Dye

What are the properties of modern colorants for epoxy resin?

Colorants for epoxy resin and polyurethane provide numerous options for coloring laminating resin, casting resin, and topcoat systems such as gelcoat or topcoat. The product range covers opaque color pastes, transparent dyes, daylight fluorescent pigments, luminous pigments, metallic color pastes, and decorative glitter flakes. These colorants stand out for their high color accuracy, efficient usage, and compatibility with solvent-free resin systems. They are ideally suited for river tables, jewelry making, design objects, composite components, and creative applications with clear epoxy resins. Due to fine pigmentation and high dispersibility, homogeneous, stable color results can be achieved. The products can be combined with many common 2K resin systems, especially solvent-free epoxy resins and polyurethane resins, considering material compatibility and application techniques. Custom colors according to RAL are partially available on request, enabling individual color adjustments for professional applications.
 

What types of colorants are available?

There is a broad range of colorants for fiber-reinforced composites, specially tailored to different resin systems and applications. Depending on the area of use and desired effect, various types are used, which differ in terms of color impact, compatibility, and processing.

> Opaque colorants
Opaque epoxy resin color pastes are characterized by their high pigment concentration and excellent coverage. They are optimally suited for coloring solvent-free epoxy resins and polyurethane systems. Thanks to a combination of high-quality pigments, castor oil, and surfactants, these pastes offer excellent color fidelity and reproducibility, making them especially efficient in consumption. They are available in numerous RAL color shades and also for special colors in larger quantities. Opaque epoxy resin pigments of the FD series are mainly used in topcoat systems like gel and topcoats as well as in laminating and casting resins. These pigments impress with very good lightfastness and strong coloration. They are compatible with unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, epoxy resins, and polyurethane resins, enabling flexible use in various composite systems. These pigments are ideal for anyone seeking durable, robust coloring in fiber-reinforced composites.

> Transparent resin color concentrate
Transparent dyes are highly concentrated, liquid solutions, especially suitable for transparent coloring of synthetic resin systems. They are easy to dose and enable the creation of intense, transparent shades. These dyes are ideal for applications where the natural transparency of the resin should be preserved, such as in artistic casting objects or clear coatings. Their efficiency in consumption and good color yield make them particularly economical.

> Daylight fluorescent pigments (Neon)
Neon epoxy pigment provides striking neon colors with strong luminescence under UV light, blacklight, or sunlight. These fluorescent pigments are often used in creative fields to produce glowing effects in laminating or casting resins. They offer high signal visibility and are compatible with epoxy resins and polyurethane coatings, making them versatile.

> Luminous / Glow-in-the-dark pigments
Luminous pigments store light and emit it over several hours, making them ideal for decorative and safety-related applications. These high-quality pigments are perfect for casting applications such as river tables, jewelry making, floor markings, or stair edges. They are compatible with many base materials and recharge through UV radiation, daylight, or artificial light, enabling a long-lasting glow of up to 10 hours.

> Glitter epoxy flakes
Decorative glitter flakes provide a unique effect with their rainbow or neon glitter look for creative projects. HP-GLITTER adds sparkling accents in casting resins, jewelry, and decorative objects and impresses with high color fidelity and effect strength. Neon glitter variants offer vivid colors and strong reflection effects, making them perfect for vibrant, eye-catching designs. They are compatible with clear, solvent-free epoxy resins.

> Metallic color paste for resin
Metallic color pastes from the HP-FMP series combine high-quality metallic pigments with a paste base of castor oil and surfactants, enabling excellent color fidelity and processing. They are specially designed for coloring solvent-free epoxy resin systems and are ideal for casting applications like river tables or jewelry. Thanks to the high pigment concentration and solvent-free formulation, these metallic pastes are very efficient and durable.
 

How are colorants used in practice?

The versatility of the colorants makes them ideal for a wide range of applications in composite processing, mold making, and the synthetic resin field. Opaque color pastes and pigments are frequently used to color epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, and vinyl ester systems—both in laminating resins, casting resins, and for topcoats like gelcoat and topcoat. Transparent dyes are preferred for producing colored, light-transmitting objects with clear epoxy resins, for example in design applications, furniture coating, or decorative elements. Daylight fluorescent and luminous pigments are especially suitable for river tables, jewelry making, floor markings, trade show construction, and safety applications such as emergency exits or escape route signage. Decorative rainbow glitter and neon glitter flakes create sparkling highlights mainly in casting resin processing, model making, and creative surface design. Metallic color pastes also offer elegant metallic effects with high compatibility with solvent-free epoxy systems. Furthermore, the highly concentrated colorants allow targeted dosing depending on the desired color intensity. They also show stable color distribution in vacuum infusion resin processing or as additives in topcoat resins. Due to compatibility with 2K resins like epoxy, PU, or vinyl ester, both functional and aesthetic effects can be achieved.
 

What advantages do HP-Textiles colorants offer compared to conventional products?

HP-Textiles colorants show very good compatibility with many solvent-free epoxy resin systems and polyurethane resins, making them suitable for various applications in the composite sector, synthetic resin processing, and model or mold making. The use of lightfast pigments achieves high color stability, which can be beneficial especially for near-series production or special colors. The high concentration of color pastes enables efficient dosing, so even small amounts can produce intense results. Additives such as dispersants and surfactants support as uniform a pigment distribution as possible within the resin system. The selection ranges from opaque color pastes to transparent dyes to metallic effects, luminous pigments, and glitter flakes, covering various aesthetic demands and technical requirements. In combination with laminating resins, casting resins, topcoat resins, or infusion systems, numerous applications arise - such as in casting resin finishing, production of decorative elements, jewelry manufacturing, or interior design. Also, in design applications with clear color concepts or combined with effect pigments, the modular product structure offers many options for individual customization. The system-compatible properties make these colorants a useful addition for many processing situations.