TPV santoprene extrusions are common practises in the manufacturing industry, as TPV santoprene is a durable material that suits many different applications. When creating TPV santoprene items, it's also possible to dye them in order to make them suit their intended purpose even better. For example, if the TPV santoprene is going to be used on the exterior of a car, it might be preferable to dye it the same colour as the rest of the car for aesthetic purposes. To make sure the colour of your santoprene turns out the way you want it to, the most important thing is that you choose the right type of dye for your purposes. In order to do so, there are a few things you should think about. 

Solid colour concentrates

This type of dye contains of pellets made out of colour concentrate that is blended with the TPV santoprene before melting it to perform TPV santoprene extrusions. They are highly pigmented and can create vibrant and even colours throughout the material. The downside of this type of dye is that you'll need to use carrier resins in order to get the colour to stick to the material. Resin can affect the material negatively by making it more porous also after extrusion. Follow the instructions by the manufacturer carefully to avoid an overdose of resin when using colours like these, as a mistake might ruin your material.

Colorant carriers

This type of colorants is preferable when you don't wish to obtain a very vibrant colour, as they don't hold a high level of pigments in them. They are best used when wanting to dye the TPV santoprene an even, light nuance. These colours need to be compatible with the type of TPV or TPE that you wish to dye, as substances in them otherwise can affect the TPV & TPE products. Ask the manufacturer for advice on compatibility to make sure you get the right product for your material.

Carrier-less colour concentrates

These types of colorants are similar to the solid colour concentrates with the difference that they don't need any resin mixed with the colour for it to still do its job. Dye like this is highly pigmented and you can control the shade of the colour by adding less or more concentrate to the mix. You do, however, need to make sure that the TPV santoprene is properly dried before adding colorants like these, as they attract moisture, which can decrease the quality of the final product by causing the moisture to warp or weaken the material. 

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