Hair dryers first in N.A. to use complex, shifting colors
Canadian Plastics
Using new Variocrom color-variable pigments from BASF Corp., Teknor Color has produced concentrates that give Conair hair dryers a shimmering, kaleidoscopic play of bright colors that merge from one i...
Using new Variocrom color-variable pigments from BASF Corp., Teknor Color has produced concentrates that give Conair hair dryers a shimmering, kaleidoscopic play of bright colors that merge from one into another as the viewing angle changes. The dryers are the first North American application of the BASF technology.
The key to these effects is the formulations of pigment flakes or platelets that, in plastic processing, form multi-layers structures whose reflection, refraction and interference yield what BASF describes as “angle-dependent color play”.
“Teknor Color developed concentrates that maximize the special effects of the Variocrom pigments at minimal loadings, and they did this without compromising other color characteristics” says George Murray Jr., Conair’s director of tooling and plastics technology.
Variocrom pigments come in four basic colors. These can be combined with organic pigments and dyes to produce a variety of colors. “Possibilities range from dramatic color shifts, such as from rose to green, to many kinds of subtle effects. For example, a part might be transparent when viewed at an angle of 90 degrees, colored at 15 degrees, and opaque at 180 degrees,” notes Jennifer P. Bailey, BASF account manager.
BASF Canada Inc. 800-363-BASF / Teknor Color 401-725-8000