We frequently deal with colourful plastics, but have you ever thought about the colour concentrates that give these products their aesthetic appeal? Colours are added to the polymers using pigments or masterbatches. Let's find out how they differ from one another.
Pigments are typically dry, solid, and powdery. On the other side, master batches are more advanced. They are concentrated forms of pigments and additives in a base polymer.
Polymer-based products can be coloured with both pigments and masterbatches. Manufacturers, however, frequently prefer masterbatch.
There are some reasons why masterbatch is preferable to raw pigments.
1. Masterbatches are easy to store, transport, and operate, as they arrive as pellets. On the other hand, because pigments are in powder form, they are challenging to handle.
2. Colour concentrates are easily handled by masterbatch over pigment during the manufacturing process.
3. Pigments are airborne, therefore there is a significant chance of contaminating the production line and nearby lines during the manufacturing process.
4. Masterbatch is produced in a compatible matrix or base polymer that disperses colour in the final product, while pigments don’t disperse well.
5. For a better melting process, it is simple to match the base polymer used in the masterbatch to the final product polymer.
6. The amount of pigment present in a masterbatch is less. However, the pigment requires more of the same product due to poor dispersion.
7. Compared to pigments, masterbatch provides great colour consistency for products.
8. Masterbatch may include additive components in predetermined ratios. There are fewer variations possible during the processing.
9. A masterbatch can contain additive concentrates to give it beneficial properties including flame retardancy, optical brightening and UV stability. This reduces the quantity of feed going into your process.
10. Masterbatches provide you with more control over a coloured product's opacity
In conclusion, masterbatches offer several advantages over pigments. They are easy to handle, provide better color consistency, reduce the risk of contamination, provide more control over opacity, and offer the possibility of additive components. Rapid Polymers offers a great range of masterbatches for all your plastic coloring needs. Choose masterbatches for a more reliable and efficient means of coloring your polymers.