Bayer MaterialScience's AURA® Color Infusion Technology Licensed For Commercial Use
Pittsburgh, PA - Bayer MaterialScience is ready to further infuse the marketplace with customizable coloration through recent AURA® technology licensing agreements in the United States. Bayer customers, 3form and Replex Plastics, will install AURA's specialized equipment in-house – allowing the companies to apply the latest color trends to already molded, extruded or thermoformed parts on demand.
"AURA color infusion technology is perfectly suited for both 3form and Replex Plastics, as it allows each company to instantly respond to requests for custom colors," said John Skabardonis, Bayer MaterialScience Fantasia and Consumer Markets manager. "3form and Replex will be able to capitalize on design and color trends because they control the process in-house and can make frequent color changes easily."
AURA technology is ideal for short-run, made-to-order, customized parts produced by injection molding, extrusion or thermoforming. The AURA coloration process adds speed and flexibility to production and is especially beneficial for applications that need to be produced in a variety of colors.
AURA color infusion technology enables the coloring of thermoplastic parts made from clear, translucent or opaque resins. The infusion operation takes place in a heated bath containing a dispersion of dyestuff. The part to be colored is placed in the coloring solution until the desired depth of color is achieved, which can take from a few seconds to a few minutes. The dye penetrates into the plastic part, which eliminates color rub-off. AURA allows customers to achieve true coloration on demand and eliminates the requirement for costly minimum orders or high-quantity runs, helping to reduce obsolete inventory and related costs. AURA color infusion technology also allows the creation of color gradients on parts, allowing even broader design freedom.
3form, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, is recognized worldwide for unique architectural solutions using decorative sheet. 3form manufactures materials that are visually pleasing, environmentally friendly and safe. 3form products range from resin panels ready to be shaped by your imagination to ready-to-use systems and comprehensive hardware. Dedicated to innovation and progressive design and construction, 3form's licensing of AURA color infusion technology will expand the company's mass-customization business and provide a virtually limitless number of color offerings.
Replex Plastics, a supplier of high-performance, optically correct domes, mirrors and formed plastic parts, located in Mount Vernon, Ohio, is licensing AURA color infusion technology as part of its commitment to innovative products and lean manufacturing capabilities. AURA technology supports Replex's goals to open new markets and mass-customize color. Moreover, Replex Plastics will be the first AURA Color Converter (ACC) in the U.S., coloring parts manufactured by others using AURA technology.
In Europe, Bayer MaterialScience recently signed a ten-year AURA license agreement with Kling GmbH. Located in Birkenfeld, Germany, Kling develops and produces high-quality POP market displays for selling jewelry and watches.
AURA color infusion technology equipment is manufactured in the United States by Hennecke Machinery, a business unit of Bayer MaterialScience and the North American arm of Hennecke GmbH.
Color Your World With Fantasia®
Fantasia is the industry's most complete, one-stop solution for adding color and special effects to high tech plastics. To meet customers' wide range of design, processing and cost parameters, the Fantasia colors and special effects program includes five separate technologies. These different technologies provide a toolkit of options for producing a virtually unlimited range of color and special effects. Fantasia's regional marketing representatives are located around the world and are available to help customers choose the Fantasia technology that best suits their next application. The following technologies are available:
- AURA® – A proprietary color infusion technology.
- LEDA® – Compounded color effect options for resins.
- IMAGIO® – High quality see and feel coatings.
- FARIA® – Film-insert molding technology.
- MILENA® – Colors for optical media.
SOURCE: Bayer MaterialScience