As we all know, the coloring of plastic masterbatches is very important. During the production process of colored plastic products, due to the differences in the quality of masterbatches, the color of the plastic products will show obvious color deviation. Therefore, in order to control the color quality of plastic masterbatch coloring, a spectrophotometer can be used to detect the accuracy of plastic masterbatch coloring. The use of spectrophotometers for plastic masterbatch coloring can effectively improve production and quality.
Requirements for plastic masterbatch coloring:
Masterbatches must be large enough. To achieve different color appearances in plastic products, some require masterbatches for coloring. Therefore, masterbatches are specialized colorants for new polymer materials. Colorants are substances that can change the color of an object or even color a colorless object. In addition to selecting based on hue, lightness, and saturation, the colorant’s tinting strength, hiding power, durability, migration, solubility, and compatibility with various additives must also be considered. Plastic coloring is categorized into two types: stock solution coloring and plastic dyes. To optimize pigment diffusion, stock solution colorants include granular pigments, masterbatches, powdered colorants, pastes, and liquids. Pigment dispersion methods include direct extrusion, dilution before use, adding a dispersant to the pigment, dispersing the pigment in a plasticizer and non-volatile organic solvent, and dispersing high-concentration pigments in an organic solvent. Different plastics absorb color to varying degrees during the coloring process. Even the same addition level in different resins can produce varying, sometimes significant, coloring results.
Application of Spectrophotometer in Coloring Plastic Masterbatch
When verifying the coloration of plastic masterbatches, the light sources used by both the supplier and the supplier must be consistent; otherwise, the results from both parties are incomparable. A colorimeter is an instrument that can uniformly detect color and is equipped with a variety of commonly used standard light sources to meet diverse color detection needs. A spectrophotometer measures the tristimulus values of the product’s surface reflectance spectrum. The color difference between the standard and test sample is then calculated based on the color difference formula to assess whether the product’s color cast meets customer requirements, thereby controlling the coloration quality of the plastic masterbatch. The accuracy of plastic color matching can also be tested to effectively avoid metamerism. As the plastics industry continues to develop, product color is becoming increasingly important.
Color Management in Modern Plastic Manufacturing
Color plays more than a cosmetic role in modern plastic production. It also helps the brand identity, product quality, customer confidence, and environmental sustainability. It is hard to reproduce a consistent and accurate color on a wide range of plastics, on a wide range of manufacturing processes, and end-use applications. A strong color management system requires cooperation among all members of the production chain (plastic molders, masterbatches, extruders, and plastic colorant suppliers.
Let’s discuss the hurdles of plastics color control, the current solutions in the market, and the sustainable solutions that are currently under development.
Either a product designer, manufacturer or plastic production software user, color management knowledge can enhance your workflow, quality control and customer satisfaction.
