Nov 14 2007
At RadTech Europe, which takes place from November 13 - 15, 2007 in Vienna, Bayer MaterialScience is to showcase a wide range of modern, innovative binders for radiation curing.
Bayhydrol® UV is a line of waterborne, radiation-curing polyurethane dispersions suitable for wood and plastics coating. Desmolux® coating raw materials are solvent-free, radiation-curing acrylates. Through the specific choice of products, either rigid or flexible structures can be created in the coating, enabling the properties of the final film to be varied over a wide range. Bayhydrol® UV and Desmolux® can also be used for dual-cure applications. "With this portfolio of radiation-curing coating materials, we are able to offer solutions for a wide variety of substrates and applications," says Dr. Harald Mertes, head of Business Development UV Systems in the Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants Business Unit at Bayer MaterialScience.
Several members of Bayer MaterialScience will also present technical papers at the RadTech Europe 2007 conference. Dr. Jan Weikard, Erhard Lühmann and Dr. Stefan Sommer will talk about a new generation of water-thinnable, UV-curing coating raw materials for application on plastics. Bayhydrol® UV XP 2689, for example, will make it possible for the first time to apply a finish to mobile phones that dispenses entirely with organic solvents. The new product can be used to formulate not only highly-resistant clear coats but also UV-curing metallic effect finishes as one-coat systems. "We have succeeded in making a breakthrough in the level of crosslinking of waterborne products. The outstanding resistance properties are due to the very highly crosslinked molecular structures produced by UV radiation during curing," explains Dr. Weikard.
This research work has been so convincing that the conference paper "The New Frontier: Waterborne UV Coatings for Plastics" has been presented with the esteemed "Paul Dufour Award" for the best conference publication. Dr.
David Helsby, President of the conference program committee, made the award on behalf of the "RadTech Europe Association" and "Vincentz Network" during the trade show's opening ceremony. Dr. Weikard accepted the award - it is named after the founding father of RadTech Europe - on behalf of his colleagues. He said he was convinced that the success story enjoyed by Bayhydrol® UV in the field of wood and furniture coatings could be repeated in the coating of plastics. Waterborne UV coatings have not only been exceptionally well received in Europe, owing to their ecological and economic advantages, but are also gradually taking over from conventional coating technologies around the world.
As far as the Desmolux® coating materials are concerned, Bayer MaterialScience will cast the spotlight on a new product, Desmolux® XP 2666, which is the first allophanate urethane acrylate. "We have succeeded in developing a new class of binders with a performance that will quickly make its mark on the coatings market," says Dr. Wolfgang Fischer, an expert for radiation curing at Bayer MaterialScience. Coatings based on Desmolux® XP 2666 are noted for their high resistance to chemicals and mechanical stress and they also have very high weather stability.