing both the carbon black and the minerals from the ash to be reused.

Top, primary product from left to right: raw rCB, clean rCB (96+), pearlized clean rCB (96+). Bottom, secondary products recovered from the ash, from left to right: liquid sodium silicate or “water glass”, precipitated SiO<sub>2</sub>, precipitated ZnSO<sub>4</sub>

Technik Trend

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Carbon Black Recycled from Car Tires

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

Two new inorganic yellow pigments based on iron oxide and zinc oxide respectively are designed for coloration in a temperature range of between 220 and 260 °C.

The yellow pigments are used for all common polymer materials as well as for engineering thermoplastics even at the highest production temperatures

Yellow for High Temperatures

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

The HolyGrail 2.0 Initiative aims to improve the sorting of plastic waste. But the method also has certain drawbacks. Here, luminescent pigments provide an alternative.

Marker masterbatches enable different information to be embedded in plastics. This can be used to improve the recycling circle.

Improved Sorting of Plastic Waste with Luminescent Pigments

Luminous Markers instead of Holy Grail

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.

Color trends frequently follow current events and react to social developments and needs. That is why plastics colorant manufacturers predicted last year that the Covid 19 pandemic would have a significant influence on future color trends. Since the crisis is still with us, manufacturers are continuing to assume that color selection for plastics products will be influenced by the pandemic. Unlike last year, however, they expect the end of the pandemic to be a particularly decisive factor. “After a difficult year full of challenges, we are seeing color trends that reflect regained freedom,” explains Andreas Buder, Technical Marketing Manager Plastics at Clariant. According to him, strong yellow shades are particularly in demand. This is confirmed by Danny Ludwig, Head of Product Management for Color & Functional Masterbatches at Grafe Advanced Polymers. He sees colors coming, such as yellow and warm orange, that express optimism and a positive attitude after what has been a stressful year for many people.

For Ludwig, the pandemic also creates a desire for shades that remind us of nature. “The Corona crisis intensifies thoughts of nature, sustainability and fully conscious living. Natural, friendly shades and warm colors will be increasingly sought,” he explains. One trend will continue from last year: back in 2020, colorant manufacturers predicted that because of the pandemic there would be increased demand for natural shades such as green and brown. This trend will also intensify because of the continuing strong interest of many customers in more sustainable products. “To represent sustainability and the circular economy in color terms, green shades are an obvious and symbolically apt choice,” maintains Andreas Buder from Clariant.

Black also remains an ever-popular color that is always in trend, according to Buder, albeit for changing applications. Dr. Christof Kujat, Head of Global Technical Industry Management for Plastics at BASF Colors & Effects, reports that this is currently the case in the automotive industry. “In the automotive industry, deep black shades continue to be in high demand,” he says. The unwaning interest in black is also to do with the fact that for most manufacturers a number of alternatives to carbon black are now available. Black plastics are frequently colored with carbon black. Carbon black, however, absorbs a large proportion of near-infrared light (NIR). Many sorting systems in recycling plants depend on NIR sensors and cannot therefore separate carbon black-colored plastics into the different polymer classes. This makes it difficult to recycle black plastics waste. As an alternative, many manufacturers have now developed NIR-compatible black pigments.

Pigments not absorbing NIR radiation do not just play a role in recycling but offer an additional benefit. “In the construction sector, the long-term trend towards dark gray and anthracite shades continues, e. g. for dark window frames. Here, as an alternative to carbon black, there is a demand for functional pigments that produce dark shades but at the same time do not absorb in the NIR range and so reduce heating up of parts due to sunlight,” explains Kujat. According to him, this is relevant not just for buildings but also for cars, particularly electric vehicles. In these, NIR-reflecting plastics help reduce heating due to sunlight and so aid, for example, heat management of electronic components. These colorants are also playing a greater role in production, according to Kujat, for example in laser transmission welding. They allow black coloration of engineering plastics in NIR-transparent top layers.

Besides black, the growing use of recyclates has also had effects on other color products. Not only the plastics themselves but also the colorants used need to withstand several recycling cycles without color quality being compromised. “The purity of the pigments used is becoming a crucial factor, since the color must withstand several recycling and extrusion cycles. These repeated heating cycles can damage the pigments. Therefore, it is extremely important for masterbatch and branded-article manufacturers to ensure the use of high-purity pigments,” explains Andreas Buder from Clariant. Plastics processors should therefore keep in mind not only coloration of the present product but also the use of the material after recycling.

When using plastic recyclates, their original color poses a problem for the next coloration process. “Coloration is dependent on the intrinsic color of the base material. The lighter and more uniform the intrinsic color, the more versatile the material in terms of use,” explains Dirk Schmitz, Head of Coloristic in the High Performance Materials Division of Lanxess. However, in many cases these advantages are reflected in the price of the plastic recyclates. Light-colored, transparent recyclates tend to be more expensive than a dark polymer fraction.

So far it has also been difficult to achieve uniform quality and color with recyclates. This must be taken into account in their coloration. “Recyclates are usually of unknown composition and varying intrinsic color. Consequently, very efficient, opaque, strong pigments are needed, which at the same time must meet temperature and process stability requirements in the desired polymer,” explains Christof Kujat from BASF. To achieve the desired color, according to Danny Ludwig from Grafe, a large quantity of colorant is also required. The yellowing of plastics that typically occurs with repeated recycling cycles can be corrected by the addition of specifically adjusted colorants. To determine with which colorant in what quantity the desired end product color can be achieved, Clariant has developed a software tool. With this color matching software, according to Andreas Buder, strong shades can be obtained, even with relatively high recyclate content.

Danny Ludwig from Grafe sees an interesting trend in the coloration of recyclates. Recyclates are no longer deemed inferior but considered rather to be a quality and sales criterion. Ultimately, they show that the manufacturers are aware of their responsibility for the environment. According to Ludwig, if the use of recyclates is evident at first sight, this now pays dividends with customers. Brand-name manufacturers must bear this in mind in product design and color selection for their products.

Use of Pigments to Compensate for Shortcomings in Recyclates

Besides possessing an intrinsic color, recyclates also frequently have reduced mechanical and processing properties and a distinctive odor. These problems can be partly solved by coloration with pigments that also improve these properties. For example, BASF offers pigments such as Eupolen PE Blue 69–1501, Eupolen Green 87–35–01, and Irgazin Red K 3840 LW that can have a positive effect on the warpage behavior of recyclates. Another possibility is the use of additives that bring mechanical or processing properties up to the required level or neutralize odors. Dirk Schöning, Divisional Sales Manager at AF-Color, notes that companies are now showing great interest in these topics: “We offer solutions for restoring certain mechanical strength characteristics. But we also frequently discuss with our customers how to deal with processing problems such as the absorption of odors in processing recyclates.”

Another trending topic in the plastics industry at present is electromobility. A color closely linked with this sector is orange. This has become established for high-voltage components in electric vehicles. The burgeoning sales of electric cars are ensuring increased demand for orange pigments, with further growth potential: “In our view, the use of orange in electromobility is a trend that is just starting to gather momentum. It will undoubtedly accelerate in the coming years,” confirms Dr. Lars May, Head of Application Technology Screen and Plastics at Lanxess.

Besides the trending topics of sustainability, recycling, and electromobility, the current supply bottlenecks for raw materials are also concerning colorant manufacturers. For some months now, they have been faced with significant price rises and delivery delays for many plastics. According to Christof Kujat from BASF, this is also the case for some additives such as colorants. The reasons for the bottlenecks include the diversion of raw material supplies to Asia because the industries there have emerged more quickly from the Corona pandemic, as well as fully booked transport capacities for sea and air freight containers. “We masterbatch manufacturers are particularly affected by the shortages because we support a very flexible business with frequently changing requirements. The quantities are often small. In addition, the business covers a wide range of polymer types, additives, and different colorants. At the present time, the difficult supply situation is impacting quite considerably on our ability to meet our customers’ requested delivery dates. Of course, that doesn’t satisfy anyone on either side,” observes Dirk Schöning from AF-Color. Dirk Schmitz from Lanxess takes a somewhat more positive view: “Thanks to our solid, long-established customer base and continual demand analyses, we have succeeded with our customers in developing a good forecast so we can cushion supply fluctuations.”

Danny Ludwig from Grafe expects the present situation not to be just a one-off. Because of globally increasing resource consumption, companies must in future adapt to more frequently occurring raw material bottlenecks. But Ludwig also provides a possible solution to this: “Scarcity of raw materials will remain a key issue in material supply. The challenge lies in developing alternative sources. This will also mean returning plastics back into the cycle and finding innovative recycling solutions.”

LANXESS Deutschland GmbH  

AF-Color Zweigniederlassung der AKRO-Plastic 

https://www.af-color.com

Grafe GmbH & Co.KG  

https://www.grafe.com

Clariant ColorWorks Europe c/o Clariant Masterbatches (Italia) S.p.A.

https://www.colorworks.clariant.com

BASF Colors & Effects GmbH  

https://www.colors-effects.basf.com

Ausgabenartikel

Andreas Buder, Clariant: “The color must withstand several recycling cycles. Therefore, it is extremely important for masterbatch and branded-article manufacturers to ensure the use of high-purity pigments.”

Danny Ludwig, Grafe Advanced Polymers: “Scarcity of raw materials will remain a key issue in material supply, which is why alternative sources are needed. This also includes the circular economy.”

Dr. Christof Kujat, BASF Colors & Effects: “In the construction sector, there is a demand for alternative pigments to carbon black that do not absorb in the NIR range and so reduce heating up of parts due to sunlight.”

Dirk Schmitz, Lanxess: “The coloration of recyclates is dependent on the intrinsic color of the base material. The lighter and more uniform the intrinsic color, the more versatile the material in terms of use.”

Dr. Lars May, Lanxess: “The use of orange in electromobility is a trend that is just starting to gather momentum. It will accelerate in the coming years.”