Coatings World staff06.17.20
The Shepherd Color Company launched Black 10P925, a cost-effective IR Black colorant for packaging that can reflect IR wavelengths in recycling sorting facilities, so these plastics may be recycled.
Black is a popular color used for plastic packaging, which is mostly carbon black pigment. The carbon black pigmentation absorbs the light from the emitter used in plastic sorting centers, which prevents the sensor from identifying the polymer used, so the material is then rejected and not recycled.
Shepherd Color has spent the last 40 years developing, optimizing, and manufacturing IR Black pigments.
Based on the new balance of properties needed for the recycling application, they were able to design, prototype and scale-up an IR Black pigment to meet this new need. This IR Black pigment advancement is Arctic® Black 10P925. The pigment is optimized for infrared sorting of plastics and has the following characteristics:
- Jet masstone color;
- Non-magnetic;
- Survives multiple extrusions;
- Single pigment solution;
- Widely listed on chemical registries for global supply;
- Food packaging compliance in key EU market
Black 10P925 is not only excellent for coloring plastic articles used for producing, packaging and transporting food but can be used in other coatings as well. This new pigment is an example of Shepherd Color’s R&D expertise in developing products that provide unique tools to solve the challenges of customers in the coatings and plastics industries.
