How are the colors of PVC colored boards added?
PVC colored board can be seen everywhere in daily life, from home decoration wall panels to billboards and display cabinets. Its colorful appearance makes it a popular decorative material pvc hard board . But have you ever been curious about how these bright and long-lasting colors "ran" onto the white PVC board pvc hard board ?
The answer is not mysterious - it mainly relies on coloring agents. In actual production, the different coloring methods and materials used directly determine the color effect, durability, and cost.
1、 The most common method is to add color powder (dry mix coloring)
This is the most widely used and common coloring method in the production of PVC colored boards.
The so-called "color powder" usually refers to organic pigment powder or inorganic pigment powder. During the mixing and stirring process of PVC resin with stabilizers, lubricants, and other additives, pvc hard board the pigment is directly added in a certain proportion and uniformly stirred by a high-speed mixer to disperse the pigment particles in the PVC matrix pvc hard board .
The commonly used types of color powders have their own characteristics:
Titanium dioxide is the foundation of white and light colors, with extremely strong covering power; Cadmium based pigments have good weather resistance and bright colors, and are often used for red, pvc hard board yellow, and orange; Phthalocyanine pigments have high coloring power, excellent light and weather resistance, pvc hard board and are the mainstay of blue and green colors; The covering power and coloring power of carbon black are extremely high, almost all black PVC boards rely on it; Iron oxide pigments are inexpensive and have good weather resistance, commonly used in earthy colors such as brown, red, and yellow pvc hard board .
The advantages of this method are simple process, low cost, pvc hard board wide color selection range, and the ability to mix almost any color. But there are also shortcomings: the color powder is a solid particle that does not have a chemical bond with PVC resin. If it is not evenly dispersed, it is prone to color differences, stripes, or spots.
2、 A more advanced approach: masterbatch coloring
Color masterbatch, as the name suggests,pvc hard board is a granular "color concentration package" made by highly concentrating pigments and wrapping them in a layer of PVC carrier resin.
When in use, there is no need to directly pour color powder into the mixing pot. Instead, add color masterbatch in proportion and mix it with PVC raw materials pvc hard board .
The advantages of color masterbatch are very obvious:
Firstly, it has good dispersibility. The pigment has undergone high shear force pre dispersion during the production of color masterbatch, resulting in finer and more uniform particles that are less prone to color difference when mixed with PVC pvc hard board .
Secondly, it has high environmental friendliness. Avoiding dust flying during the weighing and feeding process of color powder, the workshop environment is cleaner pvc hard board .
Thirdly, the color matching is precise. The color masterbatch manufacturer has pre prepared standard colors, and users only need to use them in proportion with good repeatability.
Of course, the unit price of color masterbatch is higher than directly using color powder, so it is mostly used for products with higher appearance requirements, such as high-end decorative panels, car interior panels, etc.
3、 The most economical way: color paste (paste like coloring agent)
Color paste is a paste or paste like coloring agent made by mixing and grinding pigments with plasticizers (such as common phthalates pvc hard board ).
Its characteristic is that the pigment has been pre dispersed in the liquid plasticizer, and when used, it is directly added to the PVC ingredient by metering and stirring. Since plasticizers themselves are components of PVC formulations, the addition of color paste will not disrupt the balance of the formulation.
Color paste is commonly used in soft PVC products, such as PVC floor leather, synthetic leather, etc. Its advantages are better dispersibility than dry powder and easy operation; The disadvantage is that additional plasticizers will be introduced, and attention should be paid to controlling the total amount of pvc hard board plasticizers in the formula.
4、 Special method: Metal powder and pearl powder
In addition to ordinary colors, PVC colored boards sometimes require a metallic texture or pearl effect, such as imitation brushed metal, shimmering silver, pearl white, etc.
Metal powder is usually aluminum powder or pvc hard board copper powder, which can give the sheet metal luster and is commonly used for PVC sheets with a stainless steel like effect.
The essence of pearl powder is that the surface of mica flakes is coated with a layer of metal oxides such as titanium dioxide or iron oxide, which interfere and refract when exposed to light, presenting a soft pearl effect pvc hard board .
This type of coloring agent does not develop color by "absorbing light", but by reflection and interference, so their addition method is usually similar to that of color powder, mainly dry mixing, but requires higher dispersion process requirements, otherwise bright spots or dark spots are prone to appear pvc hard board .
5、 How long can the color last? What is it related to?
Many people may ask: Will the color of PVC color board fade?
This mainly depends on three factors:
Firstly, the light and weather resistance of the pigment itself. Inorganic pigments (such as iron oxides) are usually more sun resistant than organic pigments; Titanium dioxide has excellent weather resistance, while some inexpensive organic red and yellow pigments are prone to decomposition and fading under ultraviolet light.
Secondly, stabilizers in PVC formulations. The calcium zinc stable system is more environmentally friendly than the lead salt system, but the protective effect on pigments requires formula optimization. If the stable system is not good enough, PVC itself will degrade first, and the color will naturally change.
Thirdly, the degree of pigment dispersion. The more evenly dispersed the pigment particles are, the better they are "wrapped" by the PVC matrix, the lower the probability of external erosion, and the longer the color is.
summary
The color of PVC color board is essentially achieved by adding pigment colorants to the PVC matrix. Based on product positioning and cost requirements, different choices can be made:
Color powder dry mixing is suitable for general products and large-scale production, with the lowest cost, but the dispersion effect is average; Masterbatch coloring is suitable for products with high appearance requirements, with medium to high cost and excellent dispersion effect; Color paste coloring is commonly used for soft PVC products, with moderate cost and good dispersion effect; Metal powder and pearl powder are used for special decorative effects, which have high costs and require precise process control.
A seemingly simple touch of color is actually a comprehensive reflection of materials science, color science, and process technology. The next time you see a brightly colored PVC board, you will know that it is not "dyed", but millions of tiny pigment particles carefully "hidden" inside the plastic body.
