All about plastic filler white: Components, benefits and applications

As the use of filler masterbatch has increased year by year thanks to its significant contributions to the success of plastic companies, plastic filler white has become an indispensable part in the production of many plastic products. So how exactly is it made of and applied in various plastic industries?

Before going to discover the plastic filler white, let’s take an overview of plastic fillers. They are particles added to plastic products with a view to cutting cost and increasing some specific properties of the end-products. 

Plastic fillers are divided into two groups: the inorganic fillers (also known as mineral) including calcium carbonate, talc, calcium sulfate, mica, calcium silicate,… and the organic ones such as nut flour, chicken feather, rice hulls,…Calcium carbonate is amongst the most favourable plastic filler since it has outstanding characteristics and able to match with most of plastic resins like polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS),…Thus, it is widely applied in many plastic industries. 

Plastic filler white
Calcium carbonate is amongst the most favourable plastic filler

As the demand for white plastic products have remarkably grown over the last decades, plastic filler white has played an essential part in the plastic industry. 

1. What is plastic filler white?

Plastic filler white is a combination of titanium dioxide, plastic resins (PP, PE, PS) and some additives if product’s properties enhancement is required. In that mixture, titanium dioxide (formular as TiO2) is the most important factor which decides the brightness and transparency of the end-products. In ordinary conditions, titanium dioxide exists in the white powdered form. It is the most widely used white pigment because of its brightness and very high refractive index (which is indicated by how fast light travels through the material). 

Plastic filler white is a combination of titanium dioxide, plastic resins (PP, PE, PS) and some additives
Plastic filler white is a combination of titanium dioxide, plastic resins (PP, PE, PS) and some additives

There are two main sources of titanium dioxide which are rutile and anatase. Both of them have a high level of brightness and white color but the surface coverage and light resistance capacity of rutile is much better than anatase. Therefore, anatase is suitable with indoor plastic products, which are normally exposed to sunlight at a lower frequency. 

2. How does plastic filler white benefit the plastic industry?

More than a colored pigment, plastic filler white benefits plastic products in various ways, thus making it an important  contributor to the perfection of the end-products.

Plastic’s optical properties improvement

As mentioned above, titanium dioxide offers an extremely high refractive index compared to any other types of materials. With the use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the main component, plastic filler white provides end-products a beautiful white color. The level of brightness can be adjusted by changing the proportion of titanium oxide usage as the more TiO2 added, the brighter the end-products become. 

Beautiful white color of many plastic products made by plastic filler white
Beautiful white color of many plastic products made by plastic filler white

The main difference between white masterbatch and other colored pigments is the way they react to sunlight. While other colorants create opacity by absorbing visible light, plastic filler white provides opacity by scattering light as it is able to bend light. With an appropriate amount of pigment in the products, all light striking the surface, except for the small amount absorbed by the polymer or pigment, will be scattered outward, and the products will appear opaque and white.

Thanks to this outstanding brightness, white pigment is widely applied in many plastic products such as blown films, injection molding products,…which require high level of brightness and transparency.

UV protection

Weather resistance has become a prerequisite when it comes to white masterbatch as a large number of colored products are for external use and most of them degrade when being exposed to sunlight during a long period. To address that problem, white masterbatch can improve the weatherability of exterior plastics thanks to its inorganic surface treatments of alumina or silica. This barrier between the TiO2 and the resin minimizes photochemical degradation, thus bringing an excellent UV protection ability for the end-products. 

Agricultural films are one of the most common applications of white masterbatch
Agricultural films are one of the most common applications of plastic filler white

This advantage paves the way for many applications, especially for agricultural films, which require both UV resistance and transparency.

Processability enhancement

As an essential component of white masterbatch is additives (processing aid, dispersion agent), it makes the process smoother and more efficient, not to mention minimizing the negative phenomenons during plastic procedures.

User safety

According to some scientific research, the toxicity of titanium dioxide appears to be low and there is no evidence that it penetrates human’s skin. Since 1966, American Food and Drug Administration has listed titanium dioxide as a safe food additive, as long as it doesn’t make up more than 1% of total. The FDA also believes that titanium dioxide is safe to be used as a color additive in drugs, medical devices and cosmetics, including those for eyes.

The application of white masterbatch in food-contact packaging and other relevant products is popular
The application of plastic filler white in food-contact packaging and other relevant products is popular

Therefore, the application of plastic filler white in food-contact packaging and other relevant products is relatively popular.

Besides, white masterbatch also reinforces the thermal stability of plastic products under processing conditions, anti fibrillation for woven sack, improves heat resistance. This material is especially suitable for thin film applications.

3. Plastic filler white’s applications

As being one of the most important plastic components, plastic filler white is widely applied in many products such as:

  • Plastic bags: carrier bags for food and agricultural products
  • Extrusion coating 
  • Injection molding
  • Blow molding
  • Packaging materials

4. Plastic filler white brand PolyFill

PolyFill is one of the leading filler masterbatch manufacturers in Vietnam providing customers with a wide variety of plastic fillers on various resins, which include plastic filler white.

In PolyFill, white masterbatch is manufactured by mixing high-quality titanium dioxide (TiO2), plastic resins and other additives. The most important is tailor made products to exactly fit with customer’s requirements. Before making an order, customers are requested to send the sample of the end-products as well as desirable properties of input materials, so that PolyFill can be able to create the most suitable material. That’s why PolyFill takes pride in offering customers the most excellent properties and quality. 

PolyFill white masterbatch is widely preferable
PolyFill plastic filler white is widely preferable

The technical properties of our plastic filler white are as follows:

  • Carrier resin: Polyethylene
  • Appearance (Surface Color): White
  • Additives: Dispersion agent, processing aid
  • Pellet Size: 3×3 (±0.3) mm
  • Packing: 25 kgs per PP bag
  • Storage: Keep in dry condition

For further information, consultation and free sample, contact us HERE!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GET A QUOTE & FREE SAMPLE

Thank you for filling out our form. We will contact you shortly!
Register Now