Which Fantasia Color Technology
is Right For Me?

Cost Factors

The cost of adding colors and special effects to your product will vary depending not only on the type of color and special effect selected, but also on the technology used to generate it. In general terms, using the AURA® color infusion technology should be less expensive than using the LEDA® compounded color technology, which will typically be less expensive than the IMAGIO® coatings technology. When compared to other technologies, FARIA® Film Insert Molding (FIM) Technology, will possible cost the same, or be more expensive than other technologies, depending on the degree of graphic sophistication employed.

Multiple Colors and Small Production Runs
AURA Color Infusion Technology — Consider using AURA color infusion technology when your product will be offered in many colors and you have small production volumes. AURA infusion technology is also effective when the product color palette changes frequently, e.g., to follow fashion trends. Additionally, coloration-on-demand through AURA technology ensures there is no excess inventory of parts in obsolete colors, allowing "just in time" production.

Economical Coloration in Large Volumes

LEDA Compounded Color Technology — The most economical technology for adding color and special effects to applications with large volumes and only a few colors is LEDA compounded color technology.

Color and Special Effects for Already Molded/Extruded Parts

Color and special effects can be added to plastic parts that have already been molded or extruded with the following technologies:

• AURA Color Infusion Technology — The alread molded or extruded part is colored with the AURA color infusion technology. This process adds color only, not special effects. However, special effects that are already in the part before coloring, such as sparkles or metal flakes, will show through after coloring.

• IMAGIO Coatings Technology — Liquid coatings applied to molded or extruded parts.

Soft-Touch Feel for Your Applications

A soft-touch feel can be added to a part in a number of ways, for example:

• Soft-Touch Resin Plus AURA Color Infusion Technology — Use a soft resin, such as Texin® TPU or Desmopan® TPU, to mold or overmold the part surface and then color the part with the AURA color infusion technology.

• IMAGIO Coatings Technology — Use IMAGIO coatings technology on your molded part to add a soft-touch topcoat over the colored basecoat.

• FARIA Film Insert Molding (FIM) Technology — Obtain a soft-touch effect through film technology by printing the film with a soft-touch ink. Films can either be printed or they can be colored with AURA infusion technology.

• FARIA Fibergraphics — Use the FIM process to add a Makrofol® polycarbonate film employing securely attached, individually colored fibers to obtain a part with the unique tactile experience of a fabric.

Metallic Effects

• LEDA Compounded Color Technology — Metallic effects can be achieved with LEDA technology. Within the LEDA technology, MINA® metallic effects and ASTER® metal flake effects can be used to achieve a traditional metallic appearance, while DIVA® sparkle effects and MIRAGE® color-travel effects can be used to produce futuristic metallic appearances.

• IMAGIO Coatings Technology — Brilliant metallic, sparkle and color-shift effects can be achieved by using liquid coatings to paint parts that have already been molded. Surface finishes ranging from matte to high gloss and even to "soft touch" can be achieved by varying the paint topcoat.

• FARIA Film Insert Molding (FIM) Technology — Film insert molding can be used to produce brilliant, long-wearing metallic, sparkle and color-shift effects, with surface finishes ranging from matte to high gloss, and can even generate a bright metallic (mirrored) finish. Additionally, it is possible to add print and registered graphics over the background metallic color, and it is also possible to generate a "dead front" effect when using the bright metallic appearance film.

Custom Graphics

FARIA Film Insert Molding (FIM) Technology — Film insert molding technology produces a wide variety of custom graphics by incorporating "skins" that can be printed with any pattern, design, or graphic directly onto a film. Visual as well as tactile special effects are possible, e.g., the FARIA soft-touch or fibergraphics effect.

Food-Contact Requirements

Special grades of resins and films are available for food contact. Only certain approved colorants and additives can be added to these special grades. Please contact your Fantasia Technologiesrepresentative with complete details about your application when food contact is involved.

• LEDA Compounded Color Technology — Can yield certain color and special effect formulations that can be used in combination with resins that comply with FDA food-contact regulations.

Optical Data Storage (ODS) Media

MILENA® Color Concentrate Technology allows rapid color changes for production runs that can be as short or as long as you want them to be. The special color concentrates used with MILENA color concentrate technology clean up quickly, which means you can return to clear media production with minimal disruption.