Chroma News

Chroma Corporation is making things happen. Check this section of the site often. We frequently update our News section with new events, product information and Chroma news.

Bentzer Inc. Introduces New Line of Life Safety Products

Edwardsburg, MI – When Bentzer Inc. was looking for a supplier to provide light stable photoluminescent thermoplastic material for their new line of life safety products they choose Chroma Corporation.

The material supplier developed a light stable photoluminescent compound for Bentzer’s line of life safety products which include; light switch plate rings, door knob marker rings and pathway markings making these items clearly visible in complete darkness.

This new product offering is truly unique. The old glow materials, based on zinc sulfide would not glow after 100 hours of exposure to outdoor light.  Chroma’s new Photoluminescent products, based on Strontium Aluminate are designed for use both indoors and outdoors. Some products have been measured to glow for over 32+ hours!
Potential applications include: Rotational molded marine navigation buoys, Injection molded EXIT signs, profile extruded strips for Exit isle delimitations, buttons on electronic devices, Dashboards, cup holders, seat belt release buttons, outdoor pursuits gear, etc.

Imagine a product that recharges itself, requires no maintenance, can not be accidentally turned off, and uses no light bulbs, batteries, or wiring! It is now a reality and available from Bentzer Inc.

These products start glowing as bright as a nuclear fuel rod...and our Products are absolutely non-radioactive, states Karl Bentzer,
President of Bentzer Inc.

Bentzer Inc. is family owned and operated and has been in business since 2005. They specialize in custom injection molded parts and have an in house tool shop. With 30 years of experience in plastics and processing, they run a wide range of materials from ABS to Xenoy ® a registered trademark of SABIC Innovative Plastics. For more information on Bentzer Inc. please visit www.bentzerinc.com or e-mail Pat Taylor at ptaylor@bentzerinc.com

Chroma Corporation is a global thermoplastic compounded raw material leader and offers the broadest range of custom color, special effect, and specialty additives in master batches and precompounded products in commodity and engineering thermoplastic resins for extrusion, injection molding, blown film and a multitude of other processes and applications including rotational molding. Founded in 1967, it now employs more than 110 people. For more information, please see www.chromacolors.com or e-mail chroma@chromacolors.com

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ICO Polymers and Chroma Corporation Announce Alliance and Agreement For Rotational Molding Business

Eric Parsons, President of ICO Polymers North America, stated: “Chroma is a longstanding and respected player in the color world, highly regarded for their technology and innovation.  We have been doing business with Chroma for many years, and therefore we are very familiar with Chroma’s excellent customer service and quality.  We are honored that Chroma has chosen ICO Polymers to carry on many of its rotational molding activities and we are committed to serving their customers well.”

 Tom Bolger, President and CEO of Chroma Corporation, stated “We chose ICO because they have historically brought our industry unparalleled market knowledge, manufacturing excellence, and global reach, with worldwide operations serving the rotational molding industry.  We believe that Chroma’s technological focus, combined with ICO’s manufacturing capabilities and broad base of operations, will together provide the rotational molding community a strong and unique supply partner bringing unequalled benefits to the businesses we serve.” Both companies look forward to continuing the same high level of customer service and quality that our customers have come to expect and rely upon.

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Chroma's Phenomenal Glow Compounds

McHenry, IL- Chroma Corporation offering light stable thermoplastic glow compounds, some glow as long as 32 HOURS!

This new product offering is truly unique. The old glow materials would not glow after 100 hours of exposure to outdoor light. Chroma's new Photoluminescent products are designed for use outdoors. Some have been measured to glow for over 32+ hours! They are light stable and designed for outdoor use!

Potential applications include: Rotational molded marine navigation buoys, Injection molded EXIT signs, profile extruded strips for Exit isle delimitations, buttons on electronic devices, Dashboards, cup holders, seat belt release buttons, etc.

Imagine a product that recharges itself, requires no maintenance, cannot be accidentally turned off, and uses no light bulbs, batteries, or wiring! It is now a reality and available from Chroma Corporation.

These products start glowing as bright as a nuclear fuel rod...and our products are non-radioactive!

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Glow-In-The-Dark Photoluminescent Plastics for Rotational Molding

Chroma's Development Center has introduced a new light stable photoluminescent material. Chroma Glow is offered in a mini-pellet form for optimal processing. Products molded using Chroma Glow has been tested by an outside laboratory resulting in measurements of 32 hours of glow time. Tests continue on a number of materials to expand Chroma' products within the rotational molding industry.

Performance

Over 32 hours of glow has been measured in testing performed by independent laboratories.

Use Requirements

Chroma Glow mini-pellet shot can be introduced directly into the mold - No Mixing!

Product Trials

Products in the Chroma Glow line are currently available in Blue or Green Glow and can be custom formulated to comply with select Photoluminescent glow standards.

The Challenge

Challenge Chroma to demonstrate how our commitment to EXCELLENCE IN COLOR can make a meaningful contribution to the success of your business.

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ISO 9001:2008 Certification

Chroma recently obtained ISO 9001:2008 certification at the McHenry, IL headquarters.

Chroma's Covert Authentication Plastic Compounds Utilizes Microscopic Color Coded Wafers MCHENRY, ILLINOIS, USA - (September 18-2007) - Counterfeiting of parts has become a serious problem. To ensure that parts are made with the materials or resin the parts were designed for and specified, Chroma Corporation is offering a covert, traceable, anti-counterfeit technology called Microtaggant® Identification Particles. Microtaggants are microscopic encoded particles which act as virtual "fingerprints". The technology can be incorporated into thermoplastic compounds for the purpose of authenticating genuine products and packaging to address issues of counterfeiting, protection intellectual property and warranty / liability issues. "In its basic form, the Microtaggant is a unique numeric code sequence in a multiple colored layer format," says Stuart D. Swain, Regional Sales Manager " In its more complex form the Microtaggant delivers multiple layers of security through the incorporation of several nano / taggant technologies in a single microscopic particle resulting in multiple levels of security. A unique Microtaggant coded sequence is registered to each customer or application and will never be used for any other customer or purpose. The Microtaggants may be read and detected with a variety of inexpensive hand held readers and scanners. A quick, simple, non-destructive test is all that is needed to test the parts and find out if they contain the correct resin, compound or alloy - or if they have been compromised." Swain added.

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Low Taste & Odor

Chroma Corporation has developed a high performance Low Taste and Odor Package that is perfect for the growing beverage market.

McHenry, IL-Chroma Corporation, supplier of master batch, liquid colorants and specialty additive packages for the thermoplastic industry, is pleased to announce the recent development of their high end Low Taste and Odor (LT&O) additive.

In the packaging industry, perfection is expected and coming up with superior products is where Chroma continues to excel. This is the consistent message that Chroma and their technical teams continue to reinforce, especially in the competitive packaging industry for bottles and closures. With over two years in development and four years in commercial use, Chroma has put together a specialized additive package that virtually eliminates T & O concerns. Chroma has followed the testing protocol of several major beverage companies that test for Taste and Odor (T & O) and have obtained favorable results for use in either liquid or pellet master batch. According to Chroma's National Sales Manager, Peter Bogle, "this product has taken off like wildfire and we are excited about the continued inquiries and successes that we are working on. Anyone that is looking for a high performance taste and odor package has to go no further than contacting Chroma Corporation". Chroma is also in development for setting up a line of standard custom colors utilizing this same high end LT&O package. In addition, Chroma is in the process of setting up their own internal taste and odor testing team which will make the ongoing testing of any new products that much easier to evaluate.

Further information on this product or other new innovative products is available by contacting the company via Phone: 877.385.8777.

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Anti-Counterfeiting Methods

MCHENRY, ILLINOIS, USA - (March 29, 2004) - With the shift of manufacturing to countries outside the U.S., counterfeiting of parts has become a serious problem. To ensure that parts are made with the materials or resins specified, Chroma Corporation is offering a traceable, anti-counterfeit technology called microtagging.

Microtagging, or the addition of minute particles called microtags to thermoplastic compounds, provides a means of identification and authentication of genuine product to address issues of counterfeiting and warranty/liability issues. "The microtag particle is essentially a unique numeric code sequence supplied in a microscopic multi-color layered format," says Sharon Ehr, Director of Color Technology and Quality for Chroma. "A specific sequence is produced for each customer and application. The sequence is certified and registered on a database and will never be used for any other purpose," Ehr added.

Anti-counterfeiting methods can be formulated to be seen by the naked eye, or to be invisible. In the case of Microtags, a simple non-destructive test involving ultraviolet light and a 100X magnifying glass is all that is needed," says Ehr, "for a customer to test the parts and find out if they contain the correct resin, compound, or alloy - or if they have been counterfeited." Depending upon the customers' needs, Chroma Corporation can also add specialty features.

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Chroma Wins ARM Large Product Award for Outstanding Achievement

At the January 27-29 26th Annual General Membership Meeting of the Association of Rotational Molders (ARM) in Minneapolis, the Large Product Award for outstanding achievement in rotational molding was accepted by Chroma Corporation of McHenry, Illinois and Lakeland Mold of Brainerd, Minnesota on behalf of Nauticraft Corporation of Muskegon, Michigan. In molding the Encore, this is a four person paddle boat with a capacity of two peddlers and two passengers, Nauticraft used microspheres, in the form of Chroma-Spheres®, to mold the entire structure. Chroma-Spheres® are pre-colored melt compounded micropellets for marine as well as conventional rotomolding applications. Because of their superior flow characteristics and consequent ease of distribution within the mold, this material solves the material distribution problems associated with the filling of intricate sections of small and large molded parts in addition to molding a part with the physical properties that are attained using melt compounded materials. The large size and new body styling of the Encore boat was achieved from a mold that was manufactured by Lakeland Mold using a unique split RAM technology, which resulted in a large, defect free casting with dimensions of 14' 2" long x 4' 11" wide x 3' 9" tall and weighing approximately 1,500 pounds. This new boat has been added to the existing product line of the one person peddler boat, the Sprite, plus the 1 peddler and two passenger pedal boat, the Escape. A dealer network for all three of these models is currently being established. The Chroma Rotational Molding Division is a technological leader in the development of leading edge materials for rotational molding applications. Further information on this innovative product is available by contacting the company via Phone: 877.385.8777, Fax: 815.363.2648, or by E-mail: rotomold@chromacolors.com.

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Chroma Develops Mineral Based Colorants* For Rotational Molding

McHenry, Illinois--Chroma Corporation's Rotational Molding Division is pleased to announce the availability of a line of mineral based colorants for rotational molding. They possess outstanding heat stability and exceptional exterior weathering qualities. The raw materials used to create these mineral forms are heavy metal reactants. During the chemical reaction the heavy metal is transformed into this mineral form (a compound, cadmium sulfide*) and no longer exists as a heavy metal. Extraction analysis performed on these mineral based colorants shows residual, soluble heavy metal to be less than 1 ppm. Mineral based colorants are available as both standard identification colors or as custom colors. They are available as a dry color or a pre-color compound. Further information on this innovative product is available by contacting Chroma Rotational Molding Division, Inc. via Phone: 877.385.8777, Fax: 815.363.2648, or by E-mail: rotomold@chromacorp.com.

*In its Report on Carcinogens for 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that, based upon its investigation of a wide variety of cadmium compounds, "it appears that it is ionic cadmium that is the active, carcinogenic species (reviewed in IARC V.58, 1993). Studies in animals and in isolated cells or tissues suggest that ionic cadmium, or compounds that release ionic cadmium cause genetic damage and are carcinogenic. Thus, the carcinogenic potential of a given cadmium compound would depend on the degree to which the compound releases ionic cadmium under the conditions of exposure." The EPA's IRIS toxicological review of cadmium and cadmium compounds makes note of cadmium sulfide's insolubility and low availability. It states "[t]he various cadmium compounds vary widely in their solubility and availability, from freely soluble salts such as cadmium chloride to nearly insoluble complexes such as cadmium sulfide. Adverse effects of cadmium are nearly always associated most closely with the metal ion, not in the other part of salts or complexes."

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Chroma Corporation Formulates Specialty Black for 42-volt Battery Cases

Chroma Corporation, headquartered in McHenry, Illinois has developed a specialty black specifically formulated to meet the high performance demands of the 42-volt automotive battery market. This pellet concentrate product contains an ultra high dispersion of carbon black pigment virtually eliminating electrical conductive tracking (E.C.T.). For more information please contact Gary Bryan, Senior Vice President and Battery Market Coordinator by Phone Toll Free at 877.385.8777, or by E-mail at custsvc@chromacolors.com.

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