The new metallic color masterbatches from Tosaf Color Service, a Karlstein, Germany, supplier of standard colors, additives and combination solutions, aims to put an end to the typical and undesirable streaks and similar surface defects on plastic parts. The key lies in the manufacturer’s compounding know-how acquired through the years in combination with newly-available special effect pigments with a rheologically-optimized geometry.
As a result, these masterbatches meet the requirements for the cost-cutting, environmentally-friendly use of components with brilliant metallic finishes in visible areas. The new masterbatches are available on different carrier systems and, at short notice, in customized shades. They are suitable for all transparent thermoplastics, whereby the brilliance increases with the degree of transparency. They can, however, also be used in opaque plastics such as PC/ABS or PA/ABS blends.
The further developed pigment technology considerably reduces the separation effects that are responsible for streak formation or color deviations, especially in critical areas such as weld lines and cross-sectional transitions, or with distinctly three-dimensional, concave or convex contours. The main beneficiaries of this are suppliers to the automotive industry and other segments with extremely high quality demands and with rapidly changing designs that are geared to individuality.
Depending on the demands, moldings produced with this masterbatch stand out through their color depth and outstanding surface gloss and also through a delicate structure when eroded molds are used. In many applications, they can replace coated or electroplated parts, which not only saves costs through the elimination of additional work steps, but also contributes to the preservation of the environment. Added to this is the good suitability of the single-sort parts for recycling.
Andreas Kruschinski, head of sales and marketing at Tosaf Color Service, commented: “These new special effect masterbatches are our response to a variety of demands from our customers that could previously not be met in this combination and to such perfection. For us, the most promising markets apart from automotive interior and exterior applications are office electronics, for example keyboards and laptop housings, as well as white goods in the form of large and small kitchen devices.”
For more information, visit www.color-service.de.
