Additive | IR Barriere

IR Barriere Masterbatch

IR Barriere Masterbatch consists of a concentrated mixture of pigments and/or encapsulated additives manufactured by heating a carrier resin and then cooling it and cutting it into granules. The masterbatch thus allows the transformer to colour and give characteristics to the natural polymer economically in the plastics transformation process.

R Barriere Masterbatch | Technical Advantages | Shelf Life

• Prevents problems of agglomeration of additives or colourants as well as dispersion problems.
• Does not contain solvents and therefore has a longer shelf life.
• Contains an average of 40-65% additive, but the range can reach 15-80% in extreme cases.
• A 25kg bag processes up to one tonne of raw material. Thus, the relatively dilute nature of the materbatches allows for greater precision when dosing small quantities.

Carrier and Dosage

The masterbatch carrier must be identical/compatible with the polymer. For example, EVA or LDPE is a compatible carrier with polyolefins and nylon, as is polystyrene with ABS, SAN and sometimes polycarbonates.

In this sense, when the masterbatch carrier is incompatible with the raw material, changes may occur in the properties of the processed material. The processor must specify the characteristics of the raw material. The percentage of use of masterbatches in relation to the raw material is between 1 and 5 %. Colour and additive masterbatches can be combined.

Adverse effects

• Adverse effects sometimes occur, such as the masterbatch separating from the raw material in the machine hopper.
• The masterbatch, solid or liquid, is added directly to the machine spindle via a peristaltic pump.
• The use of liquid masterbatches also makes it possible to obtain highly precise dosages and rapid colour changes between production runs.

IR Barriere Masterbatch| Transformation processes

Masterbatches are compatible with most processes, with the exception of rotational moulding, plastisol and other liquid resin systems.

The use of our specialized infrared barrier additive systems allows the control of the climatic conditions inside plastic greenhouses such as those of small and large tunnels.

The appropriate additive system can be chosen to allow an increase of the overnight temperatures in temperate climates, commonly referred to as thermic films, as well as a reduction of daytime temperatures in hotter climes, referred to as referred to as near infrared reflectors. These modified conditions allow for optimum growing conditions which allow the producer to extend the season, increase yields and maximize profit.

Adplast® has developed specialized masterbatches both for thermic films and for near infrared reflectors. We supply  high-performance infrared barrier masterbatch which offers excellent thermic properties in large and small greenhouse plastic film tunnels, and outstanding optical film properties. For hotter climes we have developed masterbatches with near infrared reflector properties with excellent optical properties that eliminates the need for whitewash.

These masterbatches can be combined with some of our UV stabilizer packages to provide a integrated solution in agricultural applications.

Contact us.