Chemicals & additives.

New coloring options shine among additives exhibits at the show.

Pigments and color concentrates dominate the news in additives at NPE '97, but there are also interesting developments in blowing agents, mold releases, impact modifiers, fillers, and coupling agents.

COLOR AND ADDITIVE CONCENTRATES

Ultracolor, a new entry from Teknor Color Co., Pawtucket, R.I., is said to be a new type of color concentrate in 1/16-in. beads that can be used at 50-75% lower levels than conventional concentrates in ABS, PS, acrylic, and polycarbonate. High pigment loadings allow for letdown ratios of 100:1. Teknor says a single product can be formulated to work with all four resins. Ten colors are offered, including several with FDA-sanctioned ingredients. Some field tests have shown the use of these products to improve impact strength.

Another new family of color concentrates is ComPETe from M.A. Hanna Color, Somerset, N.J., consisting of trans-parents, opaques, and tints for PET oriented containers. Among them are versions with a PET carrier, as well as others in flake and liquid forms. These products reportedly allow production of opaque bottles without experiencing screw slippage or delamination. The PET-based concentrates also are said to require less purging than so-called universal concentrates.

ReedSpectrum, Holden, Mass., is introducing a line of custom and stock color concentrates for acetal. They are said to minimize degradation that commonly occurs when coloring acetals. Also to debut is a new line of color concentrates for DuPont's Zenite LCP.

Modern Dispersions, Inc., Leominster, Mass., has new black concentrates for foam-able EVA and TPE footwear applications. Also new are uv-protective black concentrates for slit tape.

Ampacet Corp., Tarrytown, N.Y., will introduce a series of additive concentrates based on metallocene-catalyzed polyolefins. Products can include antiblock, slip, slip/antiblock, processing aid, antistat, flame retardant, or uv stabilizer.

PIGMENTS AND CARBON BLACKS

Whatever your colorant needs, from black to sparkle pigments, there is probably going to be something new for you at the show:

* Carbon black: Cabot Corp.'s Special Blacks Div., Billerica, Mass., will introduce at the show four new carbon blacks to its Black Pearls line. They are 4750 and 4350 FDA-compliant blacks, 6100 uv-stable grade, and 4560 for fine-denier fibers.

Columbian Chemicals Co., Atlanta, will highlight the latest additions to its line of Raven carbon blacks, including a high-color grade, a high-uv-protection grade, and one for conductive applications.

* Fluorescent: Day-Glo Color Corp., Cleveland, will feature two shades recently added to its ZQ Series of high-performance fluorescent pigments. The company will also feature a novel fluorescent liquid colorant for vinyl plastisols that's said to have excellent lightfastness, strength, and brightness.

* Organic: Engelhard Corp.'s Pigments & Additives Div., Iselin, N.J., will launch three new Engeltone organic pigments - 2920 brilliant orange, 1295 red-shade azo yellow, and 1112 scarlet metalized azo. All reportedly have improved heat stability for use in polyolefins, styrenics and other resins.

Quadra Corp./Prayon Pigments, Suwanee, Ga., will feature its new continuous process technology for producing Ultramarine blue pigments that boast superior properties (see this month's Technology News-focus).

* Pearlescent: EM Industries, Inc., Hawthorne, N.Y., is introducing Afflair Supernova White, a pearlescent pigment with very large (up to 500 microns) particle size that exhibits a uniquely large, silver sparkle effect.

* Metallic: Obron Atlantic Corp., Painesville, Ohio, is introducing Mastersafe large-particle aluminum flakes to achieve metallic appearance in thermoplastics. The flakes come in either pre-dispersed pellets or pastes.

* Granite: Reedy International Corp., Keyport, N.J., will introduce the Mica-Tek line of non-dispersing, special effects colorants. Jointly developed with Microfine Minerals, they reportedly impart granite-like and textured appearances in polymers.

A different way to achieve stone effects in engineering resins such as nylon is with new Silcroma iron blacks from Silberline Manufacturing Co., Inc., Tamaqua, Pa. They're said to be heat stable above 572 F.

BLOWING & NUCLEATING AGENTS

Americhem, Inc., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is entering the blowing-agent field with the launch of Supercell modified azo compounds that reportedly permit improved control of gas generation. Supercell concentrates are also offered for use in polyolefins, PS, PVC, ABS, and other thermoplastics.

Specialty Products Div. of B.I. Chemicals, Inc., Montvale, N.J., will introduce two new foaming additives. Hydrocerol CT 341 is an endothermic blowing-agent masterbatch that gives fine cells at low processing temperatures. It also acts as a nucleating-agent masterbatch for extrusion of LDPE direct-gassed foam. Also new is Exocerol AO38, a blend of exothermic foaming agents in powder form together with additives to improve foaming and physical properties of finished parts. (Since late last year, B.I. Chemicals has been making Hydrocerol and Activex blowing agents in the U.S.)

OTHER NEW ADDITIVES

* UV stabilizers: New Eversorb 75 benzotriazole uv absorber from Everlight USA, Inc., Charlotte, N.C., is being introduced for polyolefins, unsaturated polyesters, and styrenics. Also new is Eversorb 80 HALS with high heat stability for use in a variety of high-temperature-processing resins.

* Mold releases: IMS Co., Chagrin Falls, Ohio, is featuring new non-flammable mold releases that reportedly meet standards of DOT, NFPA, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

* Lubricants: Struktol Co. of America, Stowe, Ohio, has a new zinc stearate in prill or pellet form that's said to provide cleaner handling as a lubricant for styrenics and polyesters.

* Process aids: Struktol Co. is also introducing TR 251, a new dispersion and compounding aid for color concentrates. Another new product acts as a high-temperature compatibilizer for commingled recycle or other blends of dissimilar materials.

* Impact modifiers: Two new Novalene EPDM-based modifiers will be shown by Nova Polymers, Inc., Evansville, Ind. Natural grade 6400U and black 7300P are both available as free-flowing pellets for use in high-density PE and homopolymer PP. Use levels of 10-15% reportedly can produce super-impact copolymers or TPOs. The company also is featuring at the show a proprietary rubber-based Novalene impact modifier for PVC and ABS.

* Fillers: FilmLink engineered calcium carbonate filler for PE blown film is a new introduction by ECC International Performance Minerals, Atlanta. Large particles have been removed to allow for easy dispersion. The company supplies the product in powder form to licensed compounders and also offers FilmLink 400 pellets in LLDPE carrier directly to film producers.

Used at 15-20% loadings, it is said to offer film producers an alternative to standard resin blends. Increased throughput, downgauging, increased impact and tear strength, higher puncture resistance, and improved heat seal are claimed benefits.

ECC will also introduce Zytocal engineered calcium carbonate in a completely dispersible pellet for all types of polyolefin injection and blow molding.

* Coupling agents: Kenrich Petrochemicals, Inc., Bayonne, N.J., is launching three thermally stable neoalkoxy titanate coupling agents in powder form that are said to provide better reactivity or bonding in injection molding of several commodity and engineering thermoplastics.

Also to be introduced by Kenrich is a pellet masterbatch of a liquid titanate coupling agent for graft copolymerization of polymers such as PET/PC.

* Antistats: Kenrich also has a new antistat for polyolefins based on a combination of trineoalkoxy zirconates.

What to Look for

* Additive concentrates based on metallocene resins.

* New color concentrates that can be used at 50-75% lower loadings.

* Concentrates overcome imitations in coloring PET bottles and acetals.

* UV-stable carbon black pigments.

* Engineered filler for PE blown film.