A new product from Ampacet eliminates the time and expense of painting PET bottles by allowing processors to use a masterbatch to add a frosted look to stretch blow molded bottles and thermoformed containers made from extruded sheet.
    
“Our estimates indicate that molded frosted plastic bottles cost at least 90% less than those that are

painted,” says Stuart Swain, market development specialist. “As an added benefit, end users gain a more durable package because the color occurs throughout the wall, so it cannot be scraped off, and the package will not shatter if dropped.”
    
The new masterbatch can be formulated for use with acrylic and polycarbonate.  It can also be formulated with Ampacet’s new PET binder system, Formula X, which eliminates pre-drying, so it can go directly from storage to machine.
    
Bottle appearance can range from translucent to opaque.  The masterbatch also allows the use of pearlescent and other special effect pigments in PET.