Shepherd unveils special effect pigment

Shepherd unveils special effect pigment

Keywords: Pigments, Coatings

Pigment producer Shepherd Color Co. used the recent NPE2003 show to introduce its new StarLighte special effect pigment. The pigment technology is based on a silver coating on a glass substrate and, according to the company, provides superior brilliance, sparkle and lustre compared to currently available pigments.

The glass flake substrate is perfectly flat, Shepherd says, which maximizes reflection and provides a solid base for the metallic appearance, yielding brilliance at lower loadings than required by other effect pigments. StarLight pigments, which are available in several grades, can be combined with many other pigments to achieve the desired appearance. They also impart a degree of conductivity to the products in which they are incorporated.

The company also recently launched a range of infrared reflective Arctice pigments designed to reduce the amount of heat absorbed by coloured plastic products. According to Shepherd, the pigments can reduce and even eliminate warping and twisting due to heat build-up in plastic products. Lower heat build-up also reduces thermal degradation of polymer products, and allows darker colours to be used in exterior applications.