Gabriel-Chemie to exhibit at Engineering Design Show

Colour Vision includes special-effect pigments, in both opaque and transparent versions

Masterbatch producer Gabriel-Chemie will highlight a range of masterbatch developments at the Engineering Design Show at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, 10-11 October. Heavyweight compounds will feature, as well as additives for laser marking and scratch resistance.

Laser marking

The company will demonstrate its laser additive range by marking a swatch of Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI)-rated surface finishes. The swatch was produced from a mould provided by Gemini Prototype. Visitors to the Gabriel-Chemie stand will see plastic parts in different shapes, colours and textures marked with a VDI mould reference number and, on request, the visitor’s own company name produced from a Trumpf laser machine.

Gabriel-Chemie’s Maxithen SCR masterbatches are designed to improve scratch resistance for polypropylene (PP) parts. Despite PP’s many advantages including low density, good processability and recyclability, the company cites the relatively low scratch resistance of the material. In the past this has rendered it less suitable for consumer goods and technical plastics where finish quality and high aesthetic value are crucial. Maxithen SCR is intended to improve optical appearance and durability.

Metal and glass emulation

Noting that plastic parts are continuing to replace metal in a wide range of consumer and engineering products, Gabriel-Chemie has introduced a new range of heavyweight compounds designed to provide the appearance and feel of metals or glass. Free from lead and other heavy metals, these heavyweight compounds are easy to process, claims the company, adding value to plastic parts ranging from poker chips, door handles and flowerpots to machine parts.

Colour standards

At the Engineering Design Show Gabriel-Chemie will also feature the most frequently requested colours from the RAL Classic range of standards, branded as the P1 collection of standards. This was launched by Gabriel-Chemie in partnership with RAL at the K2010 show. RAL P1 is formatted as 100 A6-sized, 3mm thick colour plates in polypropylene.

The RAL P2 system contains 160 opaque colours and 40 transparent ones. The complete RAL Plastics colour spectrum consisting of the P1 and P2 systems offers 300 precise colour specimens for plastics. Alongside the smooth main field on the plates, there are two more surface textures. According to Gabriel-Chemie, this multifunctionality offers the user a realistic impression of the effect of each colour with different material thicknesses.

Colour trend analysis

Gabriel-Chemie says experienced trend scouts and colourists work together on the colour trends of tomorrow to produce the company’s annual Colour Vision series. This represents “innovative” colours, effects and surfaces in selected polymers by means of lens-shaped polypropylene blanks.

The 13^th edition of Colour Vision has adopted the three trend themes “the new optimism”, “the new modesty” and “the new transformation”. Nearly all the colours chosen have been refined with special effect pigments and implemented in both opaque and transparent versions.

Members of the Gabriel-Chemie UK team will be available throughout the Engineering Design Show to offer advice on additives for improving the performance and aesthetics of plastics in applications such as medical devices, engineering components, cosmetics packaging, construction products, agriculture food packing, consumer goods and sports equipment.

[ Back ]