- Email: [email protected]
US: OK Color — plastics colorants
F O C US “across the fence” to Solvay’s PCC plant. To accommodate the PCC capacity expansion, Brunner Mond has recently spent £250,000 on upgrading its facilities to ensure continued delivery of the necessary volume and quality of calcium hydroxide which the improved Winnofil plant will now require. This is in addition to the £3 M that Brunner Mond has spent on refurbishing the four kilns at Lostock over the last five years. Mr Martin Keighley (Brunner Mond’s Director of Marketing & Supply Chain) said: “This is an important relationship for us which has worked well for a number of decades. We have worked closely with Solvay to understand their new requirements and ensure we have the systems and capabilities to meet them. This investment in our own plant upgrade will benefit both companies.” In fact, Brunner Mond expects an increase of 20% in its calcium hydoxide sales as a result of the Solvay expansion. Mr Andrew Wilson (Manufacturing Director of Solvay UK) said: “The Winnofil plant investment will improve our cost base which is vital to remain a viable operation in such a competitive environment. Solvay also has PCC production units at Angera (Italy), Ebensee (Austria), Salin-deGiraud (France) and Rheinberg (Germany). Brunner Mond Quarterly, Summer 2003, (8), 7 (Available from: Brunner Mond, PO Box 4, Mond House, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 4DT, UK. Website: http://www.brunnermond.com)
US: OK Color – plastics colorants OK Color is a joint venture set up by Calsak Polymers and OK Kasei to manufacture plastics colour concentrates. Sales revenue last year was of the order of $10M. The product portfolio consists mostly of polypropylene-based products, plus some polystyrene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) products. OK Color has three extrusion lines at its Torrance, CA factory. A fourth line is to be added later this year and a fifth may be added next year. Meanwhile, the floor area of the factory is being expanded by 8000 square feet. Plastics News, 28 Jul 2003, 15 (22), 10 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
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TECHNOLOGY Abbott’s Xanthophyll Lutein pigment for plain vanilla ice cream Ice cream manufacturers typically enhance their products by adding approved food colorants. In the case of plain vanilla flavoured ice cream, the colorant is usually added following pasteurisation: the heat makes the amino acids react with sugars, creating caramel-like substances that turn the ice cream brown or grey. Abbott Laboratories (of Illinois) has developed a technique (patent number WO 03/0049555) for adding Xanthophyll Lutein as the colorant prior to the pasteurisation process. Xanthophyll Lutein is a natural colour, obtained as an extract from Aztec marigolds. Usually, this adds a strong yellow colour to foods, but when heattreated, the lutein disguises the brown and grey without adding unnatural yellow. New Scientist – UK Edition, 9 Aug 2003, 179 (2407), 23
BASF’s optical brightener BASF’s new Ultraphor TC optical brightener was described in ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2003, 7. Now BASF has announced the worldwide launch of Ultraphor RN Plus Liquid for use with polyesters. The key features of the product are improved fixation properties and relatively low fixation temperatures. In most cases, using Ultraphor RN Plus Liquid will prevent shade deviations and yellow areas that can be caused by non-fixed brightener, even if machine conditions are unfavourable. It has already been used successfully in several customer tests and has attained hitherto unmatched top white effects with a CIE grade of up to 165. In the Thermosol process, fixation can be achieved at 180°C. Alternatively, operating at 190°C offers a higher degree of production safety: because the fixation temperature is still relatively low, danger of yellowing in the event of temperature fluctuations during the fixation process is considerably reduced and the product reject ratio is lowered. Ultraphor RN Plus Liquid can be
used both in the Exhaust and Thermosol processes. Press release from: BASF, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany. Website: http://www.basf.com (10 Jun 2003)
Bayer’s effect pigments for PC Bayer has expanded its range of Leda compounded colour effects, designed for use with Bayer’s Makrolon and Bayblend resins. Makrolon is a polycarbonate, while Bayblend is a blend of polycarbonate with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The additions to the Leda range are Deja Blue, a bright blue with a glowing edge, and Atlantis, which has a metameric effect, changing colours between purple and green. High Performance Plastics, Jun 2003, 3
Cabot’s additive masterbatches Cabot Corp has added 17 new grades of additive masterbatches to its Plasadd product range. PE8737, PE8739 and PP8738 are designed to enhance UV stability in a wide range of film, tape and injection-moulded products. There are also two new anti-fogging masterbatches – Plasadd EV8743 and EV8744 – formulated for incorporation in laminated and monolayer films, respectively. Plasadd PS8774 is a highly concentrated dessicant masterbatch. Cabot has also introduced a number of new masterbatch grades that offer processing solutions to problems such as polymer degradation, melt fracture, porosity and static electricity. Materials World, 4 Aug 2003, 11 (8), 56
Clariant’s granular pigments for soaps Clariant has launched the Cosmenyl range of granular pigment preparations, specifically designed for use in colouring soaps and detergents. The products have the same features as the well-established Viscofil-Gran range and they fully comply with the requirements of the EU Directive 76/768/EEC for products used in the cosmetics industry. At this stage, the Cosmenyl range comprises yellow, red, blue and green products. Press release from: Clariant, Am Unisys Park 1, 65843 Sulzbach, Germany (30 Jun 2003)
SEPTEMBER 2003
US: OK Color – plastics colorants OK Color is a joint venture set up by Calsak Polymers and OK Kasei to manufacture plastics colour concentrates. Sales revenue last year was of the order of $10M. The product portfolio consists mostly of polypropylene-based products, plus some polystyrene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) products. OK Color has three extrusion lines at its Torrance, CA factory. A fourth line is to be added later this year and a fifth may be added next year. Meanwhile, the floor area of the factory is being expanded by 8000 square feet. Plastics News, 28 Jul 2003, 15 (22), 10 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
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TECHNOLOGY Abbott’s Xanthophyll Lutein pigment for plain vanilla ice cream Ice cream manufacturers typically enhance their products by adding approved food colorants. In the case of plain vanilla flavoured ice cream, the colorant is usually added following pasteurisation: the heat makes the amino acids react with sugars, creating caramel-like substances that turn the ice cream brown or grey. Abbott Laboratories (of Illinois) has developed a technique (patent number WO 03/0049555) for adding Xanthophyll Lutein as the colorant prior to the pasteurisation process. Xanthophyll Lutein is a natural colour, obtained as an extract from Aztec marigolds. Usually, this adds a strong yellow colour to foods, but when heattreated, the lutein disguises the brown and grey without adding unnatural yellow. New Scientist – UK Edition, 9 Aug 2003, 179 (2407), 23
BASF’s optical brightener BASF’s new Ultraphor TC optical brightener was described in ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2003, 7. Now BASF has announced the worldwide launch of Ultraphor RN Plus Liquid for use with polyesters. The key features of the product are improved fixation properties and relatively low fixation temperatures. In most cases, using Ultraphor RN Plus Liquid will prevent shade deviations and yellow areas that can be caused by non-fixed brightener, even if machine conditions are unfavourable. It has already been used successfully in several customer tests and has attained hitherto unmatched top white effects with a CIE grade of up to 165. In the Thermosol process, fixation can be achieved at 180°C. Alternatively, operating at 190°C offers a higher degree of production safety: because the fixation temperature is still relatively low, danger of yellowing in the event of temperature fluctuations during the fixation process is considerably reduced and the product reject ratio is lowered. Ultraphor RN Plus Liquid can be
used both in the Exhaust and Thermosol processes. Press release from: BASF, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany. Website: http://www.basf.com (10 Jun 2003)
Bayer’s effect pigments for PC Bayer has expanded its range of Leda compounded colour effects, designed for use with Bayer’s Makrolon and Bayblend resins. Makrolon is a polycarbonate, while Bayblend is a blend of polycarbonate with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The additions to the Leda range are Deja Blue, a bright blue with a glowing edge, and Atlantis, which has a metameric effect, changing colours between purple and green. High Performance Plastics, Jun 2003, 3
Cabot’s additive masterbatches Cabot Corp has added 17 new grades of additive masterbatches to its Plasadd product range. PE8737, PE8739 and PP8738 are designed to enhance UV stability in a wide range of film, tape and injection-moulded products. There are also two new anti-fogging masterbatches – Plasadd EV8743 and EV8744 – formulated for incorporation in laminated and monolayer films, respectively. Plasadd PS8774 is a highly concentrated dessicant masterbatch. Cabot has also introduced a number of new masterbatch grades that offer processing solutions to problems such as polymer degradation, melt fracture, porosity and static electricity. Materials World, 4 Aug 2003, 11 (8), 56
Clariant’s granular pigments for soaps Clariant has launched the Cosmenyl range of granular pigment preparations, specifically designed for use in colouring soaps and detergents. The products have the same features as the well-established Viscofil-Gran range and they fully comply with the requirements of the EU Directive 76/768/EEC for products used in the cosmetics industry. At this stage, the Cosmenyl range comprises yellow, red, blue and green products. Press release from: Clariant, Am Unisys Park 1, 65843 Sulzbach, Germany (30 Jun 2003)
SEPTEMBER 2003