Category Archives: NEWS

Calcium carbonate masterbatch is made of calcium carbonate, base resins and several plastic additives. Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) powder used in calcium carbonate masterbatch production has the natural origins. It exists in many forms such as calcite, limestone, chalk, marble or aragonite, or in the form of impurities and minerals such as dolomite. For thousands of years, CaCO₃ has been one of the most useful minerals for humans, in different fields. And so far, one of the industries that use CaCO₃ the most is probably the filler masterbatch industry.

Calcium carbonate masterbatch is the component bringing profitability for investors

After the resin, CaCO₃ also plays an important role in making filler masterbatch. Among the fillers, calcium carbonate masterbatch is the most commonly used type one especially the plastic and rubber industry.

Regarding to plastic fillers, they are often insoluble minerals that are added into the primary plastic to increase the volume for plastics. They play many roles in masterbatch production, from reducing production costs to improving product features such as increased durability and rigidity. However, everything has 2 sides. When using fillers at high concentrations beyond the ideal ratio, important physical properties of products such as impact resistance will be changed in the direction of disadvantage. Therefore, adding CaCO₃ as filler requires a balance between cost and dosage compared to other ingredients.

From calcium carbonate powder to producing calcium carbonate masterbatch

To produce calcium carbonate masterbatch, manufacturers often use CaCO₃ powder from limestone quarries. Limestone resources in Vietnam are quite abundant in reverse. There are about 125 limestone quarries that have been searched with estimated reserves of about 13 billion tons, distributed mainly in the northern regions and southernmost provinces.

Calcium carbonate in form of powder is classified into two basic groups:

• Ground calcium carbonate (GCC): compound produced from natural limestone undergoes grinding, impurities and particle size separation according to different uses. This is the kind we used to produce calcium carbonate masterbatch.
• Precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC): Limestone is calcined to collect calcium carbonate powder and CO₂. Quicklime undergoing hydration process will result in calcium hydroxide, which will react with CO₂ and finally resulted in precipitated calcium carbonate. PCC powder is more expensive compared to GCC powder. So instead of being applied to filler masterbatch field, this kind of calcium carbonate is used to produce cosmetics and food.

The outstanding application of calcium carbonate masterbatch in the plastic industry

Masterbatch is considered as input material with granular shape used for other industries. Masterbatch not only helps manufacturers reduce production costs but also improves the hardness, material surface and reduces shrinkage of the finished products. Thanks to these advantages, calcium carbonate masterbatch has many applications in various production areas.

As we metioned above, GCC is used to produce filler master batch. When GCC is applied as a filler in plastics, it must undergo a melting process with plastic substrate to create granules called filler. Then, CaCO3 filler masterbatch is used to produce thin/thick films, evaporate plastic films, heat-resistant films, etc. In addition, plastic fillers are also involved in the production processes of PE or PP plastic with the role of preventing segmentation or fibrillation. CaCO₃ masterbatch is also very useful for manufacturing plastic products by injection molding technique, so it is widely used in the production of spare parts, equipment, household products, etc.

Calcium carbonate filler is one of the most innovative solutions ever developed in this industry. Calcium carbonate filler not only functions in improving the quality of final plastic products but also helps plastic manufacturer reduce as much production cost as possible, hence gain more profits. Let us provide you a deep insight on this special plastic material.

What is CaCO₃ – the main ingredient for calcium carbonate filler?

CaCO₃, IUPAC name is calcium carbonate, is a chemical compound commonly found in nature. They exist in constituent substances of plenty living animals (the hard shells of marine animals such as shellfish, snails, pearls or eggshells) as well as geological forms. The most popular and well-known source of CaCO₃ is from limestone ores, a sedimentary rock often formed near waterfalls or streams. This is also the main source to provide calcium carbonate filler for plastic industry. In addition, calcium carbonate can be found in other minerals and rocks such as chalk, marble, limestone, otufa and travertine.

Where does the calcium carbonate filler come from?

Most of CaCO₃ used in industrial productions, especially the calcium carbonate filler used in plastic industry is exploited from quarries (marble mines) or rocks mountains (limestones ores). Understanding this, MTB experts have studied and explored ways to exploit these limestone resources which are very favored by Vietnam. MTB always focuses on exploiting thousands-years-old limestone mines with abundant and quality CaCO₃ reserves, which are highly appreciated by French geological experts in order to find the best and cheapest raw materials serving as the main ingredient for masterbatch production. In addition to exploiting limestone in nature, there is another source of calcium carbonate that is an artificial product produced by the reaction of CO₂, water and lime (CaO).

Some typical properties of calcium carbonate filler

Limestone powder in natural without any treatments has the color ranging from milky to ash. Calcium carbonate is odorless and has 3 polymorphs (morphological forms) of calcite, aragonite and vaterite, in which calcite is the most stable polymorph. CaCO₃ is an alkaline compound that reacts strongly with acid solutions producing CO₂ gas. Under high temperatures, calcium carbonate is broken down into calcium oxide (CaO), often called as lime.

How did experts classify CaCO₃ to produce calcium carbonate filler?

After being exploited and passed through preliminary treatments, people divide CaCO₃ into 2 types: smooth CaCO₃ (Ground calcium carbonate – GCC) and precipitated CaCO₃ (precipitated calcium carbonate – PCC). On the market today, smooth CaCO₃ GCC is the most important filler being used in many industries, especially as a plastic additive compound. Fine calcium carbonate filler is produced by crushing coarse limestone into tiny granules, mostly in powder form, then these granules will be classified based on their size.

Whereas precipitated CaCO₃ PCC is often used as an additive for reinforcing the fillers as well as adjusting effects of other materials. The production process of this CaCO₃ is much more complicated than smooth CaCO₃ production, including 3 main steps in which firstly, there must be the calcification of raw materials under high temperature (1000^oC), then the lime will be hydrated into milk lime. Finally, milk lime will be carbonized by passing through CO₂ and filtered in combination of drying process to produce the final product is precipitated CaCO₃ in dry form.

What kind of advantages calcium carbonate filler can bring to plastic manufacturers?

Since the masterbatch manufacturer can alter the production processes to control the shape and size of the precipitates CaCO₃, PCC offers a series of more advanced technical effects than smooth CaCO₃ GCC and other expensive additives. On the chemical side, the components of both PCC and GCC are nearly identical. PCC is more pure in terms of purity because in the process of manufacturing them, the content of silica and lead is removed. The biggest difference between these two calcium carbonate filler forms lies in the crystal size and shape under high magnification. In general, the distribution of particles (in crystals) in precipitated CaCO₃ is narrower than in smooth CaCO₃, helping them to achieve better oil absorption and bearing capacity.

In general, CaCO₃ powder is widely used as a plastic additive in industrial production for several reasons:

• CaCO₃ has a natural bright whiteness, so plastic products that use CaCO₃ filler will achieve high brightness and whiteness without using bleach, whitening agents or other coloring products. This saves an expense for masterbatch manufacturer
• CaCO₃ is a mineral source with abundant reserves in nature. It is easy to exploit and process so their prices are very cheap. Producers can use calcium carbonate in large quantities without worrying about cost.
• Mixing calcium carbonate filler into primary plastic will not change the characteristic of primary plastic, so using them to replace a part of input materials in the production of plastic products will help producers saving a lot of costs
• Besides, CaCO₃ has good heat resistance, structure of the curvature and size which is suitable for many types of plastic
• Eco-friendly, can prevent evaporation and reduce the temperature in the factory
• CaCO₃ helps to increase the hardness, luster of the product surface, helps the manufacturer to produce more beautiful packaging with diverse designs
• Can be used in conjunction with plastic additives and other colorants that are comfortable

Other applications of calcium carbonate filler in other industries

It can be said that CaCO₃ is one of the most versatile compounds on earth. Today, they are not only exploited and used by humans as a calcium carbonate filler masterbatch but also in many other industries and productions. As many people have responded, the most traditional application of calcium carbonate is to use as a chalkboard.

Applications of CaCO₃ in producing glass, ceramics and construction

Besides being the calcium carbonate filler widely used by plastic manufacturer CaCO₃ is also an indispensable additive in glass and ceramics industry. Accounting for 1/5 of the total amount of raw materials (about 20-25%) used to produce glass, calcium carbonate powder helps these products achieve better and more stable under natural environmental conditions. At the same time, when added to the raw materials in the ceramic production processes, they serve as an additive to help these processes occurring more quickly and more completely.

Not only produce glass and ceramics, limestone, with the main ingredient is CaCO₃, is also a common material widely used in construction industry. From limestone, people can create cement, concrete, pavement spreading material and construction of architectural works.

Applications of CaCO₃ in agriculture, medical and environmental sectors

One of the interesting applications of limestone powder that is not much known besides of being calcium carbonate filler is that they are used as a substance to stimulate the formation and development of several poultry types. CaCO₃ is mixed into animal feed and becomes an essential nutrient source for poultry bones and egg shells to grow and develop. Besides, CaCO₃ is also a major component of an oral drug such as calcium supplements for people with osteoporosis and a drug called antacid used to neutralize acid in the stomach and is used to reduce heartburn, dyspepsia and upset stomach.

Thanks to its ability to stabilize pH for soil and water, as well as being environmentally friendly, CaCO₃ is also often used to prepare fertilizers and pesticides to help plants grow stably and healthy. In particular, with the ability to be a neutralizer and detoxifier for other toxic compounds, toxic gases, both in nature (like sulfur, acids, NH₃, H₂S, CO₂, etc.) and in industry as well as daily life, calcium carbonate powder is also an indispensable ingredient widely used in the environmental treatment industry and the production of detergents.

Masterbatch plastic is an obvious material in plastic industry nowadays. Masterbatch plastic has contributed in the development of human society by being the source for generating various products serving for both daily life and the industries. That’s the main reason for scientists to constantly pay efforts in studying how to improve this material and apply it into more fields.

One of the new areas that masterbatch plastic can be applied is 3D printing. We will show you how it is applied in 3D printing through the following article.

Why we should use masterbatch plastic in 3D printing?

In the current masterbatch plastic industry, almost every plastic molding technique requires the mold. These methods may be beneficial for mass production, however, the consuming cost in designing and constructing molds is very expensive. In addition, this process requires a lot of time and effort since the mold must be perfectly otherwise there must be another following step to correct every product and the industrial production systems will return into traditional hand-craft industry.

Not mentioned to these expenditures, each specific masterbatch plastic product requires a special and corresponding mold. This became a challenge for manufacturers whom want to produce a variety of products as they must spend more money to design and prepare more molds to establish new technique requires less equipment, less consuming costs in the purpose that they can fully optimize the production lines. This also causes an issue for anyone who just wants to produce a small amount of product or a prototype. In that circumstance, 3D printing is developed as an alternative method solving these problems.

Masterbatch plastic is one of the most important materials in 3D printing technology

With 3D printing, masterbatch plastic manufacturers do not need to spend time and money to design and create various molds or special tools for their production. Instead, 3D printing machine is built up “transform” a digital design into a physical three-dimensional object. The operating mechanism of this machine is built each layer of the object at a time until the whole product is completed. This method allows manufacturers to generate thousands of distinct products with just one single machine.

Masterbatch plastic by far is the most common material of 3D printing technology, however this is not the only material used in this field. Other special materials such as metals, sands, composites and ceramics can also be 3D printed. Especially, metal and concrete are always expected to achieve more advantages and widely applied in this field.  Most common application using 3D printing is generating masterbatch plastic prototyes, along with demanding parts and features for space engineering and aerospace field.  Other technical industries such as automotive, aviation and construction are also the potential market for consuming 3D products.

Another advantage of 3D printing is that this technique can generate geometric complexity in shapes and forms of final product easily without charging any further cost or wasting too much scrap (like CNC machining). However, each masterbatch plastic type can only fit one or two 3D printing methods. This is depended on the charateristics of base resin used in the masterbatch composition.

Will 3D printing technology be the best solution for any masterbatch plastic products manufacturing?

Well, not really. 3D printing technology, as well any other typical technology, has its own advantages and disadvantages. Each technique was developed to solve a single (or several) problems, but likely no technique is able to solve all problems and fit any user. 3D printing is not an exception. Experts stated that 3D printing is a tool suitable for generate specially customized masterbatch plastic products/objects, prototypes or high-volume production.

Limitations of 3D printing technology in masterbatch plastic manufacturing

First of all, 3D printing technology is less cost-effective if it is applied in large-scale production. Instead, it is perfectly suitable for making prototypes or production with small quantity (less than 100 products). Secondly, 3D printed products do not have good strength and physical properties in general as molded one. The thermal and impact resistance of 3D printed masterbatch plastic objects are generally reduced approximately 10 to 50% compared to the bulk material. They are weaker and more brittle since their structures are built by stacked up layers, not in a monolithic way like molding techniques. Last but not least, this technology requires post-processing and support removal steps. These auxiliary steps are needed since 3D printers are not able to add material on thin air so there must be supportive structures linking the building platform. These structures function as the pedestal for the printer to build hanging parts.

Filler masterbatch is the main product of MTB. Filler masterbatch is also a vital component in various industries requiring the association of plastic. Plastic, ever since its invention, has become a vital material in the economic and societal development of almost every country in various regions worldwide. Nowadays, myriad of features in daily life of humans are made of plastic. Although it is extremely common in daily life, have you ever be curious on what was plastic and calcium carbonate masterbatch made from? Let’s take a deep look into this advanced material.

The nature of plastic built up filler masterbatch’s properties

The variety of filler masterbatch is countless. Each type of it has distinct features, functions and characteristics. This difference largely comes from the properties of the base resins that compose them. Plastic is synthesized material derived from organic components coal, natural gas, salt, cellulose and especially crude oil. Basics of plastic is polymer chains, which are usually used to name the plastic itself, with its building blocks (monomers) are similar molecules made of hydrogen and carbon atoms, sometimes with the presence of other elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, silicon, fluoride, sulfur, phosphorous, etc.

How was plastic and filler masterbatch classified?

The nature of the building block determines the chemical properties of plastic and consequently the filler masterbatch. Based on this aspect, plastics are categorized into different types and groups. The categorization of plastics is various. Depending on the properties, functions or constituents, plastic will be classified in several ways. One of the most common ways to divide plastic into groups properly based on its thermal aspect. As following this feature, there are 2 types of plastic: thermosets (assemblage of the constantly hard and rigid plastic despite of the heat) and thermoplastics (which are meltable plastic under heat and will be set back to the rigid form when cooling down).

Besides the thermal aspect, the molecular structure and the constituents in its compositions (How many types of monomers does it include?) are also other fundamentals used to set up the plastic classification.

The history from plastic to filler masterbatch – a great invention for human development

Despite of being considered as an artificial material, plastic’s components actually came from nature. The first-ever-found plastic is rubber, which is mainly harvested from latex of the rubber tree. However, these natural materials do not meet the increasing needs of human as the world keeps developing throughout the years. The history of synthetic plastics properly started over 150 years ago. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was nearly the earliest synthetic plastic as it was well researched and polymerized in 1838. Following PVC, polystyrene, polyacrylic and polyester was synthesized in 1839, 1843 and 1847, respectively. Celluloid, also called nitrocellulose, a transparent flammable plastic widely used in cinematographic film, was one of the firstly created plastic-product which was invented by Alexander Parkes in 1855 under the name Parkesine. The production of synthetic plastic was massively elevated in another level in 1907 when a Belgian-American chemist named Leo Baekeland created Bakelite. The appearance of bakelite created a revolution in applying plastic into electrical, radio and telephone products.

Filler masterbatch – the significant improvement for the plastic industry

Despite of various potentials in prevailing over other traditional materials, the development of plastic was delayed in the early decades of the 20^th century due to the world wars and numerous social instabilities which had occurred throughout the world. It was not until the 1950s when the wars, harshness and deprivation were over, that the world’s inhabitants entered a more stable period, the superiority of plastic was received its desirable attentions. Ever since, human have focused on researching and inventing more advanced plastics to apply to many other industries and productions. Also in this time, filler masterbatch was upgraded and widely used as an effective tool hugely supporting for the plastic processing and mass production.

How does filler masterbatch differ from the plastics?

As mentioned above, plastics are purely polymer chains without any other components. Filler masterbatch, on the other hand, is a mixture consists of multiple ingredients. The plastic is one in the most important components of calcium carbonate masterbatch that serves as the carrier. Other vital element, accounted for the vast majority of plastic filler, approximately 70-80% of the mixture, is calcium carbonate powder. Besides base plastic and CaCO₃ powder, filler masterbatch also consist of pigments powder and several additives depending on the customer’s requirements.

The production process of plastic – the input material for filler masterbatch

During the procedure of producing the base plastic for filler masterbatch manufacturing, polymerization plays as the key mechanism. In the polymerization process, monomers, which were originally constructed by raw materials, are conjugated together by chemical reactions in the way of forming long polymer chains. Raw materials that were used to generate the plastics’ building blocks can either come from the natural or renewable resources.

2 ways of producing base plastic:

In plastic calcium carbonate masterbatch manufacturing, there are 2 types of polymerization: the addition polymerization (the chain-reaction) and the poly-condensation (the step-reaction). These 2 types of polymerization differ from each other in the way monomers are linked together. The basis of calcium carbonate masterbatch chain-reaction polymerization is one monomer will link to the monomer next to it thanks to the free radical binding to the initial monomer. This process will continue until another free radical sticks to the final monomer and terminates the polymer chain.

The 2^nd method in producing base resin for filler masterbatch, the step-reaction polymerization is commonly used to manufacture plastics with two distinct types of monomer. This process is more complicate than the addition polymerization as it requires higher temperature. As consequent, its products include main product (the polymer) accounted for lower molecular weights and by-products (which is usually small molecule such as water, HCl, etc.).

How was filler masterbatch produced?

The production process of calcium carbonate masterbatch takes place according to the following 4 basic stages:

• CaCO3 powder, base resin and additives are mixed by machine at high speed mode
• The mixture is melted into liquid at high temperature
• The liquid is cooled and screwed in a twin screw extruder pushed forward and pressed into the mold

Plastic is inserted into the cutting machine to cut into particles. These particles will be padded into plastic beads to bring new features to the raw plastic.

Masterbatch manufacturing is the core of masterbatch and plastic industry. Masterbatch manufacturing comprises of several technologies that may confuses newbies. However, if you want to be a master in plastic industry, you need to fully understand these processes. Here are the most common methods that are widely used in masterbatch producing.

Injection Molding – the most used technique of plastic and masterbatch manufacturing

In all masterbatch manufacturing methods, the first step is applying heat to the input material, which softens plastic masterbatch and gives them the ability to be shaped. For example, in injection molding, raw materials (it could be masterbatches, color pigments and additives) are heated to until all of them transformed to the liquid mixture. Then this mixture is passed through a horizontal syringe and bumped into the mold. After cooling down the temperature, manufacturers remove the mold leaving the final products with desired structure.

Although the front costs are the highest within the area of plastic masterbatch manufacturing due to complicated requirements in designing, testing and tooling the molds, its capacity to generate the mass production definitely won the game with annual amount can reach up to hundred thousands products for every machine per year. This humongous advantage gives the final products a very compatible price. Regarding to the applications, the number of fields that consits of equipment produced by this method is massive, including daily stuffs (kids toys, kitchen utensils, bottle caps, containers, etc.), surgical applications (which requires extremely precise shapes and sizes), automotive parts, etc.

In general, plastic injection molding is well suited for high volume, high quality objects. It can be said that this is properly the most multitasking technique in the masterbatch manufacturing field as it can generate products with very flexible, virtually limitless uses. Relatively, this molding process is perfectly beneficial for mass production or prototyping of a product.

Extrusion Molding – top 3 plastic masterbatch manufacturing technique

The extrusion molding is quite similar to injection molding, except for the fact that it does not have the mold connecting with the syringe. Instead of the mold like others, it has a die. Thus shapes of plastic products generated from this masterbatch manufacturing technique will depend on the shape of the fixed cross section that masterbatches come through (regularly a square or a circle). Consequently, the variety of its common products is much narrower than other methods. Extrusion molding is best suited for producing PVC hoses and straws, tubes and pipes, plastic decking and gutters. However, due to the low cost in generating the molding systems and equipment, it still can achieve a highly annual productivity.

Blow Molding – a masterbatch manufacturing technique using air to form plastic products

Blow molding, also called gas assisted or gas injection molding, is one of the most popular masterbatch manufacturing methods. This method utilizes high-pressure air or gas to form melted plastic into a fixed shape. The molding procedure starts with piping melted masterbatches into the molds. Next, gas is bumped to the inner site (the mold cavity) of the mold. As the result, plastic products are generated with shapes of the mold but are empty inside. Thus, this technique is appropriate for production thin walled, hollow and small sized subjects with cylinder shapes such as bottles, plastic drums, fuel tanks or syringes. Since its applications fluctuate in a wide range of distinct industries with flexible products, the annual quantity of this masterbatch manufacturing technique is quite higher compared to others. However, the adverse side of this method is that the mold’s cost is quite high.

Blowing Film is the most popular application in masterbatch manufacturing (Blowing Film)

One of the most popular methods that Europlas products are using is Blown Film (also known as film blowing or extrusion blowing). This process is used to produce various types of plastic films such as PE film, foam bag, thin film with good gloss or elasticity.

Film blowing technology is implemented as the following procedure:

• Adding materials including plastic, masterbatch and additives to the funnel to be heated and molten by high temperature
• The molten plastic is passed through a thin plastic tube
• Applying high-speed air around the plastic film tube
• Plastic diaphragm after being cooled is passed through the cylindrical rollers, then cut into halves or rolled into the core to produce plastic film rolls.

Become the expert in masterbatch manufacturing with thermoforming

Thermoforming is probably the least effort-consuming technique as it only requires high temperature to soften the hard plastic sheets. Being beneficial for low production with the masterbatch manufacturing productivity approximately 250 to 3000 features per year, the most popular products generated by this method ranges variously and flexibly from household appliances such as disposable cups, trays, lids, blisters and clamshells to industrial accessories like automotive parts, vehicle doors, dash panels or fridge liners. However, the time spent for processing the thermoform molds is quite long, accounted for about 8 weeks with the cost varies from $20,000 to $50,000 depending on the size.

Advanced knowledge about masterbatch manufacturing with Coating

Coating provides an insulative and protective cover for materials such as electrical components, wire forms, handles of everyday tools and sports equipment, medical equipment, etc. During the process, dip molders lower objects into a vat of molten plastic where the plastic adheres to the surface of the object. A primer may be applied to the surface of certain materials prior to dipping to ensure ideal coverage. This masterbatch manufacturing technique – Plastic Coating can be as thin as 0.25 inches but are often made thicker than that.

Dwell time is the length of time an object is immersed in plastic for, and usually the longer it is immersed for, the thicker the layer of plastic coating is. The coated object is then removed slowly from the vat to avoid surface irregularities. Oven temperature, dip speed and immersion times are all variables that affect the final quality of the coating.

Coating is used for various purposes. Plastic coating protects the surface of objects from damage. It proves to be a good resistor to environmental change and performs well for long.

The Milkman Model may sound outdated, since this term has a history dated back to the 1950s. At that time in the USA, consumers didn’t own the milk bottle, the producing companies did. The milkmen delivered the milk to customer’s house and collected the old empty bottles which had been used. They brought them back to the factory, where they would be washed, cleaned and ready to be used again. In the dawn of 2000s, with the mass production of bottles in significantly cheaper prices, instead of returning to the milkmen, the used bottles went straight to the garbage bin.

Consumer industry had indeed gone in a circle, because after about a century later, the plastic industry has considered revived this model.

On the recent event held by the World Economic Forum, Loop has announced on a new shopping platform. The idea was applauded by several industry influencers and experts and also expected to be a signal that changes consumer’s shopping habit.

Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, an international recycling company based in New Jersey, commented, “Loop is the future of consumption.” The top consumer brands PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-cola had registered on their partnership with Loop. The industry leaders shared a vision that by 2030, all of their packaging will be either reusable or recyclable. So far, the response to the Loop model has been highly positive.

Loop is, in short, a “reincarnation” of the milkman model. Loop deliverymen take shampoo, milk bottle, cosmetic products, etc per order to customer’s house. After use, customers return the empty bottle at their door, so that the deliverymen can bring them back to the recycling center.

Will this model hold any future in Vietnam and other developing countries?

This is a question that does not address the present, but the future. So far, online shopping and home delivery is not a popular shopping habit in Vietnam. Consumers has always been shopping directly at the store, hence there has never been a milkman model in Vietnam to begin with. There are only two outcome of this.

Stores will start to open a place for used bottle dumping. Customers bring their empty bottle back to a collection point in the store to gain discount.

Or the exact milkman model could work. With the rise of online shopping, the Loop model could be a perfect option to consider in the near future.

The only question left is, how much the consumer industry and the government are willing to assist this approach of recycling method?

Almost all the plastic products consumers’ use today have a touch of color in them. Color is not there only for aesthetic purpose, they function as a method to differentiate product’s categories, models and sizes. Because colored plastic is such a common practice, it leads to an assumption that plastic coloring is a simple process. While in reality, the challenge of coloring polymer involves complex science and technical skills.

First and foremost, it is the fundamental of developing a polymer colorant package. Often, the color of a product is customized per producer’s request, from the primary hues to tone, tint and shade. The ratio must be sophisticatedly engineered since the final appearance could be influenced by the polymer structure or the addition of other additives and stabilizers. Furthermore, if the desired color is obtained, there is always a chance other attributes like flame retardants agent, UV stability will be adversely affected. Hence several items are often put into careful consideration.

1. Chances of Chemical Mismatch

The chemistry of the pigment and the chemistry of the polymers may spot incompatibility problem in the mixing process. The fusion procedure includes elevated temperatures combined with aid from mechanical energy input. As a common fact, chemical reactions are facilitated at such intense thermal condition. If the chemical formulation is not prepared well beforehand, it cannot be stopped during the mixing procedure and the result will experience a fault or inferior.

Occasionally, errors may happen during the chemical interaction between lesser-known components hidden behind the core material. For instances, cadmium-free red pigments will likely to cause problem of flexibility loss when mixing with modified-purposed nylon.

2. The Temperature Environment

The thermal stability of the coloring system also carries a science into its process. Often, each constituents have a distinct level of temperature environment in which it can survive, interact with each other and be utilized, or all fail together. In order to optimize the formulation, the temperature was elevated to an excess of 150°C (300°F). At this point, the polymer structure are ready to be processed, but the question is whether the colorant chemistry would survive the heat. What engineers need to ensure then is to select the right pigment for the right polymer at the right heat. A pigment mixed with polycarbonate or polysufone with their high process temperature must have the capability of endure more intense heat. Meanwhile, a pigment chose for polyethylene or polypropylene can be processed on a relatively cooler thermal environment.

3. Differences Made by the Amount of Colorant

The ratio of pigment added into the base polymer could make a significant impact on how the final products present to be, not only in overall appearance but also in the internal quality of the polymer.

An excessive amount of colorant can negatively affect the structure of the base polymer. One of the most noticeable signal is the flexibility loss. In science term, pigment in some case can be considered a type of nano-constituents. The incorporation of pigment into polymer can alter its chemical structure, leading to some of its quality being stolen in the process. There is always an acceptable compatibility level in the amount of colorant mixing, usually a variance of more than 1 -2 % of that amount will cause problem.

4. Different Methods to Color Plastic

There are several manners in which polymers could be colored. They can be manufactured via masterbatch (also called concentrates), in which color pigment is concentrated into a carrier resin prior to injection molding. Other methods include precolored resin (or compounds) via melt blending. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages compared to each other.

The most cost-effective method is to directly mixing pigment powder with plastics. This can only be considered if used in a small quantity or urgent case, since the color is not put into optimal condition to truly incorporate with polymer. The result is that the product cannot achieve ideal color appearance: the color may be faded or unevenly distributed.

The second method is using masterbatch, this ranks as the most frequently-used plastic-coloring method. Masterbatch functions as pigments and additives mixed into a frame of polymer resin on high heat. This remains as the most economical approach to add color into plastic in mass, with quick turnaround time and high chance to achieve color specification.

Cube blend is the method of blending dry masterbatch with natural polymer. When there is no supplied metering equipment, cube blends helps engineers the control of how the exact final output will present. In this method, the polymer does not experience high heat and can preserve its original properties.

In such case with the necessity of high let down ratio, engineers often consider the use of precolored resin. This method is credited on its ease-of –use and quick performance rate. As pigments are directly polymerized into a resin frame, they can maintain consistency and overall properties and avoid certain error in the mixture process. Obviously, they do not offer the economical value like masterbatch.

5.  The Quality and Weight of Carrier Resin

Lastly, even the quality of the carrier resin has to be taken into consideration. Ensuring the compatibility of the carrier resin and base resin is just the first step, the mismatch in molecular weight between constituent can create a difference.

In addition, the base condition can have influence on the appearance of color. The same color used in nylon will appear lighter than it will in acrylic, even with the same tone and hue. The external of environment after the final products cool down from heat also have a certain percentage of effect on how it will be presented.

On 27/2/2019, Hanoi hosted the summit between two of the world’s most infamous leaders: President Donald Trump of the USA and president Kim Jong Un of North Korea. Even though the visit of President Kim, as normally, was shrouded by mystery, there is one image that takes the world by storm.

This green train is entirely bullet-proofing, it is Kim Jong Un’s favorite means of transportation and carries the symbol of the North Korea leader.

In light of this bizarre event, this article would address a fact only military specialists may know: bulletproof vest and glass, as we often see in movies and television nowadays, all have plastic as one of the chief components.

The history of bullet-proof vest

Throughout the medieval and feudal eras, protection suit for combat soldiers were associated with the famous term “amour”. For centuries, soldier stormed into the battlefield with mail armor, a costume consists of iron, steel or brass chains. In many regions like China or Japan, people developed scale armor, with materials taken from animal scale, bone or hone to make leather and metal clad.

The arrival of the World War I had triggered severe changes and revolution in the use of weapon. Gunfire erupted the battles and experiments were called to invent a modern armor which can challenge of force of gun.  Reinforced steel plate would also limit soldier’s movement and impede their arms. Several models of gunfire-proof were introduced but in the end, none really made a significant effect.

The plastic revolution of the 1940s marked a turning point in the history of weapon technology. Military scientists invented the first models of the modern bullet-proof vest, made of ballistic nylon fused with plates of fiber-glass, titanium, steel and ceramic. They bore the strength of steel and the resilience, lightweight of plastic. Due to such convenience, the vests were widely used by law enforcers and military personnel.

In 1965, Du Pont chemist Stephanie Kwolek invented the Kevlar, the most common bullet-proof suit until today. Instead of ballistic nylon, Kwolek turned to poly-para-phenylene terephthalamide, a type of polymer that can be transformed into aramid fiber and sewed into cloth. Since then, Kevlar suit has been the standard and traditional bullet-proof vest.

Nowadays, bullet-proof vest is made from a sheet of advanced plastic polymer, with layers of Kevlar or other material like Spectra Shield, coated and bounded by resins. In extreme situation, metal plates can be inserted between the fabric to protect the most vulnerable part such as chest or upper back.

Bullet-proof glass: A sandwich of glass and plastic

A normal piece of glass would shatter if hit by a bullet simply because glass is inflexible. It cannot bend or absorb heat and energy. The science behind bullet-proof glass is simple to demonstrate: they are made from layers of glasses sandwiched with interlayers of plastic. The layers are often designed to maintain their thin width, but they are still twice heavier than an ordinary glass panel of the same size.

When the bullet hit the glass, its energy will be spread and absorbed through the layers of glasses and plastic and quickly dries out. At this point, the glass layers will break apart, but it’s the plastic panel that hold them together. Therefore, when attacked by gunfire, bullet-proof glass will crack but not shatter, since only the glass panes are broken but the plastic remains.

Plastic is, by all means, the devil we befriend. For all the call of environmentalists about banning plastic use for goods, it remains as the truth that humans can’t separate their daily life from plastic. They are parts of our cars, our homes. They are what keep our food fresh overnight and most importantly, they are the basic material used in hospital and medical care. We have often been warned of being drown by the ocean of plastic we left behind. But the opposite is also true, without plastic, the human civilization may collapse just as quickly.

Today, we will look at five of the most innovative inventions made from plastic.

1. Artificial heart

The use of artificial heart is considered one of the break-through innovation in the medical industry. A plastic heart maintain the lives of patients during the time they wait for a proper heart transplant, or simple extend their lives in the case no donor heart is available. According to the the SynCardia, a person with a TAH (Total Artificial Heart) comprises of pulsatile, ventricles and valves like a human’s heart. It is biocompatible and can help the patients enjoy an active life to 5 years before they could find a donor heart.

2. Spacesuit

A spacesuit is the shield of an astronauts, their protection against the hostile cosmo environment. Spacesuit helps them breath, perform normal activity in a zero-gravity environment and move among space dust to collect planet material samples.

Due to these requirement, spacesuit has to be flexible, strong and anti-UV radiation. This suit is comprised of several layers of plastic, they are resilient enough to endure extreme conditions, heat, forces while the plastic material is still light enough to allow movement.

3. Plastic wheelchair

There is an estimate of hundred million disabled people in the developing countries cannot afford for themselves a wheelchair. Life is hard for the poor, and it is made almost impossible for those suffering both disability and poverty. Mechanical engineer and inventor Don Schoendorfer thought of a solution: a low-cost, substainable wheelchair that can be produced in mass to support thousands of people at a time.

The wheelchair is a combination of available supplies, a plastic lawn, a steel frame and bike-tires. Such a simple design, but thanks to it thousands of disables are able to move again.

In 2001, Schoendorfer founded Free Wheelchair Mission. His nonprofit organization has delivered mobility to people in 80 developing countries at zero price.

4. Seabin Project

In 2015, two Australian surfers came up with an idea to combat the plastic waste piling up in their oceanland. The Seabin is a floating rubbish bin that can be located in the marinas, docks water area. The inside of the bin circled along the force of windblow and tide. Water is sucked through the catch bag inside while rubbish remained trapped in the bag, ready to be expose. The bin can even collect a percentage of oil and liquid waste through its fin.

The Australian government had issued order to optimize this project in several habors and docks in the country.

5. Lego houses

With the rising housing crisis in Colombia together with the mountain of plastic landfill left on ports, Colombian startup Conceptos Plásticos has invented a new model of construction: a real-life Lego houses for homeless people. The house is totally made of recycled plastic bricks, it can be built and decluttered within days.

Due to the resilence of plastic, these bricks can hold again earthquakes, fire and lightnings. They are also considered as an optimal solution for temperary residence of natural disaster. If there is a need to move location or to redesign the house, residents can remove the bricks, store them on their car and rebuild them again.

In 2015, 42 families in Colombia has registered as owner of these mobile Lego house.

The Difference between Extrusion Blow Molding and Injection Molding

There are not one, but several methods can be used to form plastic bottle and containers, among these the most common terms are Extrusion Blow Molding and Injection Molding. Both are processes to produce plastic parts, both requires the input of melted polymer into a metal mold, but they serve two different markets.

Extrusion Blow Molding

Extrusion Blow Molding (EBM) is the procedure of extruding (or blowing) melted plastic into a mold. Extrusion blow molding follows six fixed steps. As the mold is put in a released state, a mass of melted, unformed plastic is extruded into a open mold. As the mold closes, tightening a grip on the plastic tube, compressed air is bumped into the tube. The layer of plastic is then inflated until it perfectly cling to the metal mold. In the final stages, the newly-formed plastic bottle is trimmed and released from the mold, ready for the next step of delivery. Types of plastic used in blow molding are: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyester and Urethane.

Injection Molding

Injection molding provides a similar concept with a different mechanism. Plastic granules are transferred through a barrel where it will be heated and metled. The melted plastic mass will then be forced into a mold. There was no air pressure, no inflation technique, plastic is injected until it loads the metal mold. In the final step, the mold opens and removes the object, already cooled and solidfied. Types of plastic commonly used in injection molding are: ABS, Polypropylene (PP), Polycarbonate (PC), PVC, Nylon.

Two different techniques, two different purposes

The core difference between the two technique of blow molding and injection molding is the finished forms of the products. Blow molding is utilized to produce hollow parts like bottles, barrel, containers. Manufacturers rely on blow molding when they need to produce complex shapes, something that speaks of value, identity, branding. However, it also equates that in extrusion blow molding.

On the other hand, injection molding is considered for the manufacture of more solid parts: bottle caps, pocket combs, automotive dashboard, packaging, wire spools. The technique serves a completely different market of supply to blow molding. While it is not optimal to use injection molding to produce complicated part, the process has a high performance rate. It can deliver a significant volume of quality, solid parts with great accuracy at a high rate of speed.