Extrusion International 5-2023-USA

16 Extrusion International 5/2023 INDUSTRY NEWS NewMasterbatch Carrier System for Food Contact Applications A newly developed, universally applicable master - batch carrier system from Tosaf Color Service now com- plies with all common food contact requirements. These include the recommendations of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) as well as the com- plex and varied regulatory requirements of the USA and China (FDA, China Food Safety Law). Any color and, where applicable, functional and combination master - batches based on this carrier system can be used across continents without hesitation for any appropriate ap- plications ranging from translucent and opaque rigid and flexible packaging, toys and household items to components for machinery and equipment used in food processing. The new UN-F (Universal Food) carrier system is based on a product, which itself already has the relevant ap - provals, from a leading plastics additive manufacturer. As Rudolf Reinhart, Product Manager at Tosaf Color Service, explains: “Our new carrier system has a very similar structure to our previous standard and is there- fore just as compatible with the thermoplastics used in these applications. It also has virtually identical mechan- ical and processing characteristics, such as good suit - ability for even sparingly dispersible products. This has been confirmed by all preliminary testing of the carrier system carried out in-house and at Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid and by pilot masterbatch applications at customers. The key difference is that it doesn’t contain potentially harmful chemical substances that could mi- grate into foodstuffs.” Tosaf Color Service www.tosaf.com Color Service GmbH & Co. KG www.color-service.de New Services in the Field of Cross-Linked Materials Cross-linked materials, such as thermosets or elasto - mers, are currently coming into focus. SKZ has therefore founded a research group for this purpose, which also supports industry with extensive services. The development of cross-linked plastics with precise- ly adapted property profiles is increasingly coming into focus for many applications in electromobility, medical technology, fuel cell technology or the generation of renewable energies. The German Plastics Center SKZ is responding to increasing customer inquiries in this area with its own research group. The offer now also includes services for industrial customers. "In addition to initial research projects, we have start - ed directly with the development of services. The equip- ment required for this is already available to us in the pilot plants. Twin screw and planetary roller extruders as well as a kneader with extensive metering technol- ogy provide a very good basis for processing thermally sensitive materials. We are already looking forward to the first inquiries," explains Dr. Andreas Köppel, head of the "Cross-linked Materials" research group. Current services for industrial clients include: • Conducting material research • Formulation development • Process design for compounding of cross-linking plastics • Development of recycling concepts • Continuous compounding of silicone (elastomers) • Continuous compounding of casting compounds and thermoset molding compounds SKZ – Das Kunststoff-Zentrum Dr. Andreas Köppel, a.koeppel@skz.de www.skz.de Cross-linked plastics, such as thermosets or elastomers, are currently coming into focus (Image: Denis Yevtekhov /stock.adobe.com ) (© istockphoto.com / FotografiaBasica)