Property 1; Weather-ability/Aging Property
Notably, artificial lights can have adverse effects on the useful life of plastic products. Therefore, products and pigments that are used in outdoors may frequently require UV protection and weather resistant pigments. However, you have to use outdoor exposure tests to assess weathering resistance which is not always feasible. Although, the stabilizer light system has to be considered together with the formulation of pigment and the specified fastness criteria for the final product.
Property 2; Light Fastness
If you are still confused about what light fastness is; it is a measure of the colour fastness of a plastic or pigment article when used in indoor applications. In simple words, ultra violet light exposure without direct Water contact. Keep that in mind that, if a pigment has good Light Fastness property, it does not always mean that it has good weather fastness. It can be vice versa as well. Performance of the pigments can also be influenced by:
- Surface of the article
- Processing heat history
- Stabilization package
Property 3; Warping/nucleation
Nucleation determines the final property of the pigments for plastic. It is determine as the degree of crystalline and the speed of crystallization. Despite the fact, organic pigments are known to influence these parameters during the cooling phase of plastic processing. Nucleation property results in;
- Reduced mechanical stability
- Impact on dimensional stability
- Warping
- Shrinkage