Water-Based Polyurethane Applications

Rigid Systems: Water-Based Spray

Ravago is a multinational group of companies. Ravago Group currently sells polymers in 55 countries and 285 locations worldwide. In our country, under the roof of Ravago Petrokimya Üretim A.Ş., it serves its customers in the fields of Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE), Engineering Plastics (MP), Expanded Polystyrene rigid foam (EPS), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and Polyurethane systems (PUR). Tekpol, a production division of Ravago Petrokimya Üretim A.Ş., is a polyurethane system house; it designs rigid polyurethane systems such as discontinuous panel, spray, wood/wood-look alike, refrigeration sector and solar energy panels; flexible systems such as flexible polyurethane, molded flexible polyurethane, molded sponge, integral, filter, viscoelastic; sole systems and coatings for footwear and slippers, adhesives, elastomers and C.A.S.E. systems. Within the framework of developing and changing legal regulations in these fields, it conducts studies to meet sector needs and bring innovative solutions to the industry. The direction of the polyurethane industry, customer and market demands, low-cost products, environmentally friendly, low-density systems that will work without compromising performance, and imparting new, additional properties to final products are developing accordingly.

With this vision and perspective, our three water-based systems for spray application that we have developed as Tekpol Polyurethane and submitted for evaluation by our customers have been approved by our customers and introduced to the market. The product codes of our newly developed water-based products are as follows:

1. POLYOL SYSTEM 6222-30 W 2. POLYOL SYSTEM 6222-33 W 3. POLYOL SYSTEM 6222-45 W Nowadays, gas-based blowing agents are used in spray systems, which are a branch of rigid systems. The agents used are measured for environmental damage over time, and ODP (ozone depleting potential) and GWP (global warming potential) values are defined. In this direction, in the near future, the agents entering the systems, like the previously banned HCFC-141b gas, are likely to become history. During this process, research and development activities for alternative gases are currently ongoing. It is stated that the prices of newly developed raw materials will be higher than the current ones due to process costs. This forced change process also affects system costs. When water is used as a chemical blowing agent in rigid systems, ensuring dimensional stability in the foam is not easy. The development of new generation gases is seen in the images below. Tekpol Polyurethane; in order to create its own solution on this subject, has chosen to use water, defined as a chemical blowing agent, instead of using physical agents in its systems. In this context, as a result of its R&D studies, it has developed water-based spray systems with different densities. When these newly developed systems are evaluated in terms of final product performance, it has been observed that they have no negative effects compared to gas-based systems. The general characteristics of the newly developed products are given in the table below.

The images of water-based spray foams with densities of 30kg/m3, 33kg/m3 and 45kg/m3, from which castings were taken in our laboratory, are provided in the photographs below.

Below are the images of the test foam with 30kg/m3 density applied at the customer's location and the adhesion between layers.

Additionally, images of the 30kg/m3 density water-based spray foam 6222-30 W system are provided below. An image of the 45 kg/m3 density application performed at the customer's location is provided in the photograph below. As Ravago Tekpol Polyurethane system house, we are pleased to introduce our water-based spray products POLYOL SYSTEM 6222-30 W, 6222-33 W, 6222-45 W systems, which show no inter-layer adhesion problems and have the product performance of existing gas-based systems on the market. Remaining open to development and change, we will continue to expand our product portfolio with new environmentally friendly products that will meet world expectations.

Sole Systems: Low-Density Slipper and Shoe Systems

Polyurethanes are polymers obtained as a result of the reaction between diisocyanates or polyisocyanates and diols or polyols. Polyols have a wide range of products including flexible foams, rigid foams, elastomers, coatings and adhesives, depending on the type of isocyanate and components, general reaction conditions and quantities. Polyurethane shoe systems are part of a subgroup of the polyurethane family. Final product manufacturing is carried out through injection and casting machines. They are also divided into groups according to their fields of use. It covers a wide range of products from low-density (mold density) slipper production to high-elasticity-requiring sports soles, high-strength-requiring work shoes, high-heeled rigid summer shoes requiring aesthetic appearance, boot systems and special application footwear production. Polyurethane shoe systems generally consist of three components: polyester or polyether-based polyols; additive packages containing catalyst, silicone, hardener and special additives; and MDI-based prepolymers. Formulas are designed in accordance with end-user expectations of ergonomics, slip resistance, flexibility, hardness, low density and antistatic, hydrolysis and wear resistance, creating systems where components will work compatibly with each other. The difficult part here is providing products with low density without sacrificing the performance expectations of high-density products. The advantage of low-density products is that it allows production with less mass and lower unit cost per sole. In this regard, Ravago Petrokimya Üretim Polyurethane Shoe group has developed two commercialized products. The first of these systems is a low-density slipper system with commercial codes Evosole Polyol 8633, Evosole isocyanate FW 813 and Evocat 8633-165. It is a new generation system designed for soft slipper production with low density and high elasticity performance. The product technical specifications are provided below. The second of these systems is low-density sports sole systems. Their commercial codes are Evosole Polyol 8634, Evosole isocyanate FW 816 and Evocat 8634-200. It is a new generation system designed for soft sole production with low density and high elasticity performance. The product technical specifications are provided below.

As mentioned above, low-density high-performance systems provide advantages to the manufacturer: producing more products in unit time with lower consumption, and thus obtaining lower-cost products.

Furthermore, it provides ergonomics, flexibility, lightness and comfort for the end-user of the final product. This is the preference of every user expecting superior performance. As Ravago Tekpol Polyurethane system house, our water-based, three-component, low-density slipper and shoe systems detailed above, with their flexible and strong cell structure, provide dimensional stability, enabling production of more products in unit time and thus allowing production with low energy consumption.   Zeynep Çetin Research and Development Engineer Ravago