Spoons
Thermochromic masterbatch from LCR Hallcrest offers a branding opportunity for packaging manufacturers, says the company
LCR Hallcrest, a UK-based producer of thermochromic masterbatch, says a number of high profile brands are using its products for differentiation in a competitive consumer environment.
The company, based in Flintshire, North Wales, says its ‘Chameleon Plastic' masterbatch was the pioneering product behind the first ever in-pack promotion featuring a colour-change spoon for French drinking chocolate brand, Poulain. It has also been used for a similar promotional product for Nestlé’s ‘Munch Bunch’ yoghurts.
“From specific temperature indication for safety, or simple use of colour change to add something different to make a product stand out competitively, the colour change masterbatch adds a visual dimension to standard plastics and communicates a message for companies and their brands and products,” explained Gilly Beaumont of LCR Hallcrest.
The thermochromic masterbatch is temperature sensitive and changes colour as its temperature changes, or when it is exposed to UV light.
It can be added to standard plastics for injection moulding and extrusion, to create dramatic colour changes activated by changes in temperature, with activation ranging from zero to 65°C.
The company says apart from being used as a branding and marketing tool, the colour change masterbatch is increasingly popular with manufacturers producing items requiring temperature-safety indicators.
For example, plastics used for baby spoons have been produced to change colour from blue to pink, showing when the food is at the correct temperature for consumption.