For gaudy colours: fluorescent pigments from ROWASOL
04.04.2016
ROWASOL, the specialist for customer specific liquid colours, offers a broad spectrum of lightfast fluorescent pigments dispersed in special liquid carriers which have proven their worth especially in the field of polyolefins. ROWASOL has now expanded the portfolio to include thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) applications.
Pinneberg/Germany, April 4th, 2016 – Daylight fluorescent pigments are gaudy colorants. In everyday use, they are familiar as the kind of “neon” colours used in highlighters, for example. This luminescent effect is caused by UV light being absorbed and then re-emitted in the visible spectrum. Under UV light, the colours glare even more. This effect was used in the 1980s for so-called black light makeup, for instance.
Plastics are also often combined with fluorescent pigments when the aim is to design particularly eye-catching products. ROWASOL One thing common to all fluorescent pigments is their limited thermal stability, which can lead to high reject rates from cracking during processing. Unlike conventional masterbatches, however, the liquid colour is produced at room temperature. This avoids thermal pre-stressing of the fluorescent pigments, which are exposed to heat only once during later processing. This, in turns, leads to lower reject rates.
By including TPU applications ROWASOL has extended its portfolio optimally. The developed colours do not migrate and the resulting products are suitable for articles intended to come in contact with food. One initial application – for wear-resistant TPU shoe soles in vivid neon colours – has now been successfully developed.