As a new sister company of Grafe Polymer Solutions GmbH, Blankenhain, Color Technik AG, Widnau (Switzerland), is part of the Grafe Group and thus expands the product range of the masterbatcher from Blankenhain in the field of high-temperature plastics, fluoropolymers, and medical articles. With the partnership of the two companies, customers in the Swiss market will also benefit from future synergy effects. From now on, Color Technik AG will be able to draw on the entire Grafe company portfolio and offer the product range of masterbatches/combibatches and compounds in the Alpine Republic.
"We want to show our customers how they can benefit from the combined know-how of our two companies," explained Sales Manager Lars Tonnecker (Grafe). For example, Color Technik can draw on testing apparatus, technology, and laboratory equipment in Blankenhain and make use of the development capacities, established quality management, and a large team of colourists of the Thuringian partner. "In addition, we are in a position to implement larger capacities at short notice," he added.
"The basic philosophy of both companies is very similar. We serve the entire Swiss market and concentrate on this core business," reported Jan Meik Menke, Managing Director of Color Technik, referring to the possibility of implementing orders from small quantities of one kilogram of masterbatch up to a few tonnes. "We are designed for service and speed. That means: we deliver within the shortest possible time, even within 24 hours, for an order of 100 kilograms of masterbatch." Production is exclusively order-related.
In addition, Color Technik has unique expertise in the field of colouring fluoropolymers and high-temperature plastics used in the target markets of medicine, dentistry, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. PVDF, ETFE, PEEK, PSU, and LCP can be used as masterbatch or compound carriers. "Grafe benefits from this offer. Together we can achieve a lot here and satisfy the needs of numerous customers," says Menke.
Grafe has been successfully asserting itself on the market as a leading manufacturer for over 30 years with its three business areas of colour masterbatches, additives, and functional compounds. The company is an innovation driver in the production of colour granulates. In addition to quality and functionality, a comprehensive colour service is offered. In the laboratories of the technology leader, 10,000 different new masterbatches are produced in individual variants every year, tested, and customised according to individual customer needs.
In the field of compounds, Grafe offers an extensive range of standardised electrically conductive granulates in addition to customer and application-specific plastic solutions. Electrical charges are undesirable, if not dangerous, in many components because they can cause destruction and explosions. Modified plastics can help against this. Based on scientific expertise, customer- and application-specific composite material solutions are developed. The electrically conductive and permanently antistatic compounds transform the plastic from insulator to conductor, thus opening up new fields of application.
Grafe also offers a wide range of additive granulates, including filled and reinforced types mixed with the polymer. This results in materials with optimised properties that are specially tailored to the customer’s wishes. Halogen-containing and halogen-free flame retardants, UV-resistant films, thermostabilisers, lubricants, or antistatics are just a few examples of Grafe’s extensive product portfolio. New products and processes are continuously being developed, and solutions are created for specific applications. In conjunction with combi-masterbatch, it is also possible to combine colour and additive.
Color Technik AG was founded in 1995. The agile company produces colour masterbatch and compounds for the plastics processing industry. Color Technik AG’s customers cover numerous plastics sectors, from household appliances to packaging and medical technology. All partners and producers are from the EU. Customers receive written confirmation that the raw materials conform to standards, the product is food safe, and the raw materials are FDA listed. The company is certified by SQS ISO 9001:2015; ISO 13485 as a recognised medical technology standard is in preparation.
In addition to the core business, combi-batches are also produced that have properties such as UV resistance, antistatic, laser marking, stabilisation, etc. The colouring of fluoropolymers that are not easy to process is also part of the range. The company relies entirely on end-to-end quality controls. These already begin at the start of production. After an inline process control, a sample plate is produced, which serves as a reference object for future productions. A visual inspection follows this in the office with daylight, and finally, a colour measuring device secures the process by means of optical measurement.
