Products related to color masterbatch in daily life, such as household appliances, automobiles, toys, daily chemical products, office supplies, cable pipes, chemical fibers, non-woven fabrics, food packaging, etc. All have a relatively large correlation with the color masterbatch.
More than a quarter of modern plastic production is used to make plastic packaging materials. With the improvement of people’s living standards, consumers’ requirements for product packaging are also increasing, and plastic packaging products have good development prospects due to their wide variety, superior performance, strong adaptability, and wide application, which will drive the market. Demand for masterbatches. Downstream industries such as home appliances, automobiles, packaging, etc. have high requirements for coloring masterbatch, and the amount is large, and its development has played an important role in promoting the development of the color masterbatch industry.
In addition, in order to meet customer needs, color masterbatch can also add additives to produce various types of modified products, such as flame retardant, anti-reflection, antibacterial, antistatic, antioxidant and other additives.
Plastic packaging material is one of the important uses of masterbatch. This type of packaging material has the advantages of light weight but good mechanical properties, suitable barrier and permeability, good chemical resistance and stability, good molding performance and low processing cost. Due to its secondary processing and decorative properties, it has become the most widely used packaging material in metal, ceramic, paper, plastic and fiber packaging materials.
Masterbatch provides solutions for improving the application suitability of plastic packaging materials
The purpose of the packaging is to protect the item, facilitate its use, and provide product information. In the molding and processing of plastic packaging materials, by adding plastic masterbatch, not only can the required color be provided to the packaging material, but also the processing performance and fastness properties of the plastic can be improved (such as light resistance, heat resistance, migration resistance), in addition It can also add other application functions (such as flame retardant, antibacterial, antistatic, barrier properties), which provides a perfect solution for improving the application suitability of plastic packaging materials.
Classification of masterbatch
The masterbatches used in plastic packaging materials can be simply divided into two categories according to the composition of the additives used: color masterbatches (the main component is colorants), functional masterbatches (such as anti-aging additives, antistatic agents, resistance fuel, filler, etc.).
1. Masterbatch
It is the most widely used coloring method in plastic coloring. Different colorants impart different color properties to plastic products. Such as hue, tinting strength, hiding rate, transparency, color fastness (such as light fastness, weather resistance, solvent resistance, migration resistance, heat resistance) and other characteristics.
Masterbatch is a kind of aggregate prepared by uniformly loading super-constant pigments or dyes in resin. Color masterbatch is a colorant, carrier resin, dispersant, and other auxiliaries formulated into a certain concentration of colorant pellets. When the product is molded, according to the coloring requirements, a certain amount of color masterbatch is added to make the product contain the required colorant dose to achieve coloring. Require. Masterbatches can be classified according to the resins to be colored, such as ABS masterbatches, PC masterbatches, PP masterbatches, etc.; they can also be classified according to the coloring resin processing process, including injection molding, film blowing, and extrusion-grade masterbatches. . Due to the pretreatment of the pigments, the color masterbatch has high tinting strength, the dosage can be reduced and the quality is stable, the transportation, storage and use are convenient, and the environmental pollution is greatly reduced.
There are many types of masterbatch, which can be classified according to carrier, use, function, etc. According to the function classification, it can be divided into the following categories:
(1) Colored masterbatch: its main function is to make plastic products have various colors, and most plastic products only require coloring of the products;
(2) Functional masterbatch: It imparts certain functional effects to plastics. Common ones include anti-aging masterbatch, antistatic masterbatch, antibacterial masterbatch, flame retardant masterbatch, toughening masterbatch, reinforced masterbatch, etc.
(3) Color masterbatch combined with functionality: According to the requirements of plastic products, the color masterbatch has the dual functions of coloring and improving performance, which can not only reduce the production cost of color masterbatch users, but also allow users to Better control of the production process.
For plastic packaging materials, the purpose of coloring is not enough to meet the requirements of ordinary color identification. What is more important is to attract consumers’ attention, win customers’ attention to packaging products, and promote product sales. Plastic masterbatch, with tailor-made functions, can provide packaging manufacturers with the required color.
In addition to the traditional white, black and gray non-color series and the common red, orange, yellow, green, blue, cyan, purple and brown color series, it can also provide various special color effects such as pearl effect, metallic texture effect, multi-angle discoloration effect, Thermochromic effect, photochromic effect, whitening effect, luminous effect, fluorescent effect, marbling effect, imitation wood grain effect, sparkling point or speckle effect, etc., provide a unique visual appearance for packaging products, enhance the product attractiveness.
2. functional masterbatch
It is a masterbatch that contains other functional additives other than color. The specific function depends entirely on the active ingredients contained. These functions can be simply grouped into three broad categories:
Category 1: Improve the performance of plastic molding
Such as processing aid masterbatch to reduce die scaling and eliminate melt fracture; cooling masterbatch to reduce molding processing temperature; dry masterbatch to absorb moisture in raw materials; smooth masterbatch to facilitate the release of injection molded parts; prevent film Anti-slip masterbatch that slips during rewinding; anti-blocking masterbatch that prevents the film from sticking when the film is unwinding; cleaning masterbatch that saves materials for color-changing cleaning machines, etc.; using this type of functional masterbatch, It not only facilitates the operation of forming and processing, but also improves the quality of products, and at the same time, it can improve production efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
The second category: improving the physical and chemical properties of plastics
For example, anti-oxidation masterbatches to improve heat aging and inhibit yellowing of the color of parts; anti-aging masterbatches to improve weather resistance of finished parts; nucleation masterbatches or antireflection masterbatches to improve the rigidity or transparency of molded parts; improve molding Toughening masterbatch for mechanical properties of plastic parts; smooth masterbatch for reducing surface friction coefficient of molded parts; opening masterbatch for reducing cap opening torque; thermally conductive masterbatch for improving thermal conductivity of plastic parts; conductive masterbatch for improving electrical conductivity, improving Mechanical properties of plastics and filler masterbatches to reduce costs, etc.
The third category: increase product application functions
Such as antistatic masterbatch to reduce the surface resistance of molded parts; flame retardant masterbatch to improve fire resistance of materials; antibacterial masterbatch to increase the anti-microbial attack of plastics; improve the barrier of plastic packaging materials to prevent gas (such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor) from permeating Masterbatch; degradable masterbatch to reduce plastic pollution; deodorant masterbatch to remove odor; flavor enhancement masterbatch to add fragrance to plastic; anti-fog masterbatch to reduce fog on the inner surface of food packaging films; prevent electronic components from being produced. Anti-rust masterbatch for rust; laser masterbatch for laser coding effect; matte masterbatch for matte effect or even frosted effect, foam masterbatch for weight reduction, heat insulation, sound insulation and shock absorption, etc.;
Generally, the masterbatch is single function. For example, color masterbatch only provides color function; antistatic masterbatch only provides antistatic function; sometimes according to the requirements of product end applications, dual-function or even multi-function is required, such as coloring plastic packaging materials and improving the application. For properties such as anti-aging properties, colorants and anti-aging additives can also be compounded in one masterbatch, that is, multifunctional masterbatch.
Precautions for using masterbatch
The use effect of the masterbatch is not only related to the quality of the masterbatch itself, but also to the quality of the raw materials used for molding, the molding process, the equipment and the method of use. Improper use may cause molding defects or even waste products in the plastic packaging material. Therefore, the following issues need to be paid attention to when using masterbatch:
1. Processing suitability:
The processing suitability of the masterbatch, one is the applicability to the molding substrate. Masterbatches all contain a certain amount of resin. Each masterbatch is only suitable for use with the molding resins it is compatible with. If the two are incompatible masterbatches, the molded parts may peel, delaminate, and lose mechanical properties; or even if they are compatible, the rheology of the melt is very different, which will cause the surface of the molded parts to flow. Defects such as marks, weld marks, color patterns, etc., affect the appearance and performance of the product.
The processing suitability of the masterbatch, and the second is the applicability to the shape of the plastic packaging material. There are many forms of plastic packaging materials, such as films, sheets, bottles, barrels, lids, etc., which have different requirements for the dispersion of additives. The sensitivity of plastic packaging materials for different purposes to the degree of dispersion of additives is different. Film and sheet materials require masterbatch with excellent dispersibility, while for thick-walled packaging materials, such as chemical plastic packaging barrels, the requirements for dispersibility are not high. Therefore, if the blown or cast film uses ordinary injection-grade color masterbatch, there may be problems such as color spots, rough surface and even small holes.
The processing suitability of the masterbatch, the third is the applicability to the molding process. Due to the different sizes of plastic packaging materials and different production rates, the molding cycle of some products is very short, such as the molding cycle of beverage bottle caps is only a few seconds, and some molding cycles are very long, such as plastic tray molding cycle of several minutes. Masterbatch is limited in heat resistance. For products with a long molding cycle, if a masterbatch with low heat resistance is used, it will cause discoloration, scorch, and the auxiliary agent will be dispersed and lose its corresponding effect.
The processing suitability of the masterbatch also includes the suitability for metering equipment. For the molding equipment equipped with automatic metering device, there are certain requirements for the particle size and uniformity of the masterbatch, especially for the volume metering device, the particle size and uniformity of the masterbatch are particularly high. If ordinary masterbatches are used, It may cause uneven measurement and affect the quality of molded parts.
2. Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory compliance for plastic masterbatches depends on the raw materials used. Different industries have different regulatory compliance requirements for plastic packaging materials. For example, electrical packaging materials need to comply with ROHS requirements; food packaging materials must comply with relevant regulations on food contact plastic materials and products such as GB 9685-2016, GB4806.6-2016 and GB4806.7-2016; cosmetic packaging materials comply with “Cosmetic Hygiene Standards” “; Export to the EU, but also meet the requirements of ROHS. Products that meet the electrical industry regulations cannot be used for food packaging;
3. Performance suitability
Different masterbatches have different performance suitability. For example, the color properties of the masterbatch are not only related to the colored resin, but also related to the shape of the molded part, the mold, and other auxiliary dosages during molding. Therefore, the same color masterbatch may show poor quality when used in different products; another example is the migration resistance of plastic packaging materials, which is related to the contents of the packaging. When the same masterbatch is used to package different types of items, it may cause problems due to different migration properties. For functional masterbatch, there are more factors affecting the effect, which need to be tested and evaluated. Such as antistatic masterbatch, there are quick-acting but short-term type; there are slow-acting but long-term type; and there are permanent types. If misused, it will not achieve the desired effect.