Optical brighteners and additives for PVC pipe and profile
Pipe and profile are extruded hot, run long, and are judged on appearance for decades in sunlight. That makes the stabiliser, the impact modifier and the brightener one decision rather than three.
What the grade has to survive
Four things that decide the choice
- Heat stabiliser that survives the extrusion window
- Impact modifier for low-temperature service
- Brightener with light stability, not just initial whiteness
- Consistency batch to batch so pipe runs match
These are the constraints we work through with customers on this application. Everything on this page traces back to the published data for the grades listed below.
Grades for pvc pipe & profile
Methyl Tin Mercaptide
A bright, clear liquid tin stabiliser for PVC processing, effective in both rigid and flexible compounds and notable for the transparency it leaves behind.
Impact Modifier CPE 135A
Chlorinated polyethylene at 35±2% chlorine, the standard toughening resin for rigid PVC.
Optical brightener OB
The workhorse of the benzoxazole family and the grade most plastics buyers are matching when their specification says Uvitex OB or Tinopal OB.
Optical brightener OB-1
The heat-resistance specialist.
Background reading on pvc pipe & profile
Enhancing Brightness and Durability with OBA for PVC Pipes
PVC pipes are an essential part of modern infrastructure, widely used for water supply, drainage, and construction systems. They are
optical brightener for PVC pipes
Optical brighteners, also known as fluorescent brightening agent (FBA), Optical brightening agent (OBA), fluorescent whitening agent (FWA) are used in
A Technical Guide to Choosing the Best Optical Brightener for PVC Products
In PVC manufacturing, appearance quality is a critical factor that directly influences market competitiveness. Whether for rigid PVC pipes, sheets,
Related markets
Plastics
In a polymer the brightener has to dissolve into the melt, survive the process temperature and then stay put.…
Paints, coatings & inks
Coatings split cleanly into two camps. Oil-based and solvent systems take OB, which dissolves in the resin…
PVC compounding
PVC is the one polymer where a brightener rarely travels alone. The same compound needs a heat stabiliser to…
Other application briefs
White masterbatch
A masterbatch concentrates the brightener twenty to a hundred times over the let-down dosage, so…
PVC foam board
Foam board yellows for two reasons at once - thermal stress during expansion and the intrinsic cast…
PP woven bags
Woven sack tape is drawn hot and thin, often from a resin blend that includes recycled material.…
EVA shoe soles
Footwear foam is the application KCB was developed for. The expansion step destroys a poorly chosen…
Blown film
In film the brightener has to raise apparent whiteness without touching clarity, and it has to do…
Recycled plastics
Recyclate arrives with a yellow-grey cast that no amount of washing removes. A brightener is the…
Send us the pvc pipe & profile brief
Substrate, process temperature, whiteness target and trial quantity. That is everything we need to name a grade.