Masterbatch products are often referred to as a concentrate when it is used for the process of coloring plastics which are then made into different products. In this process, additives like pigments, colour dyes, and other additive substances are mixed in with the polymer carrier compound, heated, cooled, and extruded into pellet shapes or ball-bearing shapes. These pellets of natural polymer can then be mixed with special colours as per requirement along with more resin to create the end product.
The use of masterbatch products in chemical and plastic manufacturing industries is growing significantly with the more and more countries using these products. Masterbatch granules are used along with various polymer additives which change the properties of the finished product based on manufacturer requirements. These could range from anti-slip, heat stabilizing, stiffening, brighteners, solar heat reflectors, infrared, etc. One of the biggest advantages of using masterbatch is that it can be used against any available resin in the market.
In all of these processes, additive masterbatch can be made by adding in different types of polymer resins during a heat treatment process; this could include either the carrier resin or the dilution resin. The finished product is then cooled and made into granular shapes for ease of use and transport. The additives that are used by masterbatch manufacturers are typically performance enhancing additives which boosts the performance of the end product or it could be processing additives which helps to smooth the manufacturing process.