New colorants from LANXESS improve under-the-hood safety

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS has developed a new colorant that can be used to permanently color polyamide (PA) and other plastics with a RAL 2003 orange tint
.
The soluble organic colorant Macrolex Orange HT is highly thermally stable, light and weather resistant, and provides excellent color strength and brightness
.

Unlike most conventional colorants, Macrolex Orange HT is suitable not only for polyamide (PA) but also for other common plastic types such as polycarbonate (PC) or polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)
.
Colorants are often challenged due to their high processing temperatures
.
The new halogen-free colorants provide consistent high quality and high-precision coloration (dE≤0.
7), which is especially important for orange hues
.
Chromatic aberrations with dE<1 are usually not perceptible to the human eye
.
In addition, LANXESS' new "High Pressure Orange" is cost-effective due to its high color intensity
.

Dr.
Lars May, Head of Technology for Plastics Applications at LANXESS’s Polymer Additives business unit, said: “We have carried out extensive testing of our new products under real-world conditions
.
In cooperation with LANXESS’ Performance Materials business unit, our facility in Dormagen The Plastics Technology Center tinted the compounds with Macrolex Orange HT and tested their suitability in plastics processing
.
"

In addition to high-pressure applications, Macrolex Orange HT can be used to color other high-quality plastic products, such as housings for tools and other electronic equipment, as well as technical plastics for vehicle components and structural applications
.

Signal color warns of potential danger

Vehicles with electric propulsion are naturally exposed to higher voltages and currents than internal combustion engines
.
The voltage in the battery circuit may be as high as 400V DC and the voltage in the engine circuit may be as high as 1000V (AC)
.
When the AC voltage exceeds 42V and the DC voltage exceeds 60V, there is a potential danger to life
.

That's why the live parts of electric drives are dyed bright orange so that they can be identified quickly and easily
.
Therefore, the new Macrolex Orange HT product helps reduce the risk of accidents when handling electric motors
.

A wide range of colorants, pigments and pigment preparations

The colorants in the LANXESS Macrolex range allow a wide variety of potential applications and good compatibility with a large number of polymer types and manufacturing processes
.
They also meet numerous legal requirements for use in food packaging or children's toys
.

The range of colorants offered by the Polymer Additives business unit includes approximately 150 products, in addition to the Macrolex brand colorants, a range of pigments and pigment formulations for a wide range of demanding applications
.