May 24 2010
Dow Coating Materials, a global business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, has introduced a new binder technology designed to help formulators develop low-odor paints with outstanding performance. Dow is integrating this technology with other initiatives to achieve extremely low odor profiles in high performance paints.
The first example is RHOPLEX™ VSR 2015 with VERSAIR™ technology, which was introduced earlier this year. By incorporating VERSAIR™ technology into RHOPLEX™ VSR 2015 chemistry, Dow is able to achieve these low-odor characteristics without compromising the paint performance and low- to no-VOC formulating capabilities inherent in RHOPLEX™ VSR 2015.
“Our customers have clearly communicated a market need for paints with very low odor,” Shruti Singhal, marketing director for Dow Coating Materials, North America, explained. “However, this advance cannot come at the expense of other benefits, such as coating performance or low-VOC capabilities. VERSAIR™ technology allows us to accomplish this goal without making those sacrifices that would diminish the value of the final product.”
The VERSAIR™ technology platform addresses the issue of paint odor from a holistic perspective – looking at not just every material in a can of paint, but how those materials interact during formulation and application as well. Based on that exhaustive research, Dow has been able to develop a new method of synthesizing binders, and eventually additives and other materials, for these formulations. RHOPLEX ™ VSR 2015 based on VERSAIR™ technology is the first of many planned products in that line. Test batches made using this binder have resulted in coatings with barely perceptible odor levels.
“Our success depends on how closely we work with our customers to gain a clear understanding of industry needs and potential solutions,” Jonathan Hastings, strategy and new business development director for Dow Coating Materials, said. “VERSAIR™ technology is a great example of new innovation – based directly on conversations with customers – that meets a valuable need in the coatings market.”
Formulators interested in working with Dow on low-odor initiatives should contact their Dow Coating Materials sales representative.