Letdown ratios of Carolina Color’s G3 colorants impress major plastic cups molder

The ubiquitous red and blue beverage cups that we see at parties have more going for them than being ideal for a game of beer pong. It turns out that these beverage cups, which are in high demand on college campuses and elsewhere, have a new color formula that reduces molding costs.

Producing these cups at such high numbers means that every penny saved adds up to large sums over the course of a year. When Carolina Color introduced its G3 line of colorants, touting a possible reduction in letdown ratio, a large molder of the plastic cups immediately ordered 1,000 lbs. of red colorant for a test run of the multilayered cup.

The molder saw the letdown ratio go from 1.5% from the current supplier to 0.70%. The molder was so impressed that it is now running Carolina Color’s red G3 exclusively for the red cups. Next, the molder ran a similar test for the blue cup and saw the letdown ratio drop to 0.75%.

The molder has been so impressed with the results that the company plans to run out its current supplies of the blue and replace it with G3, said Carolina Color’s information. Moreover, the molder is planning to test G3 for a line of HIPS thermoformed plates it currently produces.

Carolina Color said that its G3 product can be used in just about any resin system. It achieves at least 20% increased pigment loading levels in polyethylene and polypropylene, without compromising pigment dispersion. Additionally, G3 offers formulations with 40 to 45% loading of dyes in HIPS, PET, nylon, crystal styrene and acrylic. The company also offers formulations with 50% or more pearlescent pigment, nearly doubling the former industry standard of 30%.

Carolina Color is a family-owned business that manufactures color concentrates for the plastics industry from ISO 9001:2008 certified locations in Salisbury, NC, and Delaware, OH. These facilities provide more than 500 customers with full-service production capabilities as well as labs for color matching, quality control and analytical testing. Carolina Color is capable of producing more than 25 million pounds annually, said the company’s information.