Masterbatch is a concentrated blend of colorants, special effect pigments, and functional additives dispersed in a carrier resin. Supplied mainly as pellets, it’s added during plastic manufacturing to provide consistent color, unique finishes, and improved material properties. Masterbatch is widely used in processes like injection molding, extrusion, and blow molding across industries from packaging to automotive. It offers benefits over liquid colors and powders by ensuring cleaner production, precise dosing, and reduced waste. It can also be tailored for recycled polymers and combined with additives like UV stabilizers for enhanced performance. The production process involves blending, extrusion, cooling, and pelletizing to create ready-to-use masterbatch pellets.

This article explains how blending SBS (styrene–butadiene–styrene) with PE (polyethylene) or PS (polystyrene) improves its properties. Adding PE enhances SBS’s abrasion resistance, hardness, weatherability, and tear strength, while maintaining good tensile strength and elongation. Blending with PS increases hardness and melt flow rate but may reduce tensile strength and elongation due to phase separation at higher PS content. Proper oil extension and using grafted compatibilizers can further improve processing and compatibility. These blending techniques help produce TPE/TPR materials and impact modifiers suitable for footwear, automotive parts, and plastic toughening applications.

To prevent common injection molding defects in TPE and TPR products—such as flow marks, sink marks, and gate breakage—manufacturers can improve melt strength by adding 5–15% TPV during pelletizing. TPV modification enhances molecular chain entanglement, improves dimensional stability, and slightly increases hardness while maintaining thermoplastic processability. For best results, TPV should be uniformly blended using a twin-screw extruder, with process adjustments made to account for higher melt viscosity. This approach helps achieve better product quality and reduces defects in thin-walled, complex molded parts like medical grips and precision seals.

This article explains how plastics processors can improve purging efficiency by combining high-quality purging compounds with well-managed processes. It highlights common mistakes—like using cheap virgin resin, choosing purging compounds only by price, and ignoring supplier instructions—that often reduce cleaning effectiveness. The article also emphasizes the importance of consistent training, process monitoring, and choosing the right supplier to reduce downtime, extend equipment life, and improve profitability in extrusion and injection molding operations.

Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) is a thermoplastic elastomer formed by copolymerizing ethylene and vinyl acetate (VAc). Its properties vary with VAc content—lower content results in plastic-like characteristics, while higher content brings more rubber-like elasticity. EVA is widely used in injection molding, extrusion, and foam applications such as shoe soles, cable insulation, and packaging films. It improves flexibility, toughness, and compatibility when blended with PE or PP and can be modified for enhanced wear and tear resistance.

This article explores common causes of die hole blockage in underwater pelletizing systems—especially when processing engineering polymers like PET, nylon, and polycarbonate—and outlines three key strategies to reduce cleaning frequency: automating the startup sequence to avoid premature cooling or smearing, optimizing die heating and insulation to prevent uneven temperature distribution, and maintaining stable extrusion conditions using melt pumps and continuous screen changers. These solutions help ensure consistent pellet quality, reduce downtime, and improve overall production efficiency.

This article explores the five main factors that cause wear in twin-screw extruder barrels and screws: abrasive wear from fillers, corrosive additives, high-intensity wear zones, extreme operating conditions (temperature and pressure), and internal moisture or gases. It emphasizes the importance of choosing high-performance materials—especially powder metallurgy steel—to extend component lifespan, reduce maintenance costs, and improve production efficiency in plastic compounding operations.

This article provides an overview of rubber and plastic material blending and modification techniques used to enhance overall performance. It details common thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) blends such as TPS, TPU, and TPEE with plastics like PP, PE, ABS, and PVC. Each blend is chosen to improve specific properties like hardness, elasticity, processability, or flame resistance. The article also introduces typical processing equipment like twin-screw extruders and mixers, emphasizing their role in efficient material compounding.

This article explains how to properly design and operate pneumatic conveying and feeding systems for powdered calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in plastic compounding. It highlights the challenges caused by particle interactions and varying material properties, emphasizing the need for customized systems. Key considerations include material flow behavior, equipment selection (such as rotary valves, hoppers, and feeders), and process optimization to ensure stable performance, accurate dosing, and efficient plant operation.

This article explains how to choose suitable carrier resins for color masterbatches in TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) pelletizing based on application scenarios. It emphasizes key selection criteria such as compatibility, processing temperature, performance impact, and cost-efficiency. Specific carriers like LDPE, PP, PS, EVA, and SEBS are recommended for different TPE uses—ranging from toys and automotive parts to medical tubing and food-grade products. It also highlights considerations for pigment-carrier matching, masterbatch concentration, and processing optimization.