Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liquid Colour

Liquid colour, also known as liquid masterbatch or liquid colourants, is made up of pigments and additives dispersed in a liquid carrier that are mixed into plastics to impart colour.

The technology has been around for decades, but recent improvements in gravimetric technology and sealed delivery systems have increased popularity. Here, Riverdale Global, specialists in liquid colour and additives, explore why you should choose liquid colour over solid masterbatch.

1. Significantly lower cost

Less colour is needed to achieve the same shade. This is of particular benefit considering recent economic constraints and price volatility in commodity resins. With Riverdale liquid colour, you can reduce your cost of colouring by 50%.

2. Improved colour dispersion

We mill each colour separately, ensuring full strength is achieved. Liquid colours are easier to disperse uniformly than solid colourants when used at low levels for tints, providing greater colour strength in the final product. Often 30% less pigment is needed when using liquid colour. This gives recyclers an easier time to provide the industry with more post-consumer material (PCR) to replace virgin.

3. Faster colour change times

Liquid colour leaves less residue on screws and barrels, allowing for quicker changeover times. With Riverdale liquid colour, production rates are improved, purge time is reduced, allowing plastics processors to cut their colour change losses in half.

4. Improved yield

Liquid colour can achieve the same strength of colour with a lower percentage in weight in the formula, resulting in a higher yield.

5. No heat history degradation

Liquid needs lower process temperatures than solid masterbatch, resulting in no heat history degradation, eliminating pre-decomposition concerns.

6. Higher colour control accuracy

Gravimetric control is the only proven way to assure metering accuracy, reduced colour usage and a lower cost of colouring. To ensure the accuracy required, Riverdale Global provides, as standard, its proprietary gravimetric metering system, manufactured exclusively for Riverdale by Maguire Products. Gravimetric technology typically saves 10% savings over volumetric technology through precise metering.

7. Lower energy costs

Dispersing pigment into liquid uses 90% less energy than compounding pigment in colour. Liquid colour provides reduced screw torque, lower process temperatures and less demand on chillers. This leads to overall energy savings as high as 16% when colouring products with liquid versus pellet.

8. Easier to create special effects

Liquid colour provides the best pearlescent and metallic effects, helping brand owners and packagers enhance shelf appeal and add value while using lower let-downs of colourant than pellet masterbatch. Like other liquid colour and additives from Riverdale Global, these special effect colours are provided in a sealed container to keep your process clean, avoiding spillages and leaks.

9. More colour vibrancy

We mill each colour separately for full-colour development before blending. This provides brighter colours and allows for lower let down ratios while providing greater strength in the final product.

10. Non-carbon-based sustainable carriers