H2Stat prevents pigment swirl in plastic

January 29, 2003 -- A supplier of leisure products needed to guarantee a retailer that its pool products would be free of a surface defect known as pigment swirl. Swimways Corp. of Virginia Beach, Va., forms its products by a process called rotomolding. In this process, plastic resin is placed inside a mold, which is rotated in an oven. The melting resin sticks to the inside surface of the mold and coats it evenly. The parts are cooled and then released.

Friction between the resin and the mold surface can build up static electricity that leaves swirling or streaking in the color of the final product.

Swimways tried an antistatic technology, called H2Stat, from Teknor Color Co. of Lodi, Ohio. H2Stat is non-hygroscopic and inherently conductive to prevent static buildup, according to Harry D. Howard, Teknor's director of research and development.

Swimways uses H2Stat with resin to mold pontoon flotation devices, which are familiar as the armrests on floating swimming pool lounges. According to David Becker, manager of engineering at Swimways, the antistatic agent has reduced swirl to a small fraction of past levels. H2Stat uses inorganic additives containing metal atoms that provide conductivity.

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Source: Mechanical Engineering

Copyright American Society of Mechanical Engineers Jan 2003

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