Colorant Manufacturing using High-Performance Dispersers
The production of colorants and pigment suspensions requires reliable dispersion and mixing. Ultrasonic homogenizers are highly efficient when it comes to the production of liquid and paste-like masterbatches and colorant suspensions. Available at any industrial production scale, ultrasonic dispersers improve colorant and pigment production significantly delivering excellent milling and dispersion results, energy-savings as well as easy switching between formulations.
Dispersing of Colorants with Power Ultrasound
Probe-type ultrasonication is a technique that utilizes high-intensity, low-frequency ultrasound waves to grind, wet-mill, deagglomerate and disperse particles in a liquid medium. Ultrasonic mixing, milling and dispersing uses the working principle of acoustic cavitation. Ultrasonic/acoustic cavitation is characterized by microturbulences, very high shear forces and locally occurring high pressure and temperature differentials. Applicable to batch and continuous flow-through production processes, ultrasonicators are used in inline large-scale production as well as in R+D and quality control.
Ultrasonic industrial system for dispersing and milling of colorants and pigments.
Advantages of Dispersing Colorants with Ultrasonication
In the context of industrial manufacturing of pigment-based colorants, probe-type ultrasonication offer several benefits and can excel traditional mills and dispersers in efficiency:
- Enhanced Dispersion: Ultrasonication can effectively break down pigment agglomerates and promote better dispersion, leading to improved color intensity and high uniformity.
- Reduced Particle Size: Ultrasonically generated cavitation energy can reduce the particle size of pigments, resulting in a finer and more homogeneous colorant. The extremely high shear forces generated by power ultrasound creat liquid jets, which accelerate the particles in the liquid. When the particles collide with each other, they shatter into minute pieces. During such interparticulate collisions, the particle surface erodes and smoothened, too. Sonication is a highly efficient technique for the production of nanoparticles and nanosized colloidal suspensions. Smaller particle sizes can provide advantages such as increased color saturation and better stability.
- Avoid Milling Media: Milling media such as beads and pearls used in traditional mills can contaminate the product due to erosion leaving unwanted debris in the pigment dispersion. Consequently, labour-intense removal and cleaning of such beads is avoided. Ultrasonic homogenization works without milling media and uses instead the solid particles in the pigment product as milling media. Cavitational shear forces accelerate the particles in the liquid to extremely high speed. Consequently the particles collide with each other and shatter.
- Time and Energy Efficiency: Probe-type ultrasonication is a relatively rapid process that can achieve efficient dispersion in significantly shorter time compared to traditional methods. This efficiency can lead to time and energy savings and increased productivity in industrial manufacturing.
- Process Control: Ultrasonic equipment allows for precise control over important processing parameters such as energy input, intensity, temperature, pressure, and duration. This enabling manufacturers to adjust process conditions in regards to the pigments and to optimize the wet-milling and dispersion process and tailor the properties of the colorants to specific requirements.
Ultrasonic milling and dispersion of pearl luster pigments. The red graph shows the particle size distribution before sonication, the green curve is during sonication, the blue curve shows the final pigments after ultrasonic dispersion.
Masterbatch Production using Ultrasonic Homogenizers
Masterbatches are colorant and/or additive concentrates in a viscous matrix with a higher content of colorants and/or additives than in the final application. There are different delivery forms (granulate, liquid – paste, powder). Ultrasonic homogenizers are highly efficient in the uniform dispersion of pigments in liquid and paste-like masterbatches. Pigment particles can be dispersed and milled using intense cavitational forces and agitation of power ultrasound to reduce particle size to sub-micron and nano size.
- masterbatches and final product formulations
- organic and inorganic mineral pigments
- batch and inline production
- high and low viscosities
- any volume scale
SonoStation: Mobile turnkey dispersing system consisting in ultrasonic dispersers, pump, stirrer and tank
Dispersing system of 2x 1kW ultrasonicators for continuous-flow operation of colorant manufacturing
High-Performance Ultrasonic Dispersers for Colorant Manufacturing
Hielscher Ultrasonics industrial ultrasonic processors are state-of-the-art dispersers and offer the perfect solution for pigment masterbatches!
Experience unmatched power, precision, and efficiency, backed by our commitment to your success. Contact us now to learn more!
- high efficiency
- state-of-the-art technology
- reliability & robustness
- adjustable, precise process control
- batch & inline
- for any volume
- intelligent software
- smart features (e.g., programmable, data protocolling, remote control)
- easy and safe to operate
- low maintenance
- CIP (clean-in-place)
The table below gives you an indication of the approximate processing capacity of our ultrasonicators:
| Batch Volume | Flow Rate | Recommended Devices |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 to 1.5mL | n.a. | VialTweeter | 1 to 500mL | 10 to 200mL/min | UP100H |
| 10 to 2000mL | 20 to 400mL/min | UP200Ht, UP400St |
| 0.1 to 20L | 0.2 to 4L/min | UIP2000hdT |
| 10 to 100L | 2 to 10L/min | UIP4000hdT |
| 15 to 150L | 3 to 15L/min | UIP6000hdT |
| n.a. | 10 to 100L/min | UIP16000 |
| n.a. | larger | cluster of UIP16000 |
Contact Us! / Ask Us!
Hielscher Ultrasonics manufactures high-performance ultrasonic homogenizers for mixing applications, dispersion, emulsification and extraction on lab, pilot and industrial scale.
Literature / References
- Nina Hauptman; Marta Klanjšek Gunde; Matjaž Kunaver; Marija Bešter-Rogač (2011): Influence of dispersing additives on the conductivity of carbon black pigment dispersion. J Coat Technol Res 8, 2011. 553–561.
- I. Fasaki, K. Siamos, M. Arin, P. Lommens, I. Van Driessche, S.C. Hopkins, B.A. Glowacki, I. Arabatzis (2012): Ultrasound assisted preparation of stable water-based nanocrystalline TiO2 suspensions for photocatalytic applications of inkjet-printed films. Applied Catalysis A: General, Volumes 411–412, 2012. 60-69.
- Shaik, S., Sonawane, S.H., Barkade, S.S., Bhanvase, B. (2016): Synthesis of Inorganic, Polymer, and Hybrid Nanoparticles Using Ultrasound. In: Handbook of Ultrasonics and Sonochemistry. Springer, Singapore.
- Badgujar, N.P.; Bhoge, Y.E.; Deshpande, T.D.; Bhanvase, B.A.; Gogate, P.R.; Sonawane, S.H.; Kulkarni, R.D. (2015): Ultrasound assisted organic pigment dispersion: advantages of ultrasound method over conventional method. Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 44 No. 4, 2015. 214-223.
Facts Worth Knowing
Colorants are differentiated into mineral-based and organic pigment-based colorants. Both types of colorants are extensively used in numerous applications, each with its own advantages and considerations. The choice between them depends on factors such as the desired color range, stability requirements, application-specific needs, and regulatory considerations.
Organic Pigments
Organic pigment-based colorants are derived from carbon-based compounds, such as plant extracts or synthetic sources. They offer a wide range of colors and shades and are commonly used in various industries, including cosmetics, textiles, and printing. Organic pigments can provide excellent color strength and brightness, but they may be more prone to fading over time, especially when exposed to sunlight or other environmental factors.
Mineral-based Colors
Artificially snthesized inorganic color pigments are also summarized under the collective term “mineral colours”. These pigments are oxides or salts of the metals lead, zinc, titanium, barium, chromium, iron, aluminum, mercury, cadmium, copper, manganese and cobalt. They include the white colours lead white (a lead carbonate) and zinc white (a zinc oxide). Titanium White (a titanium dioxide), Lithopone (a zinc sulfide) and Blanc fix (a barium sulfate).
The coloured and black pigments include red lead (lead oxide), Naples yellow (lead antimonate), chrome yellow (lead chromate), chrome orange, chrome green (chromium oxide), zinc yellow (zinc chromate), verdigris (copper acetate), permanent green, iron oxide red, English red and also smalt.
These pigments are highly stable and resistant to fading.
Hielscher Ultrasonics manufactures high-performance ultrasonic homogenizers from lab to industrial size.