What is Pellet Color Concentrate?
It is a solid product used to color or pass on other properties to polymers during the manufacturing process. These forms can be referred to as color masterbatch or color concentrates when the outcome is for color. When the masterbatch is used to pass on other properties to the polymer this form is called additive masterbatch or additive concentrate.
How is color concentrate produced?
In general, the production of concentrate/masterbatch follows these steps, the selected concentrate mixture of color and additives is distributed into a polymer carrier by heat treatment and a high shear mixing extruder. The mixture is then cooled after being extruded out of the die head and cut and formed into granules via a pelletizer.
How is concentrate added to coloring plastic?
Concentrate pellets are metered or “let down” into the polymer using a predefined ratio prior to the molding or extrusion into the final product. The amount of concentrate varies widely but is usually in the range of 2% to 6%. The let-down or LDR (let down ratio) indicates the ratio of pellet resin to the concentrated product.