Quality assurance in the colouring of recycled plastics
Recyclates pose an enormous challenge when it comes to colouring plastic products. The SKZ Plastics Centre has responded to the demands of the industry by creating a course that teaches the basics and provides solutions.
Extruder with different colour strands (fictitious). (Photo: SKZ)
Plastics centre trains specialists for the circular economy
Colouring plastics is considered challenging even with new materials – process parameters, materials and colourants must interact perfectly. However, in order to achieve precise colouring, e.g. due to OEM specifications or for corporate identity reasons, it is extremely important to be able to match colours accurately and consistently.
With increasing requirements regarding the circular economy, the use of recycled plastics is also becoming increasingly important. This means that the challenge is growing: despite fluctuating material quality, foreign polymers and colour deviations in the input material, the visual and functional quality of the products must not suffer.
To support companies in this demanding task, the SKZ Plastics Centre offers the continuing education course Quality Assurance in the Colouring of Recycled Plastics. Participants gain practical insights into current processes, tools and control techniques that enable stable colour quality even with fluctuating material properties of the recyclates.
The course content includes:
• Current challenges in material and colour sorting
• The problem of black plastics and new approaches to solving it
• Colourants for the circular economy (e.g. alternatives to carbon black, masterbatch based on recycled materials)
• Modern measurement and control technology for process-oriented colour control and foreign material detection
• Ecological aspects of recyclate use
Practical demonstrations and video examples make the content tangible: participants experience measurement systems for colour prediction, material determination and automatic colour adjustment live in action, enabling them to efficiently transfer what they have learned into industrial practice.
‘A fully circular economy can only succeed if the quality characteristics of plastic moulded parts are not compromised. This requires competent specialists who are able to accurately assess the technical possibilities and limitations. Our course offers concrete methods for this and presents practical solutions,’ emphasises Christoph Kreutz, expert trainer at the SKZ Quality Management Training Centre.
Interested companies and specialists can find out more about the detailed content and upcoming dates at Quality assurance in the colouring of recycled plastics.
This course is also offered as part of the Colourist programme. This is a modular training programme consisting of compulsory and optional modules, in which colouristics is covered in detail.
Further information on the SKZ qualification is available here: Colourist for the plastics industry.
