26 Oct 2001
CPSCOLOR launches automated colour tinting system at K 2001
CPSCOLOR, a manufacturer of liquid colorants, based in The Netherlands, is introducing the concept of an integrated colour management system for thermoplastics that gives users total freedom in their choice of colours.
Stand E54 in Hall 6 at the K 2001 exhibition will have something that really is new and innovative. The stand is being occupied by CPSCOLOR who are capitalising on the timing of the K show to launch a new concept for the colouring of thermoplastics that will extend the colouring options available. Providing a flexible system for both processors and material suppliers capable of producing any one of the 2,000 Pantone® colour shades at the touch of a button.
CPSCOLOR is a long-standing manufacturer of liquid colours for use in paints, synthetic leather, PVC plastisols and thermoset resins in the automotive, furniture, footwear, building and construction (kitchen and sanitary) industries. Now it is patenting a technology, termed Thermocolor™, whereby any extruder or injection moulding machine can be equipped with a series of volumetric dosing units for its solvent-free, pigment pastes to give total flexibility in the choice of colour. The company’s ColorComposer software allows up to 25 of the single pigment dispersions to be fed simultaneously, ensuring that 99% of all colour requirements can be met quickly, reliably and reproducibly.
A number of carefully selected companies - polymer producers, processors and machinery manufacturers - have already shown interest in Thermocolor™, which is being further refined in a two-year development programme. By the second quarter of 2002 the company will be undertaking a wide-ranging series of processing trials, with full commercialisation expected within 12 months.
CPSCOLOR is placing its initial emphasis on the extrusion and compounding market, with the colouring concept considered to be suitable for engineering thermoplastics. However, the Thermocolor™ technology is equally relevant to injection moulding, and here, in the second phase of development, the focus will be on applications where colour is linked with fashion and marketing image.
“Colour flexibility is becoming increasingly important as product life cycles shrink and producers try to gain market share with product differentiation,” explains CPSCOLOR’s Sales manager, Erik van Beusekom. “Just look at mobile phones and computers.”
The tinting system CPSCOLOR package takes away the traditional handling problems associated with liquid colours. Positioning of the dosing unit at the front of the extruder or injection moulder ensures rapid colour changeovers, typically within one minute, avoiding wastage and downtime. Also, it means that the right colour is always available, without extensive - and expensive - storage of masterbatches and compounds.
The Thermocolor™ project has been approved by Senter International, an agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands, and will receive a grant for its multinational R&D initiative. Senter International pools schemes and programmes in the areas of export promotion, foreign investment and international economic collaboration operated by the Dutch government and various international institutions. Business driven technology collaboration projects are appraised and prioritised based on the criteria of international co-operation, technological innovation and their economic perspective.
Erik van Beusekom and his colleagues at CPSCOLOR will be on Stand 6E54 for the duration of K 2001. They will be happy to talk to companies both large and small on the projected benefits of the innovative Thermocolor™ concept and to discuss the planned programme for commercialisation. Videos of some of the company’s development work can also be viewed on the stand.
Reader enquiries
CPS ColorNusterweg 98
PO Box 809
NL-6130 AV Sittard
Netherlands
+31 46 4570 100
info@cpscolor.com
www.cpscolor.com