Clariant Masterbatches Just Announced a Liquid Vehicle Technology

Swiss Chemical company Clariant Masterbatches just announced a liquid vehicle technology (LVT) developed to eliminate problems that have prevented wider use of liquid color and additive concentrates in extrusion blow molding of polyolefins. “Extrusion blow molders and brand owners in the personal care and household products markets often find liquid masterbatches to be an attractive alternative to solid concentrates. However, until now, use of liquid color has been limited in blow molding of polyolefin resins because many liquid based carrier systems, including mineral oil, would not incorporate well with the resins. It was pigment friendly, but not resin friendly, ” stated Raymond Sloan, head of liquid color, Clariant Masterbatches North America. The company announced in a statement that initial testing in monolayer containers eliminates the challenges related to screw slippage and improves resin compatibility, resulting in stronger weld lines in the finished container. Some of the benefits with the new technology include, improved weld-line strength, better processing characteristics and faster color changes. According to the company, the new Clariant liquid colors have a positive effect on material flow in the extruder. Reduced screw slippage leads to improved mixing and more complete dispersion and less streaking. It also results in processing temperatures as much as 17-deg. C and, therefore, less cooling is required than with other technologies. Source: appliancedesign.com