What are the advantages of using Coloured Masterbatches in the Medical Industry?
Because of the intense competition among device manufacturers in the institutional market, the usage of colours for instant brand recognition among medical professionals including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers has been given a boost. As the demand for home healthcare continues to grow, more and more medical gadgets are making their way into consumer markets. These sectors are heavily influenced by branding and aesthetics.
The current economic climate has also resulted in a greater emphasis being placed on polymer pigmenting alternatives that provide the most optimal balance of cost and performance for a given volume of application. Production yields, as well as Process efficiencies, can have a higher effect on cost than the price of the material alone, particularly when short production runs are required for devices that are smaller and more highly specialised. Palvi Masterbatches is an excellent manufacturer and supplier of Masterbatches for Healthcare & Pharma in Abu Dhabi as well as PE Filler Masterbatch for Shopping bag in Abu Dhabi.
The Traditional Approach to using Coloured Masterbatches:
Aesthetics, brand recognition, and product differentiation have all been achieved by using colour in the design of medical devices. Increasingly, medical components are using a larger range of colours as macro trends reshape the industry.
Using masterbatches or colour concentrates, for pigmenting polymers is widely recognised in the plastics sector. High levels of colours and/or other additives are included inside a polymer matrix. In either case, the polymer matrix is either compatible or the same as the polymer that is to be added to it. Polypropylene, ethyl vinyl acetate, and polyethylene are some of the most common masterbatch carriers (EVA).
In order to create a "salt-and-pepper mix" before extrusion or injection moulding, masterbatch pellets are incorporated into the natural resin. Allow down ratios are used to blend masterbatches in a specific ratio, known as the masterbatches (LDR). Let-down ratios (the ratio of virgin resin to masterbatch) commonly range from 20:1 to 50:1, or 5% to 2% loading percentage. Based on the intended colour and pigment kinds, as well as predicted processing machine parameters for a particular masterbatch.
Even though masterbatches manufactured by some of the best manufacturers of Masterbatches for Healthcare & Pharma in Abu Dhabi are pricey due to the high loadings of expensive pigments, extensive manufacturing runs can save money by using a large amount of resin. Because the majority of the material is a natural polymer, this strategy can help keep inventory costs low.
Colour metering weighs feeders to help reduce colour and ratio variance. To further assure accurate material metering into the machine, loss-in-weight feed hoppers are utilised. Prior to entering the machine screw, hopper feed screws must be constructed to appropriately measure and mix masterbatch pellets with virgin pellets at the correct ratio. Speciality medical devices, with their smaller production runs and higher upfront costs, have a harder time justifying these kinds of financial commitments.
To get the necessary colour uniformity from one element to the next, you'll need a good amount of setup time and engineering control. Long manufacturing runs of material-intensive products can compensate for lost production time and material due to lengthy set-up times. With scarce and expensive materials, this can have a greater immediate influence on the cost of parts.
Advantages of using Coloured Masterbatches in the Healthcare and Pharma Industry:
To obtain uniform colour quality in today's smaller medical devices that require less material and often shorter production runs, pre-coloured compounds are preferred over masterbatches in a number of instances. Thin-walled sections with poor dispersion of colours are among the most common reasons for rejection. Pre-coloured polymers are a cost-effective option for these parts. Fillers and pigments can be more evenly dispersed in pre-coloured polymers, especially those made utilising twin-screw compounding. This results in better consistency and higher production rates.
Depending on the desired colour and the polymer or additive used, higher pigment loadings may be necessary. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin, for example, has a natural tan tint and requires a large amount of pigment loading to produce vivid colours. Bismuth, for example, is a radiopaque filler that is bright white and is typically used in a 20 to 40 percent by weight loading for fluoroscopy or X-ray equipment visualisation. Higher pigment concentration offsets white to create a specified colour match.
