From left: Larry Brotherton, board chairman, SOCMA; Dan Hawkinson, Torsten Hauschild, Rob Hampe, and Rainer Eischeid, LANXESS; and Larry Sloan, president, SOCMA. The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA)
The Green Material Profiles is a comprehensive listing of green raw materials and formulated adhesives and sealants. Use this guide throughout the year to find and formulate sustainable, green materials from renewable ingredients. To be included in the next edition, contact Managing Editor Teresa McPherson at mcphersont@bnpmedia.com.
Most people in the adhesives and sealants industry are aware of viscosity and realize that it characterizes the way a material will flow. More technically speaking, viscosity refers to a material's resistance to flow; it can be measured in various ways, depending on the application.
In May 2009, The Coca-Cola Co. unveiled its new package. According to the press release, the PlantBottle™ is fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on non-renewable resources, and reduces carbon emissions compared with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles. The rest of the press release discusses the environmental virtues of the new package, but dialogue with Coke employees revealed a different (though equally important) driver: “We have been in business for over 100 years and we plan to be in business for over 100 more years. We are taking steps now to reduce our dependence on petroleum-based raw materials.”
When a filler is used in an adhesive or sealant formulation, it is typically meant to take up space. But the space it occupies has a crucial function, making it a role player and a key component to your product’s success.
This article examines the external events that have led to greater awareness of adhesives’ performance in the event of a fire, the standards and regulations that are being imposed, and the development of new fire-resistant materials.
Historically, fire resistance has not generally been a significant requirement when specifying adhesive systems. Recent incidents, however, indicate that this may soon change. These include events outside of the formulators’ arena, such as increased sensitivity to the performance of components in a fire, and events within the formulators’ arena, such as the development of flame-resistant additives.
Butyl rubber is a copolymer of isobutylene and isoprene. Simple copolymers are known as “regular” or “clear” butyl rubber, or simply “butyl.” When butyl rubbers are modified after polymerization with the halogens bromine or chlorine, a second family, known as halobutyl rubber (or halobutyls), results.