Mannheim, Germany - Polymer additives producer Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH says it is expanding the performance of polyurethane adhesives. Its Engineering Plastics Division is introducing Hycasyl stabilisers which it claims improve the performance of many types of polyurethane adhesives.
The company has more than 45 years of experience in developing additives for PU and plastics, and has developed the new hydrolysis stabilisers to prolong the performance life of many types of polyurethane adhesives, particularly for flexible packaging, electrical, electronics, and shoe-sole markets.
The new materials are especially useful, says Rhein Chemie, for higher temperature and moisture applications, where they have demonstrated in laboratory tests up to 13 times longer adhesive life and up to twice the adhesive strength of unstabilised adhesives.
"One of the key benefits Hycasyl stabilisers offer formulators is the opportunity to enter new markets," said Bruce Ernst, global head of sales & marketing for Rhein Chemie's Engineering Plastics Division. "Not only can they extend the performance range of high-performance adhesives, they can also allow formulators to push medium-performance adhesives into more demanding higher-performance applications - in a cost-effective way."
Currently, Rhein Chemie offers four grades covering a range of temperature, solubility and application conditions, with choice dependent on the end-use market, processing conditions and polymer backbone type.
The new family comes out of Rhein Chemie's Global Product Development group that continues to explore new areas of stabiliser development. Rhein Chemie said it "aims to push further into the globally expanding CASE [coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers] markets," through continual pursuit of new product development and differentiation.
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