The Implications Of Using Masterbatches For Our Daily Chores

Masterbatches has become a part of our daily lives because all the plastic products we use get its color from masterbatch.

The substance that is in solid or liquid form added to plastic to provide color the plastics (color masterbatches) or to add properties to the plastics (additive masterbatches). It is a concentrated mixture of pigments and/or additives compressed during a heat process which again cooled down and converted into a powdered form. They are made of excessive chemistry accessory ingredient, carrier resins and dispersants that are used to color the plastic products we use in our day to day life.

There are few alternatives to use masterbatches, some of them are compounding from raw materials on site or buying a fully compounded material. In comparison with other pure pigments, mastrbatches require more lead times and even the storage space is more. Another disadvantage is additional exposure of heat to both the carrier and additive.

The different types of Masterbatches available in the market today are-

• Color masterbatches
• Black masterbatches
• White masterbatches
• Additive masterbatches

Color Masterbatches
Color masterbatches are concentrates granule used to color thermoplastics. It is comnposed of one or more colorants and the composition is known as recipe. There are different categories of colorants which are organic dyes, organic pigments and inorganic pigments.

Black Masterbatches
These are high concentrations of carbon black where 15-50% is dispersed in thermoplastics resin. Masterbatches allow plastic processors to utilize the carbon black and other dry granules in a pre-dispersed pellet form, which allows easy incorporation in extrusion and molding processes. These masterbatches are integrated with various polymers to impart properties such as color, UV resistance, and electrical or thermal conductivity.

White Masterbatches
White masterbatches are concentrates of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) in a polymer carrier. They offer a convenient way of incorporating TiO2 in thermoplastics to provide white color, without contamination by dust. For maximum hiding power and easy processing, white masterbatches have perfect dispersion and optimized flow properties.

The production of masterbatches is simple and easy to use. White Masterbatches are widely used in plastic products like detergent bags, courier bags, milk film, toothpaste tube, protective film, food packaging bags and many other plastic raw materials.

Additive Masterbatches
Additive masterbatches are added to thermoplastics to improve the performance of the plastics. Due to its strong properties, it can protect the plastics from getting degraded from heat and light easily. It is available in pellet, powder or liquid form. Additive masterbatches are easy to handle and store.

Benefits of Masterbatches-

• It is a very cost-effective and easy method to use white masterbatches.
• It ensures a healthy and clean production reducing the health risk that is involved in using powder pigments.
• It is not a clean process but also reduce wastage of products.
• Masterbatches can easily get the desired color safely without any trial and error method.

Just like masterbatches are taking the lead in the plastic industry, in the same way TPE compounds are replacing the traditional rubbers.
 
The full form of TPE compounds is thermoplastic elastomers. They are generally flexible and low modulus materials that can be easily stretched up to at least twice the original length at room temperature and can be re-stressed back to their original length. TPEs are generally used to modify the properties of rigid plastics.

Author’s bio-
This article talks about the different masterbatches available in the market today and the benefits of masterbatches.

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