How Packaging Can Boost Sales

Just how important is packaging when it comes to your product? Aesthetically pleasing packaging is good, but it doesn’t always work. Just because a package looks nice doesn’t mean that it is going to fly off the shelves. There are some important things that one must be aware of in order to boost profit through packaging.

First and foremost, it is important to evoke positive emotions from the packaging. It has to appeal to the target consumers. Always be aware of how you can bring to mind positive emotions through the packaging. Specific colors, imageries or fonts aren’t the only things to be aware of. According Buyology, Inc., it is important to identify, access, and quantify a consumer’s emotional triggers in order to sell. The company found that at least, 85% of human decisions are governed by the subconscious. One of the best things a successful company can do is to research and find out the things that will evoke the targeted consumers’ emotions.

The packaging of children’s items are no different. In fact, children respond to emotions even more so than adults. For example, Fisher Price actually packages their products to both surprise and delight. Children will see this type of packaging and be immediately intrigued. The perfect packaging of children’s products is one that welcomes children to see, touch and interact.

With so many different products on the shelves, it is essential that you package your products to appeal to the subconscious of adults. Think about what it is about your product that would make a customer happy and what will help to make them feel that emotion when seeing your product. In order for packaging to work as a branding tool, it must work in both a conscious and subconscious way.

Sustainability and Cost Savings via Vinyl Siding

Across all industries, sustainability is a key factor when selecting products and materials. From the consumer side straight through to the supply side, people are realizing that business as usual just isn’t cutting it anymore. But sometimes, being “green” can seem more expensive than other options. With the economy still on shaky ground during this slow recovery, having options that are environmentally friendly and cost effective are crucial.

For builders and designers looking for a sustainable exterior cladding material, vinyl siding is an ideal solution. Throughout all stages of the vinyl siding lifecycle – from manufacturing through waste management – environmental performance is ranked higher than fiber cement or brick. And the environmental benefits directly translate to cost savings in many cases. For example, vinyl siding doesn’t require an additional finish, which saves money and materials. And because it is termite resistant, there’s no need to worry about insect damage repairs or extermination methods and costs. Insecticides are rarely eco-friendly, so eliminating that need is just one more green benefit. Insulated vinyl siding also conserves energy use indoors, further enhancing the environmental and cost-saving benefits. For these reasons and more, vinyl siding adheres to the International Green Construction Code and the California Green Construction Code.

According to the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) model developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), vinyl siding greatly outperforms fiber cement and brick in terms of sustainability. This can be attributed to reduced water and energy consumption during manufacturing, as well as a lighter weight load resulting in lower fuel usage and costs during shipping. The siding also emits much lower levels of toxins such as Mercury and Silver than other options.

For more information about the benefits of vinyl siding, feel free to read the Vinyl Siding Institute’s “Green Paper,” Today’s Vinyl Siding: Verifiably Green. Additional resources are also available on the Vinyl Siding Institute’s website.

To learn about selecting pigments for vinyl siding, please contact Color Master for details and other information. We are a proud member of the Vinyl Siding Institute.

The Benefits of Liquid Colorants in the Plastics Industry

Looking around any room, you’ll likely see numerous items benefiting from the addition of color. From food and beverage containers, to electronics casings, to the ticking clock on the wall, all of these items have included a colorant process in their manufacturing. Liquid colorants in particular are an asset in production.

Liquid color is a mix of pigments or dyes in specialized liquid vehicles, which are compatible with virtually all polyolefin, styrenic and engineering resin systems.

Low letdown ratios are achieved by loading various pigment volumes into the liquid vehicle. Pigments are then broken down into particles, which are wet-out in the resin vehicle to increase the uniformity, opacity and intensity of the original pigment. This high concentration of color results in low letdown ratios: for opaque colors, normally one part color to 100 parts resin; for transparent colors, as little as one part colorant to 1,000 parts resin, etc.

By utilizing an entire range of specialized vehicles, this eliminates effects on physical properties and promotes rapid and complete distribution of concentrated liquid color into the resin.

At Color Master, single-pigment base colors are maintained in stock for rapid, low-cost blending in small or large quantities. Additive concentrates such as anti-static agents, slip aids, chemical blowing agents and UV stabilizers and absorbers may be incorporated as well.

As far as color injection, precision metering pumps are equipped with a three- or six-roller peristaltic head which compresses the outside of a flexible feed tube, forcing liquid color through the tube, and are capable of metering as little as one gram of material per cycle of viscosities up to 20,000 CPS. Output can be adjusted in milligram increments, permitting fine-tuning of color levels without processing interruption. Because the colorant is metered into the processing machine mechanically, the system requires little supervision.

The colorant feed tube can be connected to injection and extrusion machines in either of two locations: immediately below the hopper feed throat, or into a special groove machined into the base of the barrel feed section. The liquid-to-liquid interface of colorant-to-resin in the plasticating barrel promotes rapid mixing and complete distribution of the color, resulting in uniform coloration.

Complete color changeovers can be done in minutes by changing to a different colorant feed tube and purging the barrel of the original resin color. Using a liquid purging compound, purge waste and changeover times can be further reduced. Natural resin in the hopper never requires emptying or drying, and the peristaltic pump head requires no cleaning. And accidental spills are easily cleaned since liquid color washes away with water.

For more information about our liquid color capabilities in the plastics industry, please feel free to contact us online.

Meeting Medical Biocompatibility Requirements for Plastic Colorants

There are many things manufacturers must keep in mind when selecting plastic colorants for their products. Some are obvious, such as which colors best reflect the brand and would be most appealing to customers. But other considerations relate to the safety of their products as a whole.

For medical and dental device manufacturing companies, medical biocompatibility of plastic colorants is of the utmost importance. Companies must ensure that colorants used in these plastic formulations follow U.S. FDA regulations and other relevant legislations.

Color Master regularly develops colorants that meet FDA, CONEG (governing body regulating toxics in packaging), RoHS (The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment), REACH (Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), and CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) legislations as required by our customers. We can also formulate products for customers listing with NSF, as well as offering various UL certified options.

Ultimately, the finished product must meet industry-specific regulations; but assuming colorants are used properly and all other components adhere to regulations, customers should have little to no problem when seeking safety certification and approval.

In addition, Color Master is committed to environmental safety, which is why our standard formulations are heavy metal free. Regulated ingredients will only be used when expressly requested.

For more information about medical and dental plastic colorants, feel free to visit Color Master online. We are also more than happy to review your medical and dental colorant needs. Please contact us to request additional information or set up an in-depth consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.

Flexible Packaging: A Popular Way to Package

Companies large and small are increasingly making the transition to flexible packaging. The packaging market in the United States is large, with the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) placing its worth at $145 billion. The FPA claims that flexible packaging now makes up 18 percent of that number, with expectations for the non-rigid method of packaging to grow. In 2012 alone the flexible packaging industry accounted for $26.7 billion in sales.

This style of flexible packaging can take on many forms and variations. The Business Dictionary defines flexible packages as, “Bags, envelopes, pouches, sachets, wraps, etc., made of easily yielding materials such as film, foil, or paper sheeting which, when filled and sealed, acquires pliable shape.”

While flexible packaging makes up a smaller portion of the industry at this time, packaging companies are getting nods from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), a group design to certify brands for food safety and health efforts recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative, according to Food Production Daily. For example, the Plascon Group has earned the BRC’s Global Food Safety certification for its flexible packaging.

Flexible packaging still has room for growth, but it already has a strong, multi-billion dollar foundation in the industry at this point in time. With the convenience of flexibility for things like envelopes and sandwich bags, accompanied with the food safety kudos that companies are getting, flexible packaging is gaining ground in the packaging industry.

CAD RETEC 2013 Conference Taking Place in Baltimore

As the weather begins to cool, it seems that tradeshow season is just starting to heat up. Next week we’re attending the 51st Annual Society of Plastics Engineers Color and Appearance Division CAD RETEC event. This year’s conference theme is “Color Comes Alive,” and officially kicks-off Sunday, September 22nd. The schedule is continuing through Tuesday, September 24th.

Color Master has been participating in this conference for a number of years now. It’s the perfect platform for networking, and we’ve had great experiences meeting new vendors, raw material suppliers, pigment suppliers, and many more industrial contacts. The conference also helps keep us up-to-date on new technologies and production methods thanks to the availability of in-depth papers and discussions.

As the largest North American conference dedicated to the field of plastic colorants, CAD RETEC fills a major void in this very specialized industry.

In addition, the conference and its participants make it a point to give back to the community. We plan to be among the runners in the annual CAD RETEC 5K Fun Walk/Run. Proceeds will benefit the local Habitat for Humanity Chapter. CAD even matches registration fees to double the contribution.

This is a great event for everybody in the color industry, plastics, and packaging. We look forward to seeing everyone there! For more information, visit CAD RETEC’s event page. Also be sure to follow Color Master on Twitter for additional company updates.

Mixing Business and Pleasure at NeoCon 2013

Everyone once in a while we get a great excuse to mix business and pleasure, like when we get to go to the NeoCon 2013 show in Chicago. The three day show started on June 10 and it was a great time where we got to see some innovative and colorful furniture, as well as some of our end customers!

Jodie trying out a funky orange chair!

NeoCon is a design exposition and conference for commercial interiors and it is the largest of its kind in North America. This show is a pretty big deal, with the NeoCon website calling the event “the single most important industry event of the year and your one-stop destination!”

One of the best parts about the show was on the business side. We got the chance to mingle with representatives from Herman Miller, Styker Medical, Haworth, and Steelcase. The show also showcased architectural products, floor coverings, casegoods, stone and ceramic tile, lighting, ceiling systems, sustainable products, files and storage, textiles, wall treatments, building products and services, and more.

This medical chair incorporates smartphones.

You can check out some of our pictures of the seating displays below. We even have our very own Jodie trying out a funky orange chair. Not to mention some shots of other alternative seating options.

Another cool part of the show was how creative manufacturers are becoming with smartphone integration. iPhones and Androids are being used in conjunction with medical devices. You can see it in the picture below!

This year’s NeoCon was a great show and it’s easy to see how colors are used in the furniture market with the orange, red and yellow seats. We can’t wait until next year!

Breaking Down the Color Concentrates Production

Color dyes are a big part of the manufacturing industry for business and consumer companies. Brands producing anything plastic will want the coloring to be spot on, making precision a key point of manufacturing color concentrates.

Once an order is put in for a color, a formula for a color match is determined. Amounts may vary, but at Color Master we have a library of a couple hundred different pigments to apply to our concentrates.

When a formulation is determined, mold color chips are injected to test the formulation and evaluate the color. After a color is evaluated using an x-ray spectrometer, it can take three or four trials to obtain a color match.

That information is then stored in a manufacturing computer and sent to the customer with a quote for approval. Once the customer places an order, that same formulation will be used on continuous mixers, which are extrusion lines that will take specific pigments and encapsulate them inside of plastic.

The encapsulation process involves melting the plastic and mixing it with the pigment, running it through an extruder and dropping it into water. When the mixture resolidifies, it is chopped into pellets, which customers can then use in their materials.

At this point the concentrate is made and the post-production begins. This involves letting the pellets down in the costumer’s resin and molding it into chips.

This is usually the final step in the process, but here at Color Master, the work doesn’t end. The final product is sent to the customer and about 30% of the time changes need to be made. We will take the concentrate that has been created and run it through the process all over again until it is the exact concentrate our customers want.

By the end of a successful color concentrate production, a variety of machines and technologies have been used – including injection molders, x-ray spectrometers, analytical scales and balances, specific gravity testing, among others- all to ensure that the right color pigment is achieved.

Concentrate on the Right Color

The designs are completed and the plastic materials have been chosen. All that is left to do is choose the best color and most appropriate color concentrate for your almost-completed project. Not only does the hue of the color need to be decided, but also the type of concentrate that best meets the desired effect. What choices are there? Resin, special effect, heavy metal free, phosphorescent, fluorescent, and additive concentrates. So how do you determine which concentrate is the right concentrate for your plastic product and end application?

Based on our concentrate history and expertise, we have put together a cheat sheet for you, pulling the concentrates that we have seen are most popular for the specified industries. Take a look:

Iridescent: Is your end product a bottle that will wind up on a shelf somewhere? If so, the best color concentrates to use are iridescent. Why? Because there is an array of colors in the iridescent concentrate; every angle has a new color and look. When consumers are perusing down aisles, these bright and flashing colors will invite them to take a closer look – just the reaction you want!

Fluorescent: Similar to iridescent concentrates, fluorescents are best used for consumer-based products. The pop in color easily attracts the smart eye of a consumer and pulls them away from the other competing products available on the shelf. Think about the toy injection molded industry – young consumers are going to grab for the brightest toy on the shelf. Because of advanced technology, fluorescents are now an option for plastic resins as well.

Granite effects: When should you opt for a granite special effect concentrate? We have seen this look most popular in furniture, transportation, and hospitals (on wall coverings and hand rails). This is also a great option if you’re replacing countertops and other countertop accessories, and want to achieve the same look.

Wood grain: A wood grain look is, in our opinion, most applicable for injection molding or profile uses.

Of course, this only scratches the surface of determining the color concentrate that best goes hand in hand with your final plastic product. Use this as a guide to get started choosing your color.

Our Extensive Line of Additive Concentrates

At Color Master, we offer a wide range of additive concentrates to help your plastics last long and stay bright. Here’s a closer look at just a few of the additives we provide:

UV Stabilizers:

One of our most requested additives are ultra violet concentrates and stabilizers. UV stabilizers help plastic keep its color and quality when exposed to the sun. The additive prevents the plastic itself from degrading, while simultaneously ensuring the color does not fade. The UV stabilizer works in conjunction with light stable pigments, which work to keep colors bright and protected from the sun.

Calcium Additives:

Calcium is another one of our popular concentrates. It is used as an additive because plastic products can be filled with calcium, which is significantly cheaper than plastic, instead of being made purely of plastic.

Corn Starch Additives:

Our corn starch additive helps make plastic eco-friendly. Instead of having a product made of only plastic, it can be mixed with corn starch so that part of the product can be bio-degraded. We are also working on a new additive that would make the plastic itself bio-degradable.

Anti-oxidant Additives:

Over time, plastic found in outdoor products, such as shutters, gets a chalky, white discoloration. Anti-oxidant additives help prevent this effect from occurring and help the colors of the plastic stay bright.

Fire/Flame Resistant Additives:

Our flame resistant, or FR, additives have fire retardants that help keep plastic products from causing hazardous fires.

All of our additives can either be incorporated in the color concentrate, or can be bought as compounded pellets. Are you looking for an additive for your concentrate? See what we can add!