WACKER is taking the opportunity of this year’s Middle East Coatings Show to introduce the region to a solvent-free silicone resin intermediate that significantly improves the long-lasting protection offered by surface coatings. The intermediate, marketed under the name SILRES IC 368, has been formulated so that an addition of only 15 percent is sufficient to improve the UV and weathering resistance of the organic binder in a coating system ? without detracting from its mechanical properties. Weathering and lab tests have shown that SILRES IC 368 provides for substantially improved gloss retention, greater protection against weathering and an extended useful life. In addition, it also improves the thermal resistance of the coating system.

SILRES IC 368 is a low-viscosity liquid and can be processed without organic solvents. Cooking equal proportions of alkyd and silicone resins reduces the viscosity by up to a factor of three compared with silicone solid resins. Thus, with SILRES IC 368, blended resins can also be produced with an extremely high solid content and sufficiently low viscosity, for example for low-solvent, high-solid top coats.

The new intermediate has a variety of applications. It is suitable for modifying alkyd resins, hydroxyl functional acrylic resins and hydroxyl functional polyesters, which are typically used for the industrial coating of wood or metal or coil coating. This new intermediate also sets new standards in effectiveness: when dispensed in the same amounts, binder manufacturers can use SILRES IC 368 far more effectively than has previously been possible with other silicone intermediates.

VINNOL Surface Coating Resins: Versatile and Economical

WACKER’s VINNOL product line offers a broad range of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate copolymers, both with and without functional groups, enabling a wide variety of uses. VINNOL H 30/48 M, a surface coating resin containing carboxyl groups, will be in the spotlight at the Middle East Coatings Show. The resin’s superb solubility in pure ester is particularly impressive, resulting in a clear, color-free solution without having to use any ketones. Alongside the resulting application flexibility, savings are derived from the reduction in raw-material costs. This product can already be heat-sealed at lower temperatures, thanks to its higher vinyl acetate content in the polymer backbone. VINNOL H 30/48 M is therefore perfectly suited for packaging thermosensitive pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs, such as cheese or yogurt, thus adding to WACKER’s extensive portfolio for inks, paints and coatings.

Versatile and Environmentally Friendly: VINNAPAS VAE dispersions

VINNAPAS dispersions based on vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE) copolymers are ideal binders for high-quality paint applications. The product range comprises dispersions that are manufactured without using alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) or formaldehyde donors. Depending on the grade, the innovative dispersions also allow paint formulations without plasticizers and additional solvents and with an extremely low level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) making them especially suitable for formulating low-odor indoor paints. VINNAPAS dispersions developed specifically for outdoor use stand out due to their high wet-scrub resistance, abrasion resistance and resistance to dirt pick-up and water. Moreover, depending on where they are used, customized VINNAPAS polymer dispersions are flame-retardant, highly water-resistant, act as functional moisture barriers or are especially suitable as binders for intumescent coatings.

New Silicone Additives for Interiors

WACKER is introducing the region to its new silicone additives for interior use, recently launched as the SILRES BS 300 product line. Interior paints that have been modified with these additives are especially easy to process, offer a homogeneous application appearance ? even in unfavorable light ? and (provided they have an optimum paint formulation) are easy to clean, because waterborne dirt cannot easily penetrate the paint film.

Silicone additives can alter the surface energy of a prime coat in such a manner that the second coat has a significantly longer open time. Just one or two percent of the weight of the new additives are sufficient to attain open times that are up to three times as long, depending on the prevailing ambient factors. This benefits both users in southern climes, where generally higher temperatures prevail, and users in northern regions in which rooms are more strongly heated. Paints formulated with the SILRES BS 300 range can be mixed with less effort and are thus easier to apply. The silicone additive also provides for an improved wetting of the surface with paint, ensuring smooth, even drying. The new additives can thus contribute to a smoother surface of the paint coat ? an effect that can even be felt when touched. The coating feels comparably finer than that of conventional paints, which also lends walls an almost silky tactile property.

Furthermore, WACKER has developed a new additive to increase the wet-scrub resistance of interior paints. Due to its high alkalinity (pH 13) SILRES BS 168 supports the high binding power of the dispersion, significantly increasing the wet-scrub resistance of the paint. The alkali additive serves to control the pH, thus facilitating the formulation of paints with long shelf-lives. SILRES BS 168 itself contains no volatile organic compounds (VOC) and therefore does not influence the VOC content of the paint.

• SILRES HP 2000 for Weather-Resistant Coatings
  SILRES HP 2000 is an amino-functional silicone resin for highly weather resis