Coatings World - April 2010

is being driven by regulatory changes and demands for products with less environmental impact, improved performance and lower cost. The relative importance of these factors depends on the market, region and customer. Some examples of customer demands are consistency, supply security lower volatile organic compound (VOC) systems, and improved weathering performance.

Steve Wilson, Eliokem: Changing VOC legislation is of top concern for coatings manufacturers, however this is also an opportunity for resin manufacturers if they can develop resins to permit formulating within the VOC limits. This opportunity has recently prompted Eliokem to develop new resins for porch and floor coatings, low VOC horizontal concrete coatings and swimming pool paints and garage floor coatings. Continued consolidation of paint manufacturers creates new supply syner-gies for resin manufacturers. Regional companies are increasingly being acquired by larger manufactures, which changes our supply arrangements. Paint manufacturers would like suppliers to maintain pricing and in today’s volatile pricing environment it becomes a challenge to maintain.

Jared Elliott, Celanese: Our customers
are striving to be more competitive in
their market space and have elicited
our assistance in creating value in
their products. Quite often, this means
a drive toward a lower VOC or greener
formulation, which will be introduced
in the form of either a new brand or
reformulated one. This is true across
the various segments as DIYers want a
more eco-friendly profile and contrac-
tors / specifiers aim to obtain green
certifications.

Dimitri de Vreeze, DSM NeoResins+: Our customers show a cautious optimistic trend in demand, which is still depending on the end market development. We do see increased queries for sustainable products.

What end market areas are driving growth in the resins market? What areas are flat?

Uwe Liebelt, BASF: Different market segments will recover at different paces. In some areas such as the publication sector, a significant upswing is aggravated by structural issues whereas areas like packaging might see a stronger and more stable growth.

Steve Wilson, Eliokem: New technology in primer markets appear to be growing. Primers with enhanced stain blocking capabilities in a water based form are gaining considerable momentum. Remaining markets appear to be somewhat flat across the board from our perspective.

Jared Elliott, Celanese: As a reflection of the challenged real estate economy, the new construction paint market is down significantly in the U.S. and most economists are not expecting the new home market to recover until the second half of 2011. As most of the home improvement stores and paint manufacturers have said, the DIY market is the silver lining. Homeowners are spending the time and money to spruce up their homes and DIY paints are leading the charge. We have worked with many paint producers to create a more eco-friendly interior paint that appeals to the homeowner with its low odor and improved eco-profile. Celanese is helping to grow this niche through our line of EcoVAE emulsions for solvent and coalescent-free paints.

Dimitri de Vreeze, DSM NeoResins+: We see growth in mature markets due to the substitution of solventborne resins by more sustainable technologies like waterborne resins, UV resins and powder resins. In the end markets, we see that some of the larger end markets are down, especially the automotive and industrial construction markets. The flooring and joinery markets show stability while resin demand in the food, can, adhesives and graphic arts industries is growing. CW

APE-free carboxylated styrene acrylic colloidal dispersion used in tough, flexible and abrasion resistant coatings for concrete; and Pliotec PA20, a pure acrylic resin used primarily in universal primers and concrete sealers and stains.

Celanese Emulsions Polymers has added a number of new products to its product portfolio. First, the company made two new additions to its EcoVAE line for low-VOC, eco-friendly paints including EcoVAE 405, which offers superior scrub resistance. In numerous lab tests, flat interior paints made with EcoVAE 405 show improved scrub resistance over paints made with vinyl acrylic and 100% acrylic resins. Second, Celanese introduced our EcoVAE 408 for freeze-thaw stable interior paints. This product is a breakthrough in creating a low VOC paint that is also freeze-thaw stable for use in colder climates.

Evonik Industries recently added yet another innovative binder system, Silikopur 8080, to its Tego product portfolio.

The new product imparts extra shine and functionality to surfaces of plastics, textiles and leather. Evonik Tego’s Silikopur 8080 is ideal for protecting surfaces against environmental influences, maintaining their appearance and feel for a long time. The novel, single-component silicon-modified polyurethane dispersion stands out for its high flexibility and elasticity in hot and cold conditions. Once applied, the product can withstand temperature swings from - 30 °C to 50 °C, without forming cracks in the coating. Additionally, it is easily diluted with water and dries at room temperature. After a short time, the treated surface shines with new properties, since the coating system creates a stain-resistant anti-stick effect. Silikopur 8080 protects wooden surfaces from abrasion and minimizes the typical creaking of leather. Environmental compatibility played a large role during the development of Silikopur 8080 and the product is free of the organic solvent NMP.