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1、 What is a colorant?
Color Masterbatch, also known as colorants, is a new type of specialized coloring agent for polymer materials, also known as pigment preparation.
It is composed of three basic elements: pigments or dyes, carriers, and additives. It is an aggregate obtained by uniformly attaching a super constant amount of pigments or dyes to a resin, which can be called pigment concentration. Therefore, its coloring power is higher than that of the pigment itself.
In short, a colorant is an aggregate made by uniformly attaching a super constant pigment or dye onto a resin.
2、 What are the basic components of colorants?
The basic components of colorants are:
1. Pigments or dyes
Pigments are divided into organic pigments and inorganic pigments.
Common organic pigments include phthalocyanine red, phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, sun resistant bright red, macromolecular red, macromolecular yellow, perpetual yellow, perpetual purple, azo red, etc.
Common inorganic pigments include cadmium red, cadmium yellow, titanium dioxide, carbon black, iron oxide red, iron oxide yellow, etc.
2. Carrier
The carrier is the matrix of the color masterbatch. Special colorants generally choose the same resin as the product resin as the carrier, which has the best compatibility between the two, but at the same time, the flowability of the carrier should also be considered.
3. Dispersant
To promote uniform dispersion of pigments and prevent agglomeration, the melting point of dispersants should be lower than that of resins, have good compatibility with resins, and have good affinity with pigments. The most commonly used dispersants are polyethylene low molecular wax and stearic acid salt.
4. Additives
Varieties such as flame retardant, brightening, antibacterial, anti-static, antioxidant, etc. are generally not included in the color masterbatch unless requested by the customer.
3、 What are the varieties and grades of colorants?
The commonly used classification methods for colorants are as follows:
Classified by carrier: such as PE masterbatch, PP masterbatch, ABS masterbatch, PVC masterbatch, EVA masterbatch, etc;
Classified by purpose: such as injection colorants, blow molding colorants, spinning colorants, etc.
Each variety can be divided into different grades, such as:
1. Advanced injection colorants: used for cosmetic packaging boxes, toys, electrical casings, and other high-end products.
2. Ordinary injection colorants: used for general daily plastic products, industrial containers, etc.
3. Advanced blown film colorant: used for blow molding coloring of ultra-thin products.
4. Ordinary blown film colorant: used for blow molding coloring of general packaging bags and woven bags.
5. Spinning colorants: used for coloring textile fibers during spinning. The colorants have fine pigment particles, high concentration, strong coloring power, and good heat and light resistance.
6. Low level color masterbatch: used to manufacture low-level products that do not require high color quality, such as trash cans, low-level containers, etc.
7. Special color masterbatch:
It is a color masterbatch manufactured using the same plastic as the carrier based on the plastic variety specified by the user for the product. For example, PP masterbatch and ABS masterbatch are respectively used as carriers.
8. Universal colorant: It also uses a certain resin (often low melting point PE) as a carrier, but it can be applied to coloring other resins besides its carrier resin.
Universal colorants are relatively simple and convenient, but they have many drawbacks. The heat resistance level of specialized colorants is generally suitable for the plastic used in the product, and can be used with confidence at normal temperatures. Only in the following situations can it cause varying degrees of discoloration: one is when the temperature exceeds the normal range, and the other is when the shutdown time is too long.
9. Compared with granulation coloring, masterbatch coloring has the following advantages:
9.1 Coloring and product processing can be completed in one go, avoiding the heating process of granulation coloring on plastics, which is beneficial for protecting the quality of plastic products.
9.2 Simplify the production process of plastic products.
9.3 can save a lot of electricity.
4、 Why use colorants?
The use of colorants has the following advantages:
1. Improve the dispersibility of pigments in products
Masterbatch is an aggregate made by uniformly attaching a super constant pigment to a resin.
During the production process of colorants, it is necessary to refine the pigments to improve their dispersibility and coloring power. The carrier of the specialized color masterbatch is the same as the plastic variety of the product, with good compatibility. After heating and melting, the pigment particles can be well dispersed in the plastic of the product.
2. Beneficial for maintaining the chemical stability of pigments
If pigments are used directly, they will absorb water and oxidize due to direct contact with air during storage and use. However, after being used as colorants, the resin carrier can isolate the pigments from air and moisture, which can maintain their quality for a long time.
3. Ensure the stability of product color
Color masterbatch particles are similar to resin particles, making measurement more convenient and accurate. When mixed, they do not adhere to the container and mix evenly with the resin. Therefore, the stability of the addition amount can be ensured, thereby ensuring the stability of the product color.
4. Protect the health of operators
Pigments are generally in powder form and are prone to flying when added and mixed. Inhalation by the human body can affect the health of operators.
5. Keep the environment clean and do not contaminate utensils
6. Simple process, easy color conversion, saving time and raw materials
Due to the direct contact of pigments with air during storage and use, phenomena such as moisture absorption, oxidation, and agglomeration may occur. Direct use can result in color spots on the surface of plastic products, darkening and fading colors, and causing dust to fly during mixing, affecting the health of operators.
During the production process, the color masterbatch undergoes mechanical processing to refine the pigments. The pigments are thoroughly mixed with resin carriers and dispersants to isolate them from air and moisture, thereby enhancing their weather resistance, improving their dispersibility and coloring power, and resulting in a bright color. Due to the similar shape of color masterbatch and resin particles, it is more convenient and accurate in measurement, and will not adhere to the container during mixing, thus saving time for cleaning containers and machines, as well as raw materials used for cleaning machines.
