Recorded October 13, 2016
Presented by RTP Company
Learn how special effect thermoplastic compounds can increase consumer appeal, provide beneficial features, and add visual impact to your plastic product! Join RTP Company for a unique presentation on special effect technologies that can be used to create the aesthetic appeal and functionality that your plastic product requires. This webinar is for designers, marketing professionals, engineers, and purchasers who want to better understand the variety of special effect compounds available to make your product stand out!
Presented by Shawn Bergsurd, North American Color Lab Manager, this 40 minute webinar will cover the following topics:
- Brief introduction to the RTP Company Color Division
- Appearance, material, and functional special effects that can achieved using thermoplastic compounds
- Determining which special effect is right for your product
- Understanding the way color is perceived in plastic applications
Register now to learn more about special effect compounds from RTP Company, as well as the design flexibility, global manufacturing consistency, and color development we can provide for your thermoplastic applications.
Webinar Transcript
Shawn: Now let’s start a discussion on special effects. So what is a special effect? A special effect gives you that color plus that extra oomph that really captures audiences. Special effects can create an illusion, either through color shifts or transforming your product from plastic into what looks like marble. It can convey a feeling of luxuriousness, as well as differentiate your product. I mean, take a look at how cool this bean bag is. Instead of just a plain bean bag, it differentiates itself by implementing a thermochromatic shift. To sum it up, the main goal is to enhance function and consumer appeal, no matter what industry you’re in.
There are many variances in special effects. I’ve categorized them into five groups: variegated effects (so your swirls and camos), shimmer effects, sparkle effects, color shift effects, and functional effects.
Our first variegated effect is the swirl or camo. Resins are limited to mainly polyolefins, but we are doing more research to expand into ABS and other engineering resins every day. All colors can be customized, and good UV and food contact is not an issue. Swirls can be used for injection molding, blow molding, and extrusion, but may require low and distributive mixing. You don’t want to have a mixing screw on your machine, or you may meld all the colors into one. Common applications are with sporting equipment and outdoor furniture.
And if you look at the bottom of the page, you’ll see two colors recommended from the Hueforia Trend Colors of 2017. Hueforia is the color development team at RTP, and we are an active member in the color marketing group to set color trends globally across all markets. The 2017 colors are to watch out for on this one is Cornflower and Grey Flannel.
Another one of our variegated effects is the rock. Our rock and stone effects are used for injection molding, blow molding, and extrusion in most thermoplastic resins. The speckle effect, when combined with additives to reduce the gloss of the base polymer produce a natural stone-like appearance. Glossy surfaces work well with the marbles or swirl effects. All aspects of the particulate size to the swirl can be customized, so we can do large particle sizes or very small ones. These are also good for outdoor, and we can make them for food contact. Similar to the swirl, this is going to require a low-distributive mixing process. Some applications include lawn and gardening equipment, and as well as construction. And again, you can see the two Hueforia colors at the bottom.
One of today’s most common effects is the pearlescent for everything from packaging to medical devices and consumer goods, to large appliances and automotive interiors. This is the pearlescent effect. It adds value through luxury and beauty. It is best with polymers with a high refractive index but can work in most polymers. For the pearl effect, you need to design with care. Obviously, weld lines are going to be a problem but can be minimized with proper tooling. And two classic colors are considered from the 2017 palette are Black Pearl and White Pearl.
Metallic is also categorized as a sparkle effect. Sparkle effect sizes run from small to large with smaller sizes seen in many electronic devices and consumer goods, to the large glitter effects seen in children’s toys, and even big boy toys like bass boats or other outdoor recreational vehicles and sporting equipment. Similar to the pearl, design is critical for your tooling. Weld lines are always a problem. And Hueforia Silver Sparkle and Gold Sparkle are trending this year.
Download the full transcript here…
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I will not be able to attend this webinar, sorry but can you forward me the information covered in this session?
Hi J-Mike,
The replay is now available above! Thanks!
Angie
Prospector Knowledge Center Content Manager