There are many advantages associated with the use of liquid colour, but there is also the potential for handling complications and plant-floor mess. A new comprehensive colour-management system available to North American processors eliminates these problems and saves costs, according to Riverdale Color's president Chuck Irish. In addition, he argues, processors can achieve even greater cost savings by using liquid colour with gravimetric blenders.
Although there are economic advantages of using liquid color over pellet masterbatch, many plastics processors decline to use liquid colour because they perceive it to be difficult to work with. Improper handling and minor problems like leakage complicate colour dosing, plant maintenance and drum disposal and can cause sheer mess on the plant floor. Yet with proper handling in a system that minimizes exposure of colorant to the plant environment, liquid color can be easier to use than conventional masterbatch.
Figure : The Pump-in-a-Drum system from Riverdale Color with a gravimetric blender.