Introduction Of Basic Knowledge Of Color Masterbatch (Color Seed) (Part 3)

Precautions for using colorants:

1. How to use colorants?

The use of colorants is very simple, just mix them with resin particles according to the specified ratio and manually mix them. Attention should be paid to the following issues during device operation:

1.1. Injection molding machines or extruders generally have multiple temperature zones in the mixing chamber, with the section near the discharge port having a slightly higher temperature. This is to ensure that the colorants quickly melt and mix evenly with the plastic resin after entering the mixing chamber, which is beneficial for the colorants to be well dispersed in the product.

1.2. Apply appropriate back pressure to the injection molding machine, which can improve the mixing effect of the screw and facilitate the dispersion of pigments. The side effect of applying back pressure is to slow down the injection molding speed.

1.3. Increasing the temperature of the extruder die appropriately can increase the brightness of the product.

2. How to determine the proportion of colorants used?

The basis for determining the proportion of colorants used is to achieve satisfactory coloring effects. As long as the surface color of the product is uniform, without stripes or spots, it can be recognized. The usage ratio of colorants can be selected as follows: 1:100. Unless the mixing performance of the equipment is very good, it is easy to cause uneven dispersion of pigments, and it is generally not recommended for customers to use this ratio. However, some customers, due to price pressure, particularly wish to use this ratio of color masterbatch. For the sake of their customers, they also produce a higher proportion of concentrated color masterbatch, and the dispersibility of the pigment can generally meet the requirements.

1: 50 is used for plastic products with general coloring requirements, and PE and PP colorants are more commonly used in this ratio

1: 33-1:25 is used for PO products with high coloring requirements, and ABS products with low or general coloring requirements

1: 20 is used for advanced plastic products, including PO and ABS, and can be widely used in injection molding, blow molding, spinning and other processes

1: Above 20 is generally used for coloring high-end cosmetic containers and is more commonly used for small injection molding machines

3. How to calculate the cost of using colorants?

When calculating the cost of coloring with colorants, the weight of the colorants themselves should be deducted.

4. Will using colorants increase product costs? In most cases, this is the case. But in some cases, using colorants for coloring is actually more economical than using pigments for coloring, because colorists can achieve the coloring effect of higher priced pigments by combining several lower priced pigments. We also need to consider the following two phenomena:

(1) In many cases, plastic product manufacturers do not choose the most economical pigments when using color powder for color matching, and due to insufficient familiarity with pigments, repeated experiments during color matching result in widespread waste of manpower and materials. There is no such problem when using colorants.

(2) Products colored with colorants and products colored with color powders have completely different grades, and their prices are also higher. The higher prices are often higher than the additional costs of using colorants, so colorants can actually create "profits". From this perspective, in some cases, using colorants for coloring is more "economical" than using pigments for coloring.

5. Do colorants need to be dried before use?

Color masterbatch generally does not require drying and can be used directly, except for ABS and NY color masterbatch, which should be dried according to conventional processes. How long is the shelf life of colorants? Color masterbatch can be stored for a long time. The pigments in the color masterbatch are dispersed and fixed in the carrier resin, in a closed state, and their quality will not change even after long-term storage. But it should be stored in a dry and cool environment

Can we use several different colorants to mix colors? Several colorants can be used to prepare specific colors for small quantities of customers, but without the guidance of company technicians, customers cannot independently combine several colorants or mix colorants produced by different companies to avoid incompatibility and losses. Will the use of colorants affect other properties of the product? Some pigments have an impact on the flame retardant effect of products. When used in flame retardant products, it should be pointed out to the color masterbatch manufacturer. Does the mold affect the use of colorants? In order to fully display the coloring effect of the color masterbatch, the mold must have corresponding quality, especially the surface must be very smooth.