In plastic product manufacturing, the choice of colorants directly impacts product quality, production costs, and environmental performance. The mainstream options in the market—powders, masterbatch, and liquid masterbatch—each have distinct characteristics: powders offer low cost but high pollution; masterbatch serves as a compromise solution; while liquid masterbatch, with their ultra-low dosage requirements, represent the future of coloring technology. This article provides a comprehensive selection guide to powders, masterbatch, and liquid masterbatch.

【powder】

Advantage :

As the first generation of colorants, powders utilize finely ground pigment particles that achieve coloring through direct physical mixing with resin. Their primary advantage lies in low cost and convenient procurement, making them suitable for small-batch, multi-variety production models.

Application Limitations:

• Dust pollution during use, affecting the working environment and operator health；
• Difficulty in controlling metering accuracy, leading to batch color variations；
• Complex cleaning processes during color changes, resulting in lower production efficiency；

Usage Scenarios:

• Cost-sensitive small-batch production
• Applications requiring frequent color matching changes

【Masterbatch】

Technical Characteristics:

Masterbatch is produced by pre-mixing, melt-blending, extruding, and pelletizing pigments with carrier resin, effectively addressing the dust issues associated with powders. It offers superior dispersion, enhanced color uniformity, and more convenient dosing compared to powder colorants.

Application Limitations:

• Dispersion effectiveness is constrained by the compatibility between carrier resin and base material, prone to causing color spots;
• High addition ratio (typically 2%-5%), leading to increased costs;
• Equipment cleaning is still required during color changes, and limitations remain in dispersing ultra-fine pigments.

Suitable Applications:

• Ideal for most conventional production requirements.

【Liquid Masterbatch】

Breakthrough Advantages:

Liquid masterbatch employs a fundamentally different technological approach, stabilizing pigments within a liquid carrier. It offers the advantages of dust-free production, exceptional dispersion (featuring high liquid compatibility and strong fluidity), low addition ratios (typically 0.02%-1.5%), compatibility with automated dosing systems, and rapid color change capabilities.

Technical Characteristics:

• Addition level only 20%-50% of traditional masterbatch, yet achieves superior dispersion;
• Enhances dosing accuracy through precision metering systems, ensuring color consistency;
• Excellent dispersion prevents defects like color spots and flow lines;
• Enables fast, flexible color changes with significantly reduced cleaning time and downtime;
• Eliminates pre-drying steps and simplifies material handling;
• Requires no heating process, minimizing impact on substrate properties;
• No minimum order quantity restrictions.

Application Areas:

Particularly suitable for modern production lines with high-quality requirements and emphasis on production environment and efficiency. It demonstrates significant advantages in high-quality manufacturing, food contact materials, daily chemicals & cosmetics, and medical products.

Selection Guide: Four Key Considerations

Quality Requirements

For products demanding high color consistency, liquid colorants are recommended; masterbatch suits standard requirements, while color powders may be considered when cost is the top priority.

Cost Budget

A comprehensive evaluation should include material costs, production efficiency, quality improvement, and environmental benefits. Although the unit price of liquid masterbatchis higher, their total cost-in-use proves more competitive.

Production Conditions

Production lines with high automation levels are well-suited for liquid masterbatch or masterbatch; environments with dust control requirements should avoid using color powders.

Environmental Requirements

Products requiring environmental certification are recommended to use liquid masterbatch

Usage Recommendations and Best Practices

Color Testing & Verification

Conduct sample testing first, then proceed with mass production after verifying results.

Establish a standard color card to facilitate color management.

Process Optimization

Adjust processing parameters based on material characteristics.

Regularly calibrate metering equipment to ensure coloring accuracy.

Equipment Support:

York provides compatible dosing equipment for liquid colorants, ensuring hassle-free cooperation.

Development Trends and Future Prospects

With increasingly stringent environmental regulations and advancing production automation, liquid masterbatch is gaining growing preference among enterprises. Its technical advantages directly translate into enhanced product quality, reduced production costs, and improved environmental benefits.

Future colorant technologies will evolve toward greater intelligence and functionality, incorporating IoT technologies for real-time monitoring and remote control. Simultaneously, they will develop multifunctional capabilities by integrating features such as antimicrobial, antistatic, and flame-retardant properties.