EuroWire May 2017

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Feature
Compounds, masterbatches & additives
May 2017 42
Feature
Compounds,
masterbatches
& additives
If an article or paper on
masterbatches is accom-
panied by photos, one of
them is sure to picture open
containers of pigments in
vivid candy colours, making
for the most attractive
illustrations in wiremaking.
To the eye of an expert,
this will not blunt the
vital importance of these
concentrated mixtures of
additives which – together
with compounds – call
for the most exquisitely
precise transmission and
distribution of extrusion
and pelletising power.
A leading provider of
thermoplastic elastomers
describes a masterbatch as
a “package” for colouring
plastics. It is a package that
has been perfected over
many decades for wire-
makers who have come to
rely on its contents for some
very exacting attributes, not
even excluding electrical
conductivity and UV
resistance. Photo courtesy of Dow Corning USA