USOO8481.

614B2

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8.481,614 B2

Mantzivis (45) Date of Patent: Jul. 9, 2013

(54) MASTERBATCH PREPARATION PROCESS (52) U.S. Cl.

USPC .......................................................... 523/351
(76) Inventor: Lionel Nicholas Mantzivis, Befordview (58) Field of Classification Search
(ZA) USPC .......................................................... 523/351
See application file for complete search history.
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
patent is extended or adjusted under 35 (56) References Cited
U.S.C. 154(b) by 267 days. U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
(21) Appl. No.: 12/668,400 2007/010.0056 A1 5/2007 Uosaki et al.
(22) PCT Filed
1C Aug.
9. 26, 2008 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
g. A0, EP O365399 4f1990
EP 1520 876 A1 4/2005
WO WOO1? 44387 A2 6, 2001
S371 (c)(1), WO WO O2, 42042 A1 5. 2002
(2), (4) Date: Jun. 9, 2010 WO WO 2008/046535 A1 4, 2008
(87) PCT Pub. No.: WO2009/009808 Primary Examiner — Edward Cain
(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Merchant & Gould P.C.
PCT Pub. Date: Jan. 15, 2009
(57) ABSTRACT
(65) Prior Publication Data The process of the present invention provides a novel way of
US 2010/0261810 A1 Oct. 14, 2010 producing a masterbatch or polymer improver by heating a
wax or polymer with a low temperature and mixing the mol
(30) Foreign Application Priority Data ten wax with a additives, including pigments, at a low tem
perature above the congealing point of the wax to create a
Jul. 10, 2007 (ZA) ................................... 2007/5644 carrier material, in doing so this process will not degrade the
pigment or additive which will be mixed together.
(51) Int. Cl.
C83/20 (2006.01) 15 Claims, 1 Drawing Sheet
U.S. Patent Jul. 9, 2013 US 8.481,614 B2
 US 8,481,614 B2
1. 2
MASTERBATCHPREPARATION PROCESS The pellets which have been released from the roller sur
face may be milled or ground to form fine particles of the
This application is a National Stage Application of PCT/ solidified blend which are useable as a masterbatch.
ZA2008/000077, filed 26 Aug. 2008, which claims benefit of The additives may be selected from pigments and filler
Ser. No. 2007/5644, filed 10 Jul. 2007 in South Africa and 5 material.
which applications are incorporated herein by reference. To The filler material may be calcium or other inorganic mate
the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of rial.
the above disclosed applications. The blend may include a powdered additive.
10
The blend may include a liquid additive.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The blend may include fiber which is dispersed into the
masterbatch.
The invention relates to the preparation of a masterbatch The blend may be a dry blend of additives with a polymer
for use in plastics manufacture, for example, moulding and and a wax.
extruding. The wax may have a narrow carbon number range spread.
15
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION The wax may have a Substantially constant melting point.
The wax may be a modified wax, for example oxidized or
Plastics have a wide use and there are many types of indus functionalized, natural wax, or a speciality wax Such as a
tries from liquid containers to fibres. Many of the products are aminde or metallocene wax, or a blend thereof.
used in the fast moving consumer industry and require colour The wax may be a non-polar wax.
for visual presentation. The wax may be a polar wax such as a polyethylene wax.
It is the masterbatch industry that supplies the colour addi The wax may be a paraffin wax, micro-crystalline wax,
tives to the plastic industry and the pigment is commonly polyethylene, and/or polypropylene wax.
Suspended in a polymer. Masterbatch manufacturers use high The wax may be a Fischer-Tropsch wax.
speed mixers or internal mixers to first mix the pigment and 25 The additives may include one or more of calcium carbon
this is then fed through an extruder with high temperatures ate, titanium, pigment, or the like.
and high pressures to combine the pigments and the carrier The process may include homogenizing one or more of the
and to form a granule. blend components.
The ideal properties of the pigment are for a high disper The process may include homogenizing and dispersing
sion in the base material, common problems are that the 30
wax into a polymer to form a carrier.
pigment or other materials are subject to high temperatures as The process may include homogenizing and dispersing
well as high pressures to combine them, as well as high sheet wax into a polymer to form a mixture.
in the initial stages, this leads to degradation of the material as The process may include homogenizing and dispersing
well as reagromalation of the pigment. liquid additive into wax and/or polymer to form a mixture.
Dispersion is therefore reduced due to the non-uniform 35
The process may include homogenizing and dispersing
particle size in the material i.e., a mix with a one micron powdered additive into wax and/or polymer to form a mix
particle size ends up with a percentage of higher micro par ture.
ticles, thus affecting the final distribution. The final colour, The process may include homogenizing and dispersing
tint strength are affected by these various processes.
40 fiber into wax and/or polymer to form a mixture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The process may include drying the blend prior to the wax
being melted.
The invention provides a masterbatch preparation process, The blending may take place in a heated blender.
said process including: The process is carried out a low pressure, typically without
blending one or more of a molten wax and a non-wax 45 any overpressure i.e. at normal atmospheric conditions wher
polymer, and one or more additives; ever the process is being carried out. This is unlike current
tempering the blend or cooling the blend to just above the processes which employ high pressures in extruders and the
congealing point thereof; like to combine the masterbatch ingredients.
Solidifying the blend by cooling; and The process may produce a masterbatch including 40 mass
comminuting said solidified blend. 50 % titanium dioxide. This masterbatch is believed to have the
The non-wax polymer may have a congealing point and a same whitening effectiveness as a 75 mass % titanium diox
melting point within 10° C. ide masterbatch using conventional preparation processes.
The polymer congealing and melting points may be within The process may produce a masterbatch including in
50 C. excess of 80 mass % titanium dioxide, typically in excess of
The additive may be a polymer. 55 90 mass %.
The polymer may be an elastomer, a plasticiser, EVOH, The process is carried out at low temperatures, typically
EVA, or the like. below 100° C.
The blend may include another polymer besides the molten The process is a low shear process for preparing the mas
wax. This polymer may have a Substantially higher melting terbatch.
point and be in particulate form during the blending. 60 The masterbatch product may be in the form of prills,
The solidifying may be achieved by dispensing the blend flakes, granules, a powder, or the like.
onto a cooled Surface. The masterbatch may contain from 1 mass % to 99 mass %
The cooled surface may be a chilled dimpled roller surface Wax.
whereby upon solidifying dimple sized pellets of the blend The masterbatch may contain from 1 mass % to 99 mass %
are formed. 65 polymer.
The solidified blend may be scraped from the roller sur The powdered additive may be selected from calcium car
face. bonate, talc, titanium dioxide, antimony, or the like.
 US 8,481,614 B2
3 4
The fiber in the masterbatch may be selected from natural liquid pigment while another could be mixing a white colour
and synthetic fibers, for example, glass, carbon fiber, and and a third a calcium carbonate.
wood. The process uses a wax, a modified wax (oxidized, func
tionalized), natural wax and/or specialty wax (amide, metal
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE locene, etc.) all can be used in this approach as well as
INVENTION blended waxes or waxes blended with polymers or polymer
blend.
The invention will now be described, by way of non-lim Fischer-Tropsch waxes are desirable as they have many
iting example only, with reference to the accompanying dia desirable properties some of which have very high purity
grammatic drawing. 10 being essentially free of any Sulphur, nitrogen and aromatic
In the drawing, species and have high normal paraffin content. Another desir
FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic flow diagram of a master able property of Fischer-Tropsch waxes is their opacity, i.e.,
batch process of the invention. their lack of translucent appearance.
The invention claimed is:
In the FIGURE, 15 1. A masterbatch preparation process, the process compris
AAdditive addition 1ng:
BMolten wax reservoir
C Blender
blending a molten wax, a non-wax polymer, and one or
more additives; wherein:
D Tempering/Cooling device the non-wax polymer has a Substantially higher melting
E Dimpled roller point than the molten wax and is in particulate form
F Conveyer Belt during the blending:
G Comminution/Grinding/Milling the additives comprise pigments;
H Cross section of mould belt tempering the blend or cooling the blend to just above the
The process of the present invention as illustrated in FIG. 1 congealing point thereof;
provides a novel way of producing a masterbatch or polymer 25 Solidifying the blend by cooling; and
improver by heating a wax or polymer with a low temperature comminuting said Solidified blend;
and mixing the molten wax with a additives, including pig wherein solidifying is achieved by dispensing the blend
ments, at a low temperature above the congealing point of the onto a cooled Surface.
wax to create a carrier material, in doing so this process will 2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooled
not degrade the pigment or additive which will be mixed 30 surface is a chilled dimpled roller surface whereby upon
together. solidifying dimple sized pellets of the blend are formed.
The process includes blending a molten wax from reservoir 3. A process as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pellets are
B with one or more additives from additive tanks Aina heated milled or ground to form fine particles of the solidified blend
or insulated blender C, whereafter the blend is cooled in a which are useable as a masterbatch.
cooling tank D to just above the congealing point thereof. The 35 4. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additives
cooled blend, may be termed a tempered blend, is then solidi further comprise polymer and filler material.
fied by cooling on a dimpled chilled roller E from which the 5. A masterbatch preparation process, the process compris
solidified blend is scraped and the particles are taken by a 1ng:
conveyer belt F to a milling device G where it is milled or blending a molten wax, a non-wax polymer, a fiber, and one
ground to form flakes or prills of the desired size. 40 or more additives; wherein:
What is also unique is that a liquid pigment can be added the fiber is dispersed into the masterbatch;
and blended which will have a very high dispersion, but in its tempering the blend or cooling the blend to just above the
liquid form difficult to add to a polymer in a production congealing point thereof;
process. As the process defined herein allows for the use of a Solidifying the blend by cooling; and
liquid pigment and then Solidified allows for a means of 45 comminuting said Solidified blend;
having the properties of a liquid pigment in Solid form which wherein solidifying is achieved by dispensing the blend
can be used in a more user friendly means. onto a cooled Surface.
A common misconception for instance, in a white master 6. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wax has a
batch, is that the higher the titanium dioxide content the better Substantially constant melting point.
the product. This can be false, due to the high compacting and 50 7. A process as claimed in claim 6, wherein the wax is a
inadequate wetting out of the titanium dioxide the particle modified wax, functionalized, natural wax, or a speciality
size is not uniform which leads to inferior dispersion as to the wax, or a blend thereof.
process mentioned here with less titanium. 8. A process as claimed in claim 6, wherein the wax is a
This can have a cost implication, as well as technical. Fischer-Tropsch wax.
Due to the higher loading and because the titanium dioxide 55 9. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additives
is usually more expensive than the carrier, the final product include one or more of calcium carbonate, titanium, and
becomes more expensive with the same or lower dispersion pigment.
than with the process outlined here. 10. A masterbatch preparation process the process com
The process outlined herein with a 50% loading, performs prising:
the same, if not better than commonly manufactured products 60 blending one or more of a molten wax and a non-wax
with a greater than 50% loading, therefore resulting in less polymer, and one or more additives,
use of masterbatch. wherein the additives include at least pigments;
In colours, this difference becomes more pronounced. tempering the blend or cooling the blend to just above the
Because a uniform base carrier material is first produced, congealing point thereof;
this can be fed to a number of secondary mixing units where 65 Solidifying the blend by cooling; and
the additives are uniformly mixed with their own properties, comminuting the solidified blend;
for instance, one secondary mixing unit might be mixing a wherein:
 US 8,481,614 B2
5
the Solidifying is achieved by dispensing the blend onto a
cooled Surface; and
the process produces a masterbatch including in excess of
80 mass % titanium dioxide.
11. A process as claimed in claim 10, wherein the process 5
produces a masterbatch including in excess of 90 mass %
titanium dioxide.
12. A process as claimed in claim 1, which process is
carried out at low temperatures of below 100° C.
13. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the master- 10
batch contains from 1 mass % to 99 mass % polymer.
14. A masterbatch prepared by the process of claim 10.
15. A masterbatch as claimed in claim 14, wherein the wax
is a Fischer-Tropsch wax.
k k k k k 15