What are the benefits of using polymer masterbatches?

Masterbatches are commonly used in polymer processing to incorporate color pigments or additives and antimicrobial agents into polymer resins or other liquids. A masterbatch is a concentrated mixture of additives encapsulated in a carrier material. The carrier is usually a granular or sheet-like polymer resin, but liquid masterbatches can also be used for certain materials and applications. Below we mainly introduce the benefits of using polymer masterbatches, hoping to help you.

 

The benefits of using polymer masterbatches

1. Safer handling of hazardous materials. Many additives are dangerous or harmful substances in pure form. Masterbatches encapsulate additives in polymer resins or liquids. This encapsulation reduces or in most cases eliminates the danger of additives. It also eliminates many of the potential hazards of handling powders. These properties lead to a reduction in the required engineering controls and personal protective equipment (PPE).

 

2. Cleaner production. In addition to being safer to handle, masterbatch additives are also cleaner. No color pigments or other powdered additives will stray, spill or statically adhere to surfaces. The result is a cleaner production area with less cross-contamination and potentially faster changeovers between different products.

 

3. Increase additive stability and shelf life. The encapsulation of the additive in the masterbatch also provides benefits for the additive. Masterbatches help protect additives from moisture, temperature and UV light during storage. This can significantly extend the shelf life of additives, thereby reducing the cost of materials lost to degradation.

 

4. It is easier to incorporate additives. Masterbatches allow simple addition by pellet-to-pellet mixing or addition in an extruder. No specialized micro-powder metering equipment is required. It also reduces the precision of addition required to achieve the same addition rate in the final product. This concept is illustrated in the following example:

 

5. Improve product consistency and process stability. Using additive masterbatches can also improve product consistency and process stability through better dispersion. Proper dispersion is easier to achieve with 2.5 lbs of masterbatch than with 0.25 lbs of powder additive. Using masterbatches for more uniform dispersion can reduce rejects due to inconsistent color or other critical characteristics that negatively impact quality.

 

Precautions for the use of masterbatch

1. The color masterbatch will absorb moisture after being stored for a period of time, especially PET, ABS, PA, PC, etc., so it should be dried according to the same process as the original color particle to meet the water content requirements.

2. It must be very careful to use the color masterbatch to achieve the desired color and luster, and color difference and color light changes often occur.

3. The masterbatch and other additives will react, so be careful when using it. Especially functional additive masterbatch, plastic black masterbatch, functional masterbatch for packing films and functional PP cooling masterbatch;

4. Attention should be paid to the selection of the dilution ratio of the masterbatch. If a high dilution ratio is selected, the production cost is lower, but it is also limited by the processing equipment.