Masterbatch has covered the vast majority of our modern world. It’s easy to find random stuff around you that was made of masterbatch. We all know that plastic has outstanding features over other traditional materials such as wood or glass. But why primary plastic has been replaced with masterbatch? Here are 10 reasons why this material is considered as being even more advanced than raw plastic!

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I. What is masterbatch?

Masterbatch is a concentrated compound, that usually appears in solid form as pellets but sometimes they are produced in liquid solution. This type of material consists of primary plastic, compound CaCO3 (or other similar plastic fillers, most of them are in powder form), colorant for plastic, and other additives. All these ingredients are heated until melting to form a unique and even solution, then this solution is cooled and cut into a granular shape. This material is considered a plastic additive with 3 main purposes: to reduce the amount of required primary plastic, to color, and to impart functional properties to plastic products. Also based on these functions, the masterbatches are divided into 3 major categories: calcium carbonate filler, color masterbatch and additive masterbatch.

II. 5 reasons why masterbatch is an indispensable solution for coloring plastic products

1. Masterbatch is the perfect solution to create colorful plastic products

As mentioned above, one of the most important purposes of using masterbatch is due to the economic benefit it brought to the manufacturers. Back to the beginning of the plastic industry, nearly all plastic products were made of primary resin, which is produced directly from petroleum and does not contain other ingredients. However, the amount of petroleum in nature is dramatically decreased due to the over-exploitation, thus leading to the consequence in the prices of crude oil keep rising in recent years. By replacing partly the primary plastic in plastic-based products production without affecting the original properties of the pure plastic, masterbatch is highly recommended as an effective solution for a wide range of applications.

2. Pellet form makes masterbatch more convenient to be stored and manipulated

Compared to powdered pigments, if manufacturers use color masterbatch as a colorant for plastic, it will be a lot easier to store them near the production systems without causing a messy working space. Staff working in these factories can also easily control the amount of used master batch and manipulate the whole manufacturing process, minimizing the chance of using too much amount of materials needed.

3. Using masterbatch releases less dust into the surrounding environment

Masterbatch, due to the dense and compacted structure of each solid pellet, causes less dust during the production processes, thus helping the manufacturers control and eliminate the contamination problems inside the factory. Meanwhile, pigments can well disperse into the air during manufacturing stages, this situation potentially causing contamination of the adjacent producing lines. Not only keep working space in factories clean, but this dust-free masterbatch is also safer and less likely to cause health risks for workers and consumers compared to the traditional undispersed pigments powder.

4. Masterbatch manufacturers can more easily control the appearance of products

Masterbatch is believed to enhance the dispersion of colorant for plastic and plastic additives in general up to the optimal level. It offers better color consistency, thus allowing manufacturers to easily control and manage the opacity and transparency of the final products. Masterbatch can have these advanced properties over the pigments because it is specially designed and engineered for optimal dispersion in a plastic matrix. Thus, less colorant for plastic is required during the processing, helping producers to gain more profits. Moreover, plastic product manufacturers are able to reduce their work since the tasks of research, trial, and fixing errors are now eliminated. Why can these happen? It’s because the masterbatch manufacturers have taken the responsibility for developing products with standards on color, properties, and appearance.

5. Masterbatch is preferred since it gives final products with superior properties

Last but not least, we cannot deny the fact that masterbatch seems to be able in giving various additional values to the final products over the primary plastic since it contains functional additives concentrates that deliver advantageous characteristics such as anti-UV, anti-blocking, flame retardant, antioxidants, optical brightening, smoother surface, etc. Thanks to these added properties, the quality of final products is elevated while their prices are reduced and more attractive to the customers.  Inquiry is required.

Polymer Masterbatches: Definition

Masterbatches are commonly used in polymer processing to incorporate color pigments or additives and antimicrobials into the polymer resin or other liquid. A masterbatch is a concentrated mixture of an additive encapsulated in a carrier material, such as PE or PP. The carrier is typically a polymer resin in a pellet or chip form, but liquid masterbatches are also available for certain materials and applications.

Easier Incorporation of Additives

Masterbatches allow for less complicated addition through pellet-to-pellet blending or addition at the extruder. No specialized dosing equipment for minute amounts of powder is needed. 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:

Option A would require 0.25 lbs of pure additive powder and Option B would require 2.5 lbs of 10% masterbatch pellets to result in 100 lbs of treated polymer. It is much easier to add 2.5 lbs of pellets than it is to add 0.25 lbs of powder to the processing equipment.

Improved Product Consistency and Process Stability

The use of an additive masterbatch also improves product consistency and process stability through better dispersion. To use the sample example shown previously, it is easier to achieve proper dispersion with the addition of 2.5 lbs of masterbatch than the 0.25 lbs of powder additive. This is an important distinction. Using masterbatches for more uniform dispersion can result in fewer rejected parts due to inconsistent color or other critical properties that negatively impact quality.

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Safer Handling of Hazardous Materials

Many additives are hazardous or nuisance materials in pure form. Masterbatches encapsulate the additive in a polymer resin or liquid. This encapsulation reduces, or in most cases eliminates, the hazardous nature of the additive. It also removes the numerous potential hazards of handling powders. These characteristics result in fewer engineering controls needed and less required personal protective equipment (PPE).

Cleaner Production

In addition to being safer to handle, masterbatch additives are also cleaner. There is no color pigment or other powdered additive to waft, spill or statically attach to surfaces. The result is a cleaner production area, reduced cross-contamination, and potentially quicker transitions between different products.

Increased Additive Stability and Shelf-Life

The encapsulation of the additive in the masterbatch provides benefits to the additive as well. The masterbatch can help protect the additive from exposure to humidity, temperature and UV during storage. This can extend the shelf life of the additive significantly, which could reduce the cost of materials lost to degradation.

Easier Incorporation of Antimicrobial Technology

The Research and Development Team at Microban International strives to make antimicrobial technology incorporation as simple as possible for our customers, taking advantage of the extensive benefits of masterbatched concentrates. Over the years we have developed numerous custom antimicrobial additive solutions for our partners and have Microban technologies available for a wide-range of polymers and applications. Please contact us today to learn more about a solution for your application.