LANXESS Urethane Systems

LANXESS Urethane Systems is a global leader in polyurethane systems for urethane elastomers, paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, particularly in solvent-free, low-monomer-content systems. We provide our customers with technical knowledge of urethane chemistry (know-how) gained through years of experience, comprehensive application expertise and deep production experience. We enable component processors and formulators to develop solvent-free and low-monomer-content solutions for elastomers, paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants. Our systems are easy and safe to use thanks to their low viscosity and single-component technology. Our expertise in urethane chemistry, formulation, applications, design, processing and analysis enables our technical teams to develop valuable new technologies for the most complex challenges, produce new products that meet your needs, and provide processing guidance to enable you to produce flawless parts.

Innovation Meeting Customer Needs

We monitor the market closely to understand emerging trends. We continuously innovate to provide developed solutions that address challenging industry and customer needs. Our global network of leading R&D and Application Development Centers continues its work in the following areas: • Expanding the scope of our solvent-free and low-monomer-content technologies • Continuously improving the use of urethane systems from environmental, health and safety perspectives • Developing systems to provide better performance and longer service life • Providing processing advantages for polyurethane processors and formulators LANXESS Urethane Systems leads urethane technology by extending performance in demanding applications with a wide range of solvent-free, low-monomer-content and blocked technologies that provide unprecedented performance and industrial hygiene with superior processing and efficiency in elastomers, coatings, adhesives and sealants.

Products included in our broad product range:

• Mold systems including prepolymers, curing agents and additives • Specialty water-based polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) • Prepolymers and additives for surface paints and coatings, adhesives and mastics • Specialty thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) • Polyester polyols

Industries and Applications

LANXESS urethane systems are used in the most demanding applications and industries. Urethane elastomers are known for their resistance to wear and abrasion, durability and load-bearing properties. Our innovative systems can be customized to withstand the most challenging environments and provide superior dynamic properties for these applications. Urethane paints and coatings require wear and abrasion resistance, chemical resistance and UV resistance, and LANXESS can provide solutions in all these areas. • Aerospace and Defence • Agricultural Equipment • Construction • Electronics • Industrial and Mechanical Goods • Leather, Textile Products and Fibres • Maritime • Metal Manufacturing • Mining • Oil and Gas • Paper and Printing • Recreation and Consumer Goods • Tyres and Wheels • Transportation

Focusing on Paints and Coatings, Adhesives and Sealants:

LANXESS is a global supplier of polyurethane raw materials for paints and coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (CASE). Our broad product range includes urethane prepolymers, hydrophilic polyurethanes, urethane intermediates, blocked isocyanates, cross-linking agents and related materials for many applications across diverse industries such as surface paint coatings, textile and leather finishing, composites, adhesives, sealants, foams, inks and binders.

LANXESS Products Specific to Paint and Coatings:

• Solvent-based and solvent-free • 100% solids and water-based • Field application and factory application • Ambient temperature and heat curing LANXESS Urethane Systems provides differentiated field-applied technical solutions for single-component and two-component moisture-curing formulations for binders, primer coats, base coats and top coats on floors, balconies and superstructures. The LANXESS product portfolio ranges from aromatic paint coating systems to aliphatic light-stable solutions. LANXESS is specifically the global leader in Low-Free-Monomer prepolymers that can be formulated into various coatings, adhesives and sealants. These include Low-Free MDI, Low-Free TDI, Low-Free HDI and Low-Free IPDI. To provide support and customization services for polyurethane formulations, our fully equipped AD&TS technical centers enable industries to meet improved industrial hygiene standards and superior durability and performance requirements. LANXESS Trixene® BI and Trixene® Aqua BI blocked cross-linkers are characterized by a high degree of differentiation and performance for formulating single-component factory-applied systems for various industrial activities including can and roll coatings, abrasives and industrial cross-linkers. The technologically advanced offering will be able to effectively support customers in critical areas such as productivity, durability, low VOC generation (top coats) and lower energy costs. Thanks to its patented technology, the blockages of TRIXENE® BI blocked isocyanates dissolve at low temperatures such as 80ºC (with aromatic isocyanates), providing a balanced profile of low-temperature curing and superior physical properties for single-component systems.

LANXESS essentially provides products containing various blocking agents to meet deblocking temperature requirements between 80º and 160ºC. 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (DMP), one of the leading blocking agents, provides deblocking capability at temperatures around 120°C.

TRIXENE® BI blocked isocyanates offer significant advantages to processors and end users compared to conventional cross-linkers: • Various flexibility, functionality and branching options • Compatibility and stability in environments containing hydroxyl-bearing resins including polyester, polyether, acrylates and epoxy phenolic resins • Monomeric isocyanate emission during cross-linking is well below safety threshold values • Superior colour retention and pigment tolerance • No significant VOC increase compared to standard paint coatings (DMP technology) • No significant yellowing on excessive drying (aliphatic systems and DMP blocking) • No interaction with acid catalysts on clear coats over melamine-containing base coats • Solids content suitable for medium to high solids coatings • Water-soluble and emulsified blocked isocyanates for low-VOC water-based paint coating formulations LANXESS leads in blocked isocyanate technology with products designed as solvent-based, water-based and 100% solids high-performance paint coating formulations for a wide variety of applications including the following application areas: • Automotive OEM applications • Cathodic or Anodic electroplating • Roll/sheet paint coating • Curtain coating • Electrostatic spray In the textile industry, some fabrics need to be water-resistant and utilize urethane's ability to change the feel of the material and provide decorative effects as in synthetic leather and denim fabrics. WITCOFLEX SUPERDRY® and ECODRY® paint coatings and films enable the textile industry to meet the soft, water-resistant and breathable fabric requirements for everyday clothing, workwear and sports products such as clothing, tents, backpacks, luggage, floor mats and sleeping bags.

WITCOFLEX® hydrophilic polyurethanes are a moisture-vapor-permeable polyurethane series that can be used as solvent-based paint coating formulations applied directly or by transfer coating techniques.

These polyurethanes can also be used to produce films cast onto volatile carriers to create unsupported films and membranes. They can also be laminated to fabrics with water-based WITCOFLEX® adhesives. LANXESS is a global supplier of polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) for the CASE (paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants) industry. WITCOBOND® water-based polyurethane dispersions enable formula developers to increasingly comply with challenging regulations on VOC (volatile organic content), solvents and other potentially harmful substances. They can provide comprehensive polymer properties in terms of durability, hardness, flexibility, weather resistance and overall durability. These dispersions are used in industrial coatings, glass fibre sizing (composites), leather and textile coating and finishing, and plastic coatings. WITCOBOND® PUD is available with 30-60% w/w solids content and low viscosities. Anionic grades are typically used in aqueous formulations with pH above 7, and can also be used alone or in combination with other aqueous polymers such as acrylic dispersions and pigments, matting agents, thickening agents and other auxiliaries.

They can be cross-linked with various agents to further enhance chemical resistance and durability. Dispersions with different solids content, adhesion levels and physical properties offer options to the end user. Some of the main applications are:

• Fibre sizing for composites, for example GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) • Inks and overprint (OVP) varnishes • Leather finishing (primers, base coats and top coats) • Plastic, paper and rubber coatings • Textile coating and finishing • Wood, metal, concrete and stone wall coatings They are categorized according to dispersion and coating properties: WITCOBOND® High Flex PUDs with physical properties (tensile strength, modulus, elongation, hardness) that are the same or compatible with flexible sublayers. WITCOBOND® High Hardness PUDs with durability, impact and damage resistance and overall durability, typically combined with superior gloss and clarity. Typical applications include wood, metal and concrete, ink vehicles and overprint varnishes. WITCOBOND® High Solids PUDs are co-solvent-free polyurethane dispersions containing at least 50% and more commonly 60% solids (w/w). They offer superior filling, coverage and fast drying properties. Main applications include glass fibre sizing and clear and pigmented coatings for flexible sublayers. WITCOBOND® Hydrolysis Resistant PUDs have improved resistance to damage from water immersion, washing and air exposure. These PUDs are primarily polyether component-based and primarily provide multipurpose coatings for softer sublayers. LANXESS is a global supplier of polyurethane raw materials for paints and coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (CASE). TRIXENE® and QUASILAN® prepolymers, additives and polyols are designed for field-applied ambient temperature-curing coatings.

TRIXENE® Prepolymers

The TRIXENE® series is a range of aromatic and aliphatic di-isocyanate-based prepolymers for one or two-component high-performance paint coatings. Aromatic grades are primarily used with specific tars and pitches for single-component or two-component flexible roof coating membranes. For health and safety purposes, TDI-based low-free-monomer versions with free monomer content below 0.1% are also available. Aliphatic products are primarily used in coating applications where good light stability and/or resistance to yellowing are key requirements. TRIXENE® SC is primarily a latent additive used in full formulation with isocyanate-terminated prepolymers in single-component and two-component coatings. TRIXENE® AS and ASF products are moisture scavengers/sweepers used in paint coating formulations.

QUASILAN® Moisture-Cured Prepolymers and Polyols:

QUASILAN® prepolymers and polyether/polyester polyols are typically moisture-cured. The QUASILAN® prepolymer series are TDI and MDI prepolymer-based moisture-cured products and are supplied in low-viscosity clear liquid form. The main areas of use are primers, binders and surface coatings for rough substrates such as stone, concrete and joint sands. QUASILAN® CT products can be applied with brush, roller or spray equipment. When fully cured, they will improve track wear performance by creating permanent flexible films that help provide protection against chemicals, wear damage and wear defects. QUASILAN® branched polyols contain ether and ester groups in their molecular structure and are supplied in clear to turbid yellowish liquid form. Along with appropriate cross-linkers, QUASILAN® polyols can primarily be formulated as two-component systems for do-it-yourself (DIY) and floor coating markets. Co-reactants can be selected from a series of multifunctional isocyanates (such as crude MDI) based entirely on aromatic or aliphatic chemistry or isocyanate-terminated prepolymers. This provides formula developers with a wide range of options to achieve the best balance of high performance and cost effectiveness. FOMREZ® polyester polyols assist in the dispersion of pigments in paints and other high wear-resistant permanent applications and are used as coatings in the protection of surface and base layers.

Adhesives and Sealants

LANXESS is a global supplier of polyurethane raw materials for paints and coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (CASE). Our broad product range includes urethane prepolymers, hydrophilic polyurethanes, urethane intermediates, blocked isocyanates, cross-linking agents and binders, and related materials for many applications such as single-component and two-component PUR adhesives and hot-melts.

Specifically for adhesives and sealants, LANXESS offers the following products:

• Solvent-based and solvent-free • Field application and factory application • Ambient temperature and heat curing

Field Application – Ambient Temperature Curing

TRIXENE® SC and QUASILAN® prepolymers, additives and polyols are designed for sealants and binders applied in the field and cured at ambient temperature. TRIXENE® SC is primarily a latent additive used in full formulation with isocyanate-terminated prepolymers in single-component and two-component sealants. TRIXENE® SC TDI-, MDI- and aliphatic-based prepolymers can be used in a variety of binder applications including cork, rubber crumb, foam lamination and other various flexible applications. The TDI-based series also provides prepolymers with free monomer content below 0.1% that can be used in various sealant/encapsulant applications including railway embedment and gas pipe repair compounds. Typical characteristics of TRIXENE® SC MDI-based prepolymers include high tensile strength and chemical resistance to a wide range of solvents and acids. The main advantage of aliphatic products is inherent flexibility and light stability for transparent adhesive applications. QUASILAN® prepolymers are typically included in the moisture-cured product category. QUASILAN® AD aromatic prepolymers have specialized uses ranging from fabric-to-foam lamination and foam-to-metal/plastic markets. QUASILAN® CT and QUASILAN® SE aromatic multifunctional prepolymers can be used in single-component moisture-cured primer and sealant applications. QUASILAN® RB low-viscosity specialty polyester/polyether polyols can be used with both aromatic and aliphatic isocyanates as well as prepolymers and are designed for two-component systems. FOMREZ® polyester polyols reacting with di-isocyanates are used as book, metal and wood adhesives.

Factory Application – Heat Curing

TRIXENE® BI blocked isocyanates are used as cross-linkers designed for single-component factory-applied thermally efficient adhesives. These products have solvent-based and water-based versions and offer a high degree of flexibility. The main areas of use include industrial floor adhesives, including flexibilizing epoxy systems and providing performance improvements in such applications. When mixed with epoxy amine hardeners, they typically cure at ambient temperature. WITCOFLEX® hydrophilic polyurethane adhesives are a moisture-vapor-permeable polyurethane series used to produce very soft, durable, water-resistant and highly breathable laminates in sportswear, everyday clothing, industrial and certain medical applications. WITCOBOND® water-based polyurethane dispersions enable formula developers to increasingly comply with challenging regulations on VOC (volatile organic content), solvents and other potentially harmful substances. LANXESS ADIPRENE® LF technology enables the industry to comply with evolving regulations and labeling requirements restricting free isocyanates. They offer performance, processing and environmental, health and safety advantages. Our ADIPRENE® LF products contain free monomers in the following proportions: • Below 0.1% LF TDI, LF PPDI, LF HDI • Below 1% and potentially below 0.5% for special requirements LF MDI Tuğba Kara Dereli Technical Sales Engineer Kimsel Kimyevi End.Ham. San. and Tic. A.Ş.