Clariant Masterbatches

Color is so much more than meets the eye.

Liquid colorants now can be used in HDPE blow molding without the usual problems of screw slippage.

WEB EXCLUSIVE More than a dozen standard colors are now available in Renol masterbatches for PEEK resins from Clariant Masterbatches, Holden, Mass.

An expanded family of color masterbatches for medical devices or pharmaceutical and medical packaging uses pigments and resins that have been tested and certified compliant with USP Class VI standards.

Clariant Masterbatches Div., Holden, Mass, has created the Rite Systems Business Unit to produce liquid colorants at three U.S. plants it acquired from Rite Systems, Inc. last year. (800) 782-7333 • www.clariant.com

Clariant Masterbatches, Holden, Mass., now stocks over 80 of its most popular heavy-metal-free universal color concentrates for fast delivery in quantities as small as 25 lb.

New special color effects for personalcare bottles use multilayer coextrusion to provide a seamless transition from one color to another along the length of the container.

WEB EXCLUSIVE A new family of color masterbatches is formulated for use with medical-grade PE and PP resins sold under the Purell brand name by LyondellBasell, Wilmington, Del.

A recent North American sales and marketing agreement between Clariant Masterbatches, Holden, Mass., and Milliken Chemical, Spartanburg, S.C., provides new special-effect masterbatches for clarified PP.

Swiss-based Clariant has acquired the combined companies of Rite Systems, Inc. and Ricon Colors, Inc.

Plastics are going “green,” but they will need some help to get there. Biodegradable polymers derived from renewable resources are attracting lots of interest and publicity, but that enthusiasm is counterbalanced by persistent questions of availability, cost, performance, and processability. All these issues are inter-related: Increasing demand will lead to more capacity, which will presumably lead to lower prices. But the foundation is market demand, which ultimately depends on whether biopolymers will have the performance properties and processability to compete with existing non-renewable plastics.

New color concentrates are designed specifically for PEBA (polyether block amide) TPEs and nylon 12 resins used in medical applications.

WEB EXCLUSIVE New color concentrates are designed specifically for PEBA (polyether block amide) and nylon 12 resins used in medical applications.

Among the host of new additives at K 2007 were a number of unusual entries: additives to add scratch resistance or reduce odor, leaps ahead in PP clarifying, specialized antioxidant protection for nanocomposites, a growth enhancer for greenhouse films, and a naturally free-flowing TiO2. In addition, “Green” was the theme of exhibits that highlighted “all-natural” additives for biopolymers, and colors to enliven recycled resins.

Four new masterbatches of chemical blowing agents (CBAs) are aimed at PVC building construction applications such as exterior trim boards, decorative moldings, door sills, foam-core pipe, and wire insulation.

Two new families of starch-based bioplastics are coming to the U.S. market.

The world’s largest plastics show next month in Dusseldorf will highlight an unusual mix of new polymer additives, including some based on novel chemistries that reportedly set new levels of performance.

A selective coloring technique helped deliver a rich, upscale look to Folgers new extrusion blow molded, multilayer coffee canister.

Ever wonder what it would be like to get tomorrow’s newspaper today? After reviewing the most important technical developments of the past 50 years in our October issue, we asked industry experts to help us imagine the biggest headlines in plastics from now to 2055. What we got was a mixture of predictions of what will happen and a wish list of what should happen.

Independent color-concentrate producers have been expanding the range of services they offer beyond simple color matching.

Wood-plastic composites, or WPCs, are already a 1.3-billion-lb market and are growing at 20% annually.