Lanxess Making Water-based Compounds in China
Lanxess has inaugurated a new plant at Nantong, China, to make its environmentally friendly water-based compounds. The Pellart-branded compounds belong to the company’s Urethane Systems (URE) business unit that also produces their key component, polyurethane dispersions. Production capacity was not disclosed.
The compounds used in functional coatings applications meet stringent requirements in terms of haptics, chemical resistance, gloss level, temperature and abrasion resistance as well as having the lowest possible content of volatile organic compounds (VOC), the German specialty chemicals producer said. Applications include flat materials for automotive interiors, such as instrument panels, seats and door panels as well as decorative film.
From the new Chinese line, Lanxess will supply customers throughout Asia. The compounding unit will benefit from cooperation with the application development center it opened at Shanghai in June 2021, as well as the backward integration into PU dispersion. This will provide a “highly flexible set-up that allows fast scale-up of newly developed, customer-specific Pellart formulations,” the company said.
At Nantong, Lanxess produces polyurethanes and lubricants. Its urethanes products include hot-cast pre-polymers, components of specialty polyurethanes used primarily in the construction, mining, oil, gas, athletic equipment and electronics industries. These go into rollers, tires and wheels, conveyor belts, screens and seals, among other products.
As water-based products are a strong trend globally, Michael Timm, head of Marketing & Development Cast Elastomers for the business unit, said Lanxess sees “strong potential with attractive growth rates” as the auto industry continues its switch from solvent-based coatings.
Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist
