Using post-industrial resin (PIR) or “regrind” resin is commonplace in the plastics industry. PIR can be used in almost all plastics processes that produce waste plastic. Doing so saves money, reduces waste, and allows companies to offset their usage of virgin resins.

However, with all these benefits, there is a downside. With repeated processing, many plastics will degrade due to applied heat and shear. Though this is not a concern when using virgin resins, it can negatively affect properties in the final product, such as mechanical strength, color, and rheological characteristics, such as melt strength and flow rate. Therefore, finding the right concentrate to address a customer’s needs is our top priority. 

Colortech Solutions 

• Antioxidant additives can prevent further degradation of materials when using regrind. This will help preserve mechanical properties by minimizing degradation of regrind. If included in the initial formulation, property retention when using regrind can be further improved. 
• Colorants can be used to achieve a uniform color of finished goods. This is ideal for companies that combine multiple stable regrind streams and desire a specific color of the final product.
• Odor absorbers can help reduce or eliminate the unpleasant aromas that sometimes occur when reprocessing PIR. Colortech offers a selection of odor absorbers designed for a range of different odorous compounds.