Influence of Flame Retardant and Processing Conditions on Selected Properties of Mouldings Made of ABS

Thanks to dyeing of polymers, the possibilities of their use are constantly increasing. It is equally important to use additives that will have several functions. A perfect example is titanium dioxide used as an optical brightener and a flame retardant at the same time. Mostly it is used in the form of a powder. However, there are no studies where TiO2 is used as a colourbatch based on the different polymer matrix. The aim of the work was to investigate the effect of titanium white in the form of colourbatch on the flammability and selected properties of mouldings produced in various processing conditions. Colourbatch based on PS matrix, was used in the research. The variable processing parameters were: injection temperature Tw, volume flow rate Vw, residence time and the addition of a colourbatch. On the basis of the measurements, it was found that the processing conditions and the addition of the colourbatch have low effect on the hardness of the mouldings, which was in the range from 75.59° Sh D (Shore type D) to 81.95° Sh D. It was also noted that the addition of colourbatch with TiO2 and increasing injection temperature reduces impact strength even by several dozen percent. Moreover, it was found that use of TiO2 causes a delay in the ignitability of the samples in selected cases. It is difficult to determine whether the variable processing conditions or the addition of TiO2 on the PS matrix have a greater impact on the ignitability of the moulded parts.