DUSSELDORF, Germany—Bayer MaterialScience A.G. unveiled what it says is the first bio-based cross-linker for polyurethanes, during a news conference last week.
The company said its pentamethylene diisocyanate is a new isocyanate with a 70-percent carbon content from biomass that does not generate any direct competition for food production.
Daniel Meyer, head of the coatings, adhesives, specialties business unit and member of the executive committee of Bayer MaterialScience, said the innovation amounted to the world premier of PDI derivative as hardener for coatings and adhesives.
The material is a thermolatent hardener that enables energy and cost-efficient mixed-material automotive coating for first time, he said, adding that the paint shop process in automotive manufacturing is the most expensive part of manufacturing a car.
Meyer told journalists and industry experts the company intends to bring the first PDI-based product to market in April, with commercial manufacturing to follow in 2016 with an annual capacity of up to 20 thousands tons, enough to coat 20 million cars, he said.
The material is the result of a collaboration between BMS, the German research organization Fraunhofer Institute and DURR—a machinery and plant manufacturer based in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.
The topcoats cure up to 30 percent faster than with established two-component polyurethane coatings and, in the medium term, most likely will be suitable for the mixed coating of plastic, composite and metal substrates, Meyer said.
The collaboration aspect of the innovation is in line with BMS' strategy for developing new products, Meyer said. “Our objective is to incorporate our partners along the value chain and their know-how into our development efforts as early as possible to ensure that our customers are successful in the market.
“We will increasingly offer material solutions resulting from development partnerships,” he added.
The innovation will be unveiled officially at the European Coatings Show in April.