Prepolymers and additives for the adhesives and sealants industry

LANXESS will attend the FEICA Conference and Expo in Hamburg, Germany, from September 14 to 16. Experts from the LANXESS’ Urethane Systems and Polymer Additives business units will present their latest developments, products and solutions. These include low free isocyanate prepolymers for various adhesive applications, but in particular for hot melt and one-component foam (OCF) applications. Highly efficient polymer additives for numerous special applications in the adhesives and sealants industry will also be showcased. With the acquisition of Emerald Kalama Chemical last year, LANXESS has expanded its product portfolio for these business fields. In addition to existing products such as Mesamoll, the K-FLEX and Modulast brands have been incorporated into the Polymer Additives business unit, which will be present at FEICA for the first time.

Sustainable production with urethane prepolymers

By using bio based raw materials LANXESS extends its LF urethane prepolymer range for adhesives. The prepolymers provide excellent performance, processing, and productivity and enable companies to reduce CO₂ emissions while helping to advance climate neutral goals.

At the conference, Ronald Emanuel, Head of Research and Development at LANXESS Urethane Systems, will give a deeper insight on novel bio based, low free isocyanate urethane prepolymers in hot melt applications. His presentation “Advancements in Development of High Performance, Bio-Based, Low Free Isocyanate Monomer Prepolymers for Reactive Hot Melt Adhesive Systems” will be held on Friday, September 16 at 10 a.m.

Adiprene LF – prepolymers with excellent properties

Under the brand name Adiprene LF unique low free isocyanate urethane prepolymers have been developed for use in adhesives, sealants, and one component foams. The LF technology creates prepolymers with < 0.1% free MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) and other isocyanates such as TDI (toluene diisocyanate), HDI (hexamethylene diisocyanate) or pPDI (p-phenylene diisocyanate), providing unsurpassed industrial hygiene standards, excellent performance, and improved processing. These prepolymers are particularly suited to address increasingly strict regulatory requirements and provide for final products with lower hazard classifications.

Recently, the Adiprene LF product group has been extended by Adiprene Green LF. Adiprene Green LF additionally offers a bio based solution to decrease carbon emission and pave the way to a more climate friendly adhesive with excellent performance.

LANXESS’ toolbox of LF prepolymers is able to tailor the reactivity, viscosity and polyol backbone of the prepolymer to adjust it to the need of the formulators. By controlling the chemical structure, these prepolymers have a very structured morphology to offer more consistent processing.

Modulast PUR for higher processing efficiency

With the Modulast PUR modifier the use of polyols and isocyanates in thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) and CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, Elastomers) applications can be reduced, and thus the total raw material costs. The high purity of Modulast PUR and its low hydroxyl value results in more complete and efficient reactions of polyol and isocyanate, thus maintaining the superior mechanical properties of polyurethanes. The production process benefits from a reduced temperature range for molding/demolding leading to shorter cycle times.

K-FLEX – multi-talent for polymer applications

Furthermore, LANXESS presents its K-FLEX product range. These dibenzoate esters serve as plasticizers, modifiers and coalescents. They are compatible with a wide range of polymers and can be used in adhesives, sealants, coatings, paints, flooring, wall coverings, synthetic leather, and personal care. K-FLEX plasticizers enable formulators to optimize both the manufacturing processes and the properties of the end products.

More detailed information about LANXESS polyurethane products and polymer additives are available at https://ure.lanxess.com and https://pla.lanxess.com/.

The FEICA is firmly established as the leading event for the European adhesives and sealants industry, providing essential insights into the key issues affecting the industry, as well as excellent networking opportunities for formulators, customers and raw materials suppliers to discuss the latest trends, innovations, sustainability and technological advances.