Additives: High-Performance Colorants for Engineering Plastics

A new spectrum of bright, high-performance colorants for nylons and other high-heat resins used in electrical, automotive and industrial applications has been developed by Milliken & Company, Spartanburg, S.C. Since resins in such demanding applications are subjected to high-temperature processing, steady and reliable performance properties have made the vibrancy of color difficult to achieve. Milliken’s KeyPlast Resist colorants, which will be officially launched at this month’s K 2019, reportedly are specially designed for coloring engineering polymers such as nylons, polyimides, polysulfones, PBT, PEEK, PPO and other high-heat resins and alloys.

The new range of colorants can be used effectively with unfilled, glass-filled, and flame-retardant grades of various nylons including nylon 6, 66, 46 and other high-temperature engineered resins. They are said to deliver the brilliant, consistent colors—including bright orange, yellow, red, blue and green—and the high-end properties that users demand. These colorants reportedly offer improved weather resistance and light fastness, are high purity and perform well in the high-temperature and chemically-reductive conditions typically associated with high-performance polymers. Said Sami T.K. Palanisami, Milliken global product line manager for plastic colorants, “Keyplast Resist meets the strong requirements in another fast-growing application area—that of electrical vehicles and their charging system requirements.”