We’ve seen growth in demand for medical manikins and training models, putting, manufacturers under constant pressure to differentiate and find ways to quickly introduce innovative new products,” said James Petrie, marketing director, PolyOne Color and Additives. Collaborative Custom Color Expertise – Enables manufacturers to offer realistic training experiences by creating custom-tailored skin tones; thermochromatic technology enables model to change color in response to heat or cold, simulating hypothermia, fever or burns; can also be used to design distinguishable looks to drive brand equity

Further, PolyOne colorants bring the material to life with dynamic colors such as Superhero Blue, Watermelon Red, Limesicle Green, and Awesome Orange. PolyOne's specialty TPE and colorant solutions stand up to the demands of active kids during outdoor play and sports, staying bright and maintaining material performance attributes.

The material’s soft feel, resilience, durability and striking colors, combine help to differentiate the distinctively designed WO|Bone from other dog toys. Low specific gravity allows the WO|Bone to float for water retrieval and play, and the material’s excellent colorability allowed the company to feature the four bright hues of the Ethiopian flag as a market differentiator. In addition to supplying different grades of Dynaflex TPE to WO Design for testing purposes, PolyOne provided color selection expertise.

Comprised of a combination of bases, additives, pigments, ready-for-use (RFU) colors, and special-effect inks, the Zodiac Taurus family of non-PVC ink solutions also deliver the convenience and printability of traditional plastisol ink systems. Highlights: •    Bases and bleed barriers •    Improved durability and elongation •    Modifiers and additives include thickener, reducer, and matte additives to increase the productivity and improve the finish, and effect additives to achieve textured suede or high density (3D) effect •    RFU colors a palette of 14 RFU mixing color inks, including fluorescents and silver and gold metallic •    Special-effect inks add dimension and dazzling impact to any flat print

predecessor company BF Goodrich in 1988 and thereafter ascended in his career through various sales and commercial roles of increasing responsibility – in PP&S; Color, Additives & Inks; and Distribution.  Most recently he served as Vice President and General Manager for Color and Additives in the Americas.  He has played an instrumental role in the transformation of our Color segment, and I am excited to have him now lead PP&S."

Wilflex Revive inks are currently offered in a base and white and are compatible with the Wilflex Epic PC Express Color Mixing System. These can be mixed into thousands of Pantone® shades using IMS 3.0, Avient Specialty Inks’ proprietary color formulation software. Formulas in IMS 3.0 will automatically calculate the bio-derived content associated with each Pantone color.

In addition, GOBIE chose OnColor™ colorants to differentiate its creative and sustainable product line. These FDA-compliant colorants were used to produce fresh and bright hues, pairing perfectly with the TPE material to avoid bonding problems that GOBIE had experienced previously with other materials. Caption: The GOBIE® H2O drinking bottle uses GLS Versaflex™ TPE material and specialty colorants from PolyOne for its patented FlexFlo™ squeeze grip, nonslip base, and finger loop.

Electric vehicle connectors require materials with specific performance properties, including chemical resistance, flame retardancy and colorability. The new Edgetek PKE NHFR formulations can be laser marked and are pre-colored in orange for high-voltage applications in EVs. Other colors are also available for custom formulations. 

New Union Ink UPLC Unimix: a flexible cure mixing system that offers highly opaque, intense colors for large and small screen printing projects. With 15 intermixable colors, UPLC Unimix allows screen printers to obtain thousands of Pantone® colors that cure at temperatures as low as 270°F (132°C).   Wilflex Revive inks are currently offered in a base and white ink and are compatible with the Wilflex Epic™ PC Express Color Mixing System.

Suppliers and OEMs looking for a broader color palette will also benefit from masterbatches. While most antistatic parts do not have good bonding surfaces for paint, masterbatches allow for the inclusion of colorants to achieve molded-in color without the need for paint.  These should include level and duration of antistatic performance, color requirements, and time on dealership lots and showrooms.