Colourants

PACKAGING MANUFACTURERS have more cost-effective coloring options with the release of three new pigments from Engelhard Corporation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the three new Engelhard Synergy pigments, which are said to offer manufacturers an alternative to higher-cost pigments in the same color space.

Engelhard Synergy Orange 6135 is a yellow-shade orange that features low warping and high value as an alternative to significantly higher cost FDA-compliant heat-stable oranges for plastic markets. Synergy Yellow 6202 is a mid-green-shade yellow that has extremely high heat stability and very good color strength. It can withstand heat as high as 650F in most polymers and is similar in color space to pigment yellow (PY) 180. Engelhard Synergy Orange 6164 has high heat stability-up to 555F in most polymers and good warping and shrinkage properties. The shade is a mid-shade orange with a color space similar to pigment orange (PO) 64, but at a significantly higher value.

All Synergy pigments are designed to reduce costs for formulations of plastics or coatings, by utilizing a synergistic approach in applying surface chemistry and materials science to customer and industry requirements.

Engelhard Corporation 914-712-9150

SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN JUNE 2003, Clariant’s ColorWorks NYC Design Studio has been increasingly used as a resource for companies in the personal care, health and beauty aid industry in and around the New York metropolitan area.

“Recently a client for a major cosmetic company called because a project they were working on changed direction overnight. They needed concept bottle samples for a meeting the very next day. Because we were in Manhattan we were able to supply them with the needed samples in time for their presentation,” said Carolyn Sedgwick, business manager, ColorWorks, Clariant Masterbatches.

ColorWorks Design & Technology Centers are collaborative meeting places used by designers, specifiers, marketing specialists and brand managers. Customers work with Clariant experts to select colors and special effects for new plastic products. The center in New York, as well as five more located in North America, Europe and Asia, offer custom regionalized services in addition to multi-site global color management. All services are non-material based and can be applied across all substrates.

“A major focus of our work in ColorWorks is R&D,” said Len Kulka, creative director, ColorWorks. Kulka reported that Clariant launched a “sophisticated” black and white series and an eye-catching translucent PET line last year in conjunction with a major trade show.

According to Kulka, black and white packaging is moving into a more fashionable arena with use of special effects systems. Clariant can help a customer create a high-fashion look with tactile feel or “smoked” qualities in the finished piece. The Splash Streak series, for instance, can be used to create a dramatic, random pattern of stripes on either a black or white base. The effect is achieved in a trilayer, blow molded bottle structure with multiple variations from birch bark to a subtle raw silk look.

Clariant Masterbatches Division 800-265-3773

BLOWN FILM manufacturers can achieve faster throughput with Dominion Colour Corporation’s DCC 1365 yellow pigment 62. The pigment, which is designed for use in polyethylene, has a more consistent, smaller particle size than comparable, commercial pigments, resulting in improved dispersion. Tests have shown that DCC 1365 can reduce screen pressure by a factor of 10 compared to a leading market brand, resulting in reduced down time and maintenance.

Dominion Colour Corp. 416-791-4200

PIGMENT SWIRLING can be eliminated in rotationally molded parts with a new addition to Teknor Color Company’s H2Stat line of antistatic additives. The new additive, H2Stat-G, is designed to eradicate the swirling and streaking commonly associated with rotationally-molded parts incorporating “granite-effect” dry colors. The additive is a powder formulation that can either be sold separately from granite-effect dry colors or provided as part of a dry color package.

Granite-effect dry colors contain particles that impart a speckled appearance similar to that found in natural granite. Pigment swirl is caused by the static electricity generated as resin powder flows across the surface of the moving mold. The excellent insulating properties of polyethylene used in rotational molding prevent this static charge from dissipating.

“While conventional antistatic agents are hygroscopic substances that draw on atmospheric moisture to dissipate charge, Teknor Color’s H2Stat formulations possesses sufficient inherent conductivity to prevent static buildup in the first place,” said Gretchen Leighliter, Teknor senior technical service engineer.

Teknor Color Company 401-725-8000

INCORPORATING ALUMINUM PIGMENTS into plastic materials such as polyethylene has gained wide acceptance since the introduction of Silberline’s aluminum carrier products. The company’s new Silvet P carrier system is based on an acrylic carrier and is recommended for engineering thermoplastics such as ASA, ABS, polycarbonate and PMMA.

The carrier system used in Silvet P imparts less haze to clear resin systems and results in increased polymer clarity and improved pigment aesthetics. In some polymer systems Silvet P can help maintain physical properties better than the same polymer pigmented with Silvet carried in polyethylene. Used in sheet extrusion Silvet P has been shown to improve surface appearance and provide higher gloss. Used in injection molding applications, Silvet P appears to reduce gate blush or haze and improve surface aesthetics, especially on high-polish finished parts.

Silberline 570-668-6050

NEW SHADES OF WOOD are available from Ferro Polymer Additives, which has teamed up with the company’s Colorants Division to introduce a new line of colorants for wood-plastic composites. Ferro now offers five standard colors (teak brown, cedar, weathered gray, dark gray and redwood) in concentrate, liquid and low dusting granular forms. All can be formulated without metallic stearates to ensure compatibility with most WPC compounds. Ferro will also provide custom color matching. Other additives, such as lubricants and UV stabilizers, are included as part of a complete, ready-to-run package.

Ferro Polymer Additives Division 216-641-8580

A PLASTIC CLOSURE SUPPLIER was able to reduce costs without sacrificing quality using Ampacet’s Total Color Solutions Plus (TCS+) systems approach. Using this method the closure supplier was able to reduce letdown ratios from three and four percent to two percent. Careful pigment selection, along with good dispersion and mixing, ensured color consistency, and the closure supplier has been able to realize a total savings of over $600,000 per year.

TCS+ relies on a total systems approach to support customer initiatives to remove costs and enhance processes for injection molders and thermoformers. Ampacet carefully examines all aspects of a customer’s production lines prior to implementing new designs. Ampacet’s technical center is equipped with injection molding machines from one to 300-tons in clamping force, giving the customer the ability to troubleshoot products before they are run on production equipment. A process audit replicates full production conditions internally, resulting in clear recommendations on ways customers can optimize production and reduce costs.

“We’ve always said ‘no job is too big,'” says Rich Novemsky, market manager, injection molding, Ampacet, “but now we can also say ‘no job is too small’. Our new small lot custom color capabilities enable us to serve the injection molding and thermoforming industry, whether you’re looking for 25 lb. of color or a railcar of white.”

Ampacet Canada Co. 800-265-6711

COLORING SYSTEM SIMPLIFIES SMALL BATCH JOBS

A new colorant system developed by CPS Color, a Netherlands-based supplier of material coloring systems, gives plastics and vinyl/leather manufacture
rs the flexibility to deliver materials in small color batches for vehicle interior applications, without compromising cost effectiveness or production/delivery requirements. CPS Color’s Auricolor and Maestro coloring systems are based on standardized colorants and controlled dispensing, similar to the technology used by paint retailers to produce customer-specific paint colors. Traditionally, coloring processes in the plastics industry are labor intensive and difficult to manage. Color must be adjusted for every batch by testing a pigment mix and adjusting it until it is released for production. Auricolor and Maestro produce exactly the desired color in one step by using colorants that are fully controlled for color shade and concentration.

The Maestro colorant system for vinyl/leather is completely water-based and contains no volatile organic components, phenols or glycol. Auricolor, the system for plastics, employs standardized colorants based on a commonly used phthalate plasticizer. The company has also developed a phthalate-free alternative.

CPS Color www.cpscolor.com