The function of smooth and soft masterbatch!

smooth and soft masterbatch is a functional masterbatch with polymer as the carrier and compounded with smoothness agents, softeners and auxiliary additives. Its core function is to simultaneously improve the surface smoothness and touch softness of the product by blending and processing with plastic substrates (such as PE, PP, PVC, PET, etc.), and solve the problems of easy adhesion and stiff touch of plastics themselves It is widely applied in fields such as films, injection molded parts, and textile fibers.

I. Core Function 1: Enhance surface smoothness and solve the "adhesion problem"

Plastic substrates (especially PE and PP films) are prone to "mutual adhesion" during processing or use due to strong intermolecular forces and high surface energy (such as difficulty in unrolling the film after rolling up or adhesion when stacking injection molded parts). The smooth and soft masterbatch achieves the smooth effect through the following mechanism:

Reduce the coefficient of surface friction (COF

The lubricants in masterbatches (such as erucamide, oleamide, and silicones) will accumulate on the surface of the products through the "migration effect" during the plastic processing, forming an extremely thin lubricating film. This film can significantly reduce the coefficient of friction on the surface of the product (typically lowering the COF from 0.5-0.8 to 0.1-0.3), for example:

After adding PE cling film, it can be easily stretched without sticking together.

After the PP strapping is added, it is less likely to get stuck when being rolled up and the conveying is smoother.

Prevent "thermal adhesion" and "static friction adhesion"

Some lubricants (such as stearate esters) also have high-temperature resistance. After high-temperature processing of plastics (such as blown film and extrusion), they can continuously adhere to the surface, preventing adhesion caused by "thermal shrinkage" during the cooling process of the products. Meanwhile, silicone lubricants can also slightly reduce surface static electricity and decrease the adhesion of dust caused by static adsorption (such as on the shells of household appliances and the surfaces of toys).

Ii. Core Function 2: Improve the softness of touch and enhance the "user experience"

Common plastics (such as PVC hard sheets and PET thin sheets) have a relatively hard and dry touch. Smooth and soft masterbatches achieve "softening" by adjusting the internal structure and surface touch of plastics:

Internal plasticizing reduces the rigidity of the base material

Softeners in masterbatches (such as phthalates, epoxy soybean oil, and polycaprolactone) can penetrate between the plastic molecular chains, weakening the interaction forces of the molecular chains (such as van der Waals forces), making the molecular chains more prone to sliding, thereby reducing the hardness and brittleness of the base material. For example:

After the addition of PVC artificial leather, it changes from "stiff" to "soft and elastic", and can conform to the curves of the human body (such as sofa leather, clothing leather).

After the addition of PE film, the touch sensation changes from "dry and hard, brittle" to "soft and smooth", making it suitable for making the surface film of baby diapers.

The surface is "silky smooth", optimizing the touch details

When the lubricant and the softener work together, they not only reduce friction but also form a "micro-lubricating layer" on the surface of the product, changing the touch from "rough" to "silky smooth" - for example, after adding PP injection molded children's tableware handles, they do not slip when held and are more skin-friendly. After PET fibers (such as clothing fabrics) are added, the touch is close to that of natural cotton fibers, reducing the "chemical fiber feel".

Iii. Additional Function: Optimize processability and product stability

In addition to the core "smoothness + softness" function, the auxiliary additives in masterbatch (such as dispersants and antioxidants) can also bring additional advantages, ensuring smooth processing and product durability

Improve processing fluidity and reduce equipment wear and tear

Dispersants in masterbatches (such as polyethylene wax and calcium stearate) can reduce the viscosity of plastic melts, improve their fluidity in extruders and injection molding machines, and decrease the shear force loss of equipment - for instance, they can lower the rupture rate of film bubbles during film blowing and reduce defects such as "material shortage" and "shrinkage marks" during injection molding.

Delay aging and extend the service life of products

Some masterbatches are compounded with antioxidants (such as hindered phenols) and UV stabilizers (such as benzotriazole), which not only improve the touch but also prevent plastics from "aging and hardening" or "surface cracking" due to light and high temperatures. For instance, after being added to PE sunshade nets for outdoor use, they can maintain their softness for 2-3 years and are less likely to become brittle.

Reduce the "risk of precipitation" and ensure safety

High-quality smooth and soft masterbatches will choose "low migration" additives (such as modified erucamide, high molecular weight silicone) to prevent excessive migration of additives to the surface of the product (such as food contact grade plastics), and comply with safety standards such as FDA and GB 4806 - for example, after adding PE film for food packaging, there will be no contamination of food due to the precipitation of additives.

Summary: Applicable scenarios and core values

The essence of smooth and soft masterbatch lies in "precisely compounding functional components to simultaneously address the 'adhesion pain point' and 'touch pain point' of plastics", and its core value is:

For the processing end: Reduce the scrap rate caused by adhesion and enhance production efficiency;

For the product end: Optimize the touch and user experience, and enhance the added value of the product (such as upgrading from "ordinary plastic" to "high-end functional plastic");

For the safety end: Compliant additives can meet the safety requirements of strict scenarios such as food contact and baby products.

Common application fields include: plastic films (cling film, packaging film), artificial leather/synthetic leather, injection molded parts (handles, toys), textile fibers (chemical fiber fabrics, non-woven fabrics), pipes/profiles (soft PVC pipes), etc.