How does silicone masterbatch improve plastic processing?

Masterbatches play significant roles in plastic processing in the plants. The additives that come in pellet and liquid forms give physical features, mechanical properties and enhance the performance of a base polymer in process. Selection of masterbatch additives depends on different polymers to ensure maximum compatibility of the plastics to which they are added.

Enhances performance in plastic processing

Silicone is one of the most popular polymer additive used to improve performance and output in plastic polymers. The additive is a slipping agent that reduces the coefficient of friction between layers in printing and packaging solution in plants. The additive has been in use in liquid and pellet form, depending on the requirement of a plastic processor.

Traditional silicone oils are in use as internal and external lubricants in the plastic processing industry. Though the oil gave the desired results in various industrial applications, yet they had some issues to overcome for polymer processors. However, the new silicone masterbatch of the MB 50 series has removed these problems making the processing easy and profitable for companies.

The improved MB 50 series come in pellet forms improving the processability, dispersion and effectiveness for processing. With a high-molecular-weight and migration stability, the additive can be used with various base polymers such as PP, PE, HIPS, POM, ABS, PA 6, and so on. It is one of the primary reasons for widespread use of this additive in the polymer processing industry.

What are the advantages of using a silicone masterbatch in production?

Silicone masterbatch comes in a white pellet, which is 30% to 50% ultra-high molecular by weight, siloxane polymer dispersed in the thermoplastic carrier resins such as PE, PP, PA, and other. The idea is to improve the flow of adhesive to ensure better processing, with mould filling, mould release, less torque in extrusion and quicker output, to get excellent products with a better finish, scratch and abrasion resistance by reducing the COF during processing.

Here are some of the advantages of using silicone masterbatch:

The silicone masterbatch has many benefits in processing plastics for companies. Here are the primary advantages of this additive:

Improve output and processing performance

Unlike conventional silicone oils, the new masterbatch provides migration stability and slippage in processing. On a small addition, plastic processors can significantly improve mobility of carrier resin, mould release and performance in processing.

Consistent quality products

The traditional waxes and oils fail to give a product with a smooth surface as the new silicone masterbatch. With an excellent coefficient of friction, there is a possibility of getting more product output with consistent quality. It further reduces time in production with negligible defective products.

Smooth surface finish and hand feel

Irregular surface finishes increase scratch and abrasion resistance which affect the final products and feel. As silicone offers excellent slippage, no adverse effects come in the surface printing and packaging solutions.

Conclusion

Silicone is a popular masterbatch that enhances the performance and output of plastic processing. Even the BOPET masterbatch is a popular additive that has abundant uses in printing and packaging solutions. But, processors must ensure the compatibility and quality of additives before buying from a manufacturer.

The author has a keen interest in gathering information about plastic manufacturing processes. In this article, he has written about the significance of white and black masterbatch in the industry.