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.

Plastic masterbatch are also used in packaging in addition to materials such as paper, glass and metal. They are not naturally available, but must undergo various processing from the crude oil. There are many types of plastic packaging on the market today and are used by us every day. Plastic packaging can be nylon bags, bran bags, non-woven bags, shrink film, etc. And each type of plastic packaging like that has a different manufacturing process such as blowing bags, spinning, etc. In this article, we mentioned 5 types of masterbatch that are commonly used in packaging production.

Plastic masterbatch – common ingredient for manufacturing various types of packaging

Primary plastic are usually white or transparent. In order to produce plastic packaging, in addition of using primary plastic, manufacturers can combine the original material (primary or recycled plastic) with calcium carbonate masterbatch, color masterbatch and other additives. In the masterbatch world, there are many types with different properties. Depending on the purpose of which the product is used for, the manufacturer will use different types of plastic masterbatch. For example, producers add color masterbatch to the packaging to make it more eye-catching, more vivid and more durable in harsh weather conditions. In other cases, manufacturers will mix primary plastic with sliding additives masterbatch to reduce friction between blow films in the same stack or between films and other surfaces it contacts to make it easier to move.

Classification of plastic packaging based on groups of used plastic masterbatch

Plastic packaging manufactured from PE plastic masterbatch

Plastic packaging made from PE plastic masterbatchand functional additives is used a lot in every aspect of daily life, from markets, grocery stores, supermarkets and is often called plastic bags.

Here are the characteristics of packaging made by PE masterbatch:

+ Transparent, glossy surface, soft, flexible, waterproof and good steam resistance

+ The resistances of PE packages against O2, CO2, N2 and grease are all poor

+ By combining PE calcium carbonate masterbatch and functional masterbatches, common PE packaging such as clear PE bags, glued PE bags, antistatic PE bags, vacuum PE bags can be created

What is the difference between packaging made by PE and PP plastic masterbatch?

PP masterbatch with outstanding features at reasonable prices can be applied in many agricultural and chemical industries. For example, it can function as fertilizer packaging, seed packaging, chemical packaging, food packaging and animal feeding packaging, etc.

Here are the characteristics of packaging made by PP plastic masterbatch:

+ PP plastic packaging is durable, tough and does not stretch so it can be made into fibers, but the disadvantage is that it is easy to tear, so manufacturers need to be careful during the packaging or transportation processes

+ PP plastic bags are opaque white or transparent white

+ It experienced good printability

+ PP plastic packaging is waterproof and non-greasy

What are the advantages of manufacturing packaging from PC plastic masterbatch?

PC plastic masterbatch is resistant to high temperatures, so PC plastic packaging is used to make food containers (bottles and jars) but these products need to be sterilized.

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PC plastic packaging has these following properties:

+ Plastic PC has better air-tightness than PVC and PE but worse than PET and PP calcium carbonate masterbatch

+ PC plastic has a high degree of transparency and durability, but it is 3 times more expensive than PP and PET plastic so it is rarely used on the market.

+ PC plastic packaging is able to withstand high temperatures above 100oC

Is using PVC plastic masterbatch still popular in manufacturing?

From PVC plastic masterbatch, manufacturers can manufacture a wide range of products from plastic bottles, food wrap films or electrical cables to water pipes, raincoats, etc. Previously, PVC plastic is widely used but later on, PE became more popular because of its many advantages:

+ The proportion of PVC is higher than that of PE and PP, so it consumes more fuel when making the same plastic products, thereby costing more.

+ PVC does not have the flexibility, so it is necessary to use additives such as calcium carbonate masterbatch, color masterbatch, technical resins compound for packaging products.

+ PVC packaging contains VCM (vinylchoride) which causes cancer, so in Europe it has been banned to use this material for making food packaging.

The packaging is manufactured from PET plastic masterbatch and its advantages

High-durable PET resins should be used as water bottles and water containers. In addition, PET plastic packaging can also be a plastic container for food thanks to the combination of functional additives such as filler masterbatch, color masterbatch or compound to improve the air-tightness and ensure its safety when being exposure to high temperature.

Packaging manufactured from PET plastic masterbatch is widely used due to these properties:

+ High durability and be able to withstand the impact of high pressure

+ Best gas-proof ability in all types of the plastic packaging

+ Soft, glossy surface, easy to print logos and labels

+ Does not cause chemical reactions when in contact with other substances, especially safe for containing foods

+ However, PET packaging is difficult to recycle and is often not recycled. PET packaging is usually single use only.

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