Coatings World - September 2012

BASF to upgrade its BDO
production facilites in Ludwigshafen

BASF will modernize and service its acetylene facility at the Ludwigshafen, Germany Verbund site. In the course of these efforts the company will also perform routine maintenance at its facility producing 1,4- butanediol (BDO), which is based on acetylene. BASF will make use of this period to upgrade its plant technology, thereby securing the long-term supply of raw materials to meet the growing demand for BDO and its derivatives. In 2012 alone, the company is investing more than 20 million euros for this purpose.

The activities will start at the end of August and are expected to last six weeks. BASF plans to bring both facilities back on stream in mid-October. The company said it will make sure that customers at the Ludwigshafen site and elsewhere will receive supplies as usual by building up stocks and by arranging product shipments from other BASF sites.

The acetylene plant is one of the key pro-
duction facilities at the Ludwigshafen site.
Acetylene is a starting material for BDO, an
intermediate that serves as a precursor for
many other intermediates, including
tetrahydrofuran (THF), polytetrahydrofu-
ran (Poly THF), N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP)
and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Acetylene
derivatives are used to produce plastics,
highly elastic textile fibers, solvents and elec-
tronic chemicals.

Heraeus Noblelight opens new UV LED curing testing facility for North America

Heraeus Noblelight has established a new UV LED curing testing facility.

“With the increasing popularity of UV LEDs in the curing of inks, coatings and adhesives, we determined that formulators, OEMs and end users have a need to evaluate cure quality using LED technology in a cost effective manner,” said Rick Slagle, business development manager of Heraeus Noblelight LLC.

UV LED curing offers significant advantages such as low power consumption, low heating of sensitive substrates and long lifetime to name a few. UV LEDs are single wavelength devices and success in curing is dependent on formulators selecting and testing photo-initiator packages that are optimized for the LED wavelength. “ Parameters such as intensity, dose, working distance and peak wavelength emission all have an impact on curing. Our testing facility allows us to support our clients to maximize the benefits of LEDs in their application,” said Slagle.

Heraeus Noblelight’s newly-formed
Optoelectronics division develops cus-
tomer-optimized LED solutions in the
near UV spectrum. “A curing system for
example for printing applications would
be considerably different than for optical
fiber curing,” said Slagle. “By working
closely with the customer in our testing fa-
cility, we can best exploit the advantages
of our Chip-On-Board assembly for high
density die placement, flexibility of the
form factor of the emission area and
unique optical design giving our clients a
competitive advantage in their chosen
markets.”
Heraeus Noblelight GmbH with its
headquarters in Hanau and with sub-
sidiaries in the USA, Great Britain, France,
China and Australia, produces specialist
light sources. In 2011, Heraeus Noblelight
had an annual turnover of € 103 million
and employed 731 people worldwide. The
organization develops, manufactures and
markets infrared and ultraviolet emitters
for applications in industrial manufacture,
environmental protection, medicine and
cosmetics, research, development and an-
alytical measurement techniques.

Spectrum Press launches Colour Critical offset production process

Singapore-based Spectrum Press International, which prints color cards for coatings manufacturers, has introduced Colour Critical, an alternative and cost efficient offset production process for the paint industry. Together with the latest offset equipment— CMYK plus two to three spot color—and customized screening and color matching software, Spectrum Press says Colour Critical is able to deliver a more saturated and vibrant color that can closely match paint swatches. Major advantages according to the company include high quality print, fast delivery and cost savings. For more information visit Spectrum Press online at www.spectrum-press.com.sg.

EAG Coatings joins Chemir in Missouri

Evans Analytical Group (EAG) announced that EAG Coatings Solutions (formerly CAS-MI) is moving to Missouri and joining their sister company, Chemir. Now called Chemir a division of Evans Analytical Group, the company will continue to offer its analytical and product development services to the paints and coatings industry.

This move will allow clients access to Chemir’s 20,000 sq. ft. independent laboratory, with scientists experienced in spectroscopy, chromatography, mass spectrometry, thermal analysis, elemental analysis, microscopy and surface analysis. Chemir also provides organic synthesis to support product development, in addition to custom formulation, stability studies and manufacturing support.