- 13 November 2007 -
Low dust titanium dioxide improves handling properties

Huntsman Pigments has introduced a low dust titanium dioxide pigment that has handling properties far superior to any titanium dioxide currently available for plastics compounders, claims the company. The pigment, marketed under the Deltio™ brand, has already been trialed extensively at a major masterbatch producer. Delta Plast in Sweden, part of the A. Schulman group, says Deltio™5X pigment enables increased outputs by over 20%.

UK-based Huntsman Pigments says its new Deltio pigment provides extra added-value for users through its exceptional powder handling and low dust properties. It adds that customers have been asking for more precision in metering, ability to clean equipment faster at product changeovers, and the need to improve the working environment for employees. Huntsman says it now believes that it has a product that really flows notably better than anything else on the market.

The company adds that a major advantage of the new pigment is the lack of stickiness and self-binding typical of conventional titanium dioxide pigments. How a pigment product reacts to compaction in a silo is a vital handling consideration. A conventional pigment congeals and cakes, making it difficult to extract and transfer. Deltio pigment maintains its free-flowing powder properties.

Variability too, can lead to quality control problems with finished products. Whereas a conventional pigment has a ±50% variation in average mass transfer rate, variation with Deltio pigment is no more than ±10%, says the company. According to Delta Plast, it has increased capacity by around 20-25%. It’s more free-flowing in the hopper, it’s easier for the machine to take in the material and actually extrude it.

Huntsman says that it has succeeded in achieving these significant improvements without compromising the outstanding optical properties of titanium dioxide, such as very high whiteness, brightness and opacity.

Huntsman Pigments; www.huntsman.com/pigments