Masterbatch for plastics
Customized solutions for coloring
When dealing with the production of plastics, obtaining the desired color with efficiency and precision is a fundamental aspect for both the aesthetics and the functionality of the final products. And because we at
What are plastic masterbatches?
Imagine a color for your product: done?
Well, we can make it a reality.
To understand clearly and easily what plastic masterbatches actually are, you can define them as concentrates in the form of pigment granules and/or additives dispersed in a thermoplastic resin, known as a carrier polymer. In essence, you have to imagine small “capsules” of color that allow you to enclose the chromatic intensity in a form that is easy to handle and dose.
Specifically, therefore, the main components of a masterbatch are:
- the carrier polymer, that is the thermoplastic resin that acts as a “vehicle” to transport and evenly disperse the pigments and additives inside the plastic to be colored. The choice of the carrier polymer is essential to ensure both compatibility with the final resin and correct dispersion;
- pigments, which are the substances that give color to the masterbatch and, consequently, to the final plastic product. They can be organic or inorganic and offer a wide range of shades and properties;
- additives, which can optionally be added to the recipe and which impart additional properties to the plastic (such as UV stabilizers, antioxidants, antistatic agents).
The use of masterbatches, compared to other coloring methods such as the direct use of powdered pigments, offers numerous advantages: their granular shape, in fact, facilitates handling, reduces the diffusion of dust in the work environment and guarantees a much more homogeneous dispersion of the color in the final product, with more intense, uniform and long-lasting color results.
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Benefits of Using Masterbatches
Quality, efficiency and customization
Choosing to use masterbatches involves a long series of significant benefits for the production process and for the quality of the final products. Especially:
- Better color dispersion: compared to the direct use of powdered pigments, masterbatches provide significantly higher color dispersion within the polymer matrix. The carrier polymer “wraps” the pigments, facilitating their uniform distribution during the mixing phase and avoiding the formation of agglomerates or streaks in the final product;
- ease of use in industrial production processes: the granular shape of the masterbatches facilitates their automatic dosing and mixing with the base resin, optimizing production times and reducing material waste. The cleanliness of the work environment is also significantly improved compared to the use of coloring powders. Finally, Gaypa’s “ready-to-use” solutions further simplify the process;
- The possibility of customization for specific applications: masterbatches can be tailor-made to meet specific color and technical needs. It is possible, for example, to obtain unique and personalized shades, special effects (metallic, pearly, fluorescent) and combine coloring with the addition of additives to improve the properties of the material (UV resistance, flame retardants and much more);
- Greater chemical and thermal stability: the pigments incorporated in the carrier polymer are protected from direct exposure to external agents, ensuring greater chemical and thermal stability. This translates into better color fastness during the manufacturing process, even at high temperatures, as well as greater durability of the finished product over time.
Applications of masterbatches in the plastics industry
A world of solutions
Masterbatches, thanks to their extraordinary properties, are used in a large number of industrial sectors, offering effective and customized coloring solutions. The areas of greatest use include:
- industrial and cosmetic packaging: masterbatches play a fundamental role in the packaging sector, giving coloring and properties that improve the preservation of the contents and facilitate the circularity of the material. In the cosmetic packaging sector, moreover, the speed in the formulation of customized colors by the Gaypa laboratories and the addition of special effects allow you to create unique and captivating packaging;
- food packaging: in food packaging, masterbatches can be specially formulated to meet the stringent directives and certifications specific to each country of destination of the final product, ensuring safety and compliance with current regulations; they can also improve the properties of the packaging material by extending the shelf life of the products;
- automotive: the automotive industry requires high-end masterbatches, often containing ultra-performing pigments and additives such as UV resistance and flame retardancy, to ensure the durability and safety of each individual plastic component;
- household appliances: even in the household appliances sector, compliance with various certifications is a fundamental aspect and masterbatches are developed in a targeted way to meet these specific regulatory requirements;
- medical sector: for applications in the medical field, it is essential to use masterbatches that comply with certifications of conformity for direct contact with the human body. But that’s not all, because special projects are being developed to give plastic particular properties, such as protection from photooxidation for containers of medicines or biological components, antimicrobial additives and management of transpiration of plastic material;
- in the world of furniture and design, masterbatches offer interesting support in the development of formulations capable of giving materials the properties desired by designers, both aesthetic and functional (such as resistance to wear and scratch). In addition, it is possible to create eco-friendly projects through the use of specific pigments compatible with recycled bases or the addition of the product with bio-fillers and the use of recycled materials in the formula.
Masterbatch production technologies
Innovation that focuses on quality
The production of masterbatches is based on advanced technological processes that guarantee an optimal dispersion of the pigments within the carrier polymer and a final shape suitable for industrial use. The main production steps include:
- dispersion and mixing: free pigments are carefully dispersed and mixed with the carrier polymer to facilitate the separation of pigment particles, ensuring optimal homogenization of the mixture, without agglomerates and with maximized yield;
- extrusion: the mixture is then melted, passing through an extruder, which is a machine that, thanks to a rotating screw and controlled heating zones, ensures further homogenization and pushes the material through a die to obtain a continuous profile (usually cylindrical);
- Granulation: The continuous profile of extruded material is cooled in water or air and then cut into small granules, which represent the final shape of the masterbatch, ready to be used in plastic transformation processes.
Sustainability and innovation in masterbatches
A concrete commitment to the future
As far as eco-friendly solutions are concerned, masterbatches can play an important role in several directions: they can be formulated to promote the degradability of plastic products through the use of pigments that are more easily perishable in nature, or they can be part of specific formulations compatible with green plastics such as PLA.
Masterbatches, among other things, can support the use of recycled or recyclable plastics, such as PET. In fact, coloring polymer bases made from recycled material can be a challenge due to its grayish color that often varies between different batches of waste. But, through a skilful and well-dosed use of pigments, masterbatches can be used to “correct” the coloring of recycled plastic bases and obtain a chromatically excellent final result.
Precisely for this reason, within our laboratories we also formulate masterbatches suitable for use on recycled plastic, ensuring that the chemical composition of the pigments and their percentage of use do not affect the circularity of the final product. At the same time, we also offer support in the study of color corrections through the analysis of the bases of available industrial waste and we study masterbatch formulations that allow the addition of bio-fillers, i.e. waste of biological material compatible with plastic that give a particular aesthetic effect and make the material more eco-friendly.
To conclude, it is important to emphasize that the use of masterbatches instead of classic powdered pigments contributes to a cleaner and safer working environment in companies that produce and process plastics, precisely because they reduce the dispersion of powders in the work area.
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The color tailored to your success
With our long experience in producing custom plastic masterbatches, our team of experts is ready to listen to you, understand your specific needs, and advise you to find the right coloring solution for your applications.
Whether it’s achieving a precise shade, improving the properties of your plastic material, or exploring sustainable solutions, we’re here to support you. Contact us to find out how our masterbatches can make a difference!