Fantasia Color Technology News

Mood swing: Bright, chromatic colors released this spring from Bayer MaterialScience LLC correspond to growing trend

Attention-seeking new shades include Vitamin-C, Pulse, Scrubs and Cardio

May 6, 2009

Pittsburgh, May 6, 2009 — Top of mind for everyone this spring is certainly the economy. While the financial situation may be dour, the trends in color are quite the opposite.

Bayer MaterialScience LLC's color experts, taking hue cues from the Color Marketing Group (CMG), an international not-for-profit association of color design professionals based in Alexandria, Va., recognize that this year, when Bayer MaterialScience customers produce a product, they want consumers to feel good about their purchase. Color is one very effective way for a consumer to have a positive feeling about a product, whether it is interior design, sporting equipment, or any number of other applications. Designers know that an innovative color can mean the difference between an ordinary product and an extraordinary product — and for consumers to be compelled to make a purchase in a down economy, a product must be extraordinary.

"Springtime is a signal of renewal, or new life," said Michael George, site lab manager at Bayer MaterialScience's Color Competence and Design Center in Newark, Ohio. "There is a hopeful feeling for the new season. People have the same hopeful expectations for the economy, and these new colors can help to generate that feeling."

The new colors are being introduced as part of the LEDA® Compounded Color Technology family. For medical devices, FDA-modified ISO 10993-1 is the widely accepted standard for biocompatibility, and the family of Rx Medical LEDA colors was developed with this specification in mind. The four colors have met FDA-modified ISO 10993-1 testing requirements in medical grades of Makrolon® polycarbonate and Bayblend® polycarbonate/ABS blend resin grades.

The latest LEDA colors are:

• Vitamin-C — This juiced-up orange is reminiscent of the first fresh fruit of the season — just the hue to improve a mood and quench your thirst for color.
• Pulse — An invigorating purple color that is deeply chromatic but subdued in just the right amount. Pulse is a bouquet of spring flowers that have just bloomed.
• Scrubs — This middle green is not an average "spring" green — and not an evergreen either. Scrubs gives a bright, airy feeling and is a hopeful reminder of the lush foliage that follows the winter frost.
• Cardio — A lively, vivid pink that seeks and wins your attention at a single glance. Cardio is tender and full of daring.

"We've seen an increase in demand from the medical industry for more chromatic color options," said John Skabardonis, polycarbonates marketing manager for North America, Bayer MaterialScience LLC. "We developed these colors to meet those needs, but also in response to the need for bright colors that make consumers feel good about their products. Because the colors were formulated to meet biocompatibility testing requirements, they've already met the rigorous needs of the most challenging application, and from there can expand to any other application."

The four new LEDA colors were developed at Bayer MaterialScience's Color Competence and Design Center in Newark, Ohio. Color experts at the Color Competence Centers in Newark, Ohio; Filago, Italy; Map Ta Phut, Thailand; and Shanghai, China can help customers visualize their unique color and can customize effects to suit each client's individual needs.

Color Your World with Fantasia® Color and Special Effect Technologies
Fantasia color technologies are the industry's most complete, one-stop solution for color and special effects. To meet customers' wide range of design, processing and cost parameters, there are three distinct technologies:

• LEDA® compounded color technology — Molded-in color for BMS resins
• AURA® color infusion technology — Color parts on demand, after they are molded/formed
• MILENA® color concentrate technology — A color option for niche applications such as optical data storage media (CDs, DVDs, CD-Rs)

Visit www.BayerFantasia.com
These four new LEDA compounded color technology colors have been added to the many colors and special effects that can be viewed on the Bayer Fantasia color and special effect technologies Web site at www.BayerFantasia.com. In addition to being able to view the full line of Fantasia color and special effect technologies on the site, you can also read the latest trend and application information in the eNewsletters found there. Sign up to receive the Fantasia eNewsletter on the site so you can stay up to the minute with the latest offerings and news from the BMS world of colors and special effects for thermoplastics, the world of Fantasia color technologies.

Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with nearly 15,100 employees at 30 sites around the world and 2008 sales of 9.7 billion euros. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries.

Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and high-tech materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2008 net sales of approximately 8 billion euros (about $12 billion) and employed 17,000 at year end. Bayer's three subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people's lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability. For more information, go to www.bayerus.com.

For more information about Bayer MaterialScience, call 1-800-662-2927, e-mail pcinfo@bayer.com or visit www.bayermaterialsciencenafta.com.

For more information on all Fantasia color and special effect technologies, visit www.BayerFantasia.com.

Media Contact(s)
Contact:	Bill Allan
Tel:	412-777-5200
Company:	Bayer MaterialScience
e-mail:	bill.allan@bayerbms.com

The latest LEDA® compounded color technology colors include, from left to right, Scrubs, Cardio, Pulse, and Vitamin-C. LEDA compounded color technology is one of Bayer MaterialScience’s Fantasia® color and special effect technologies.