A weekly look at new products, innovations

Editor's Note: Each week, Rubber & Plastics News will take a look at some of the rubber industry's new products and innovations on www.rubbernews.com. Does your company have a new product or new innovation? To be considered for inclusion in this recurring feature, email [email protected].

Smithers Rapra is set to release its book, “Chemistry and Technology of Polyols for Polyurethanes, 2nd Edition,” by the end of April.

The two-volume handbook was written by Mihail Ionescu of the Kansas Polymer Research Center, Pittsburg State University.

The first edition of “Chemistry and Technology of Polyols for Polyurethanes” was released 10 years ago, and Smither Rapra said the development in the area of polyurethanes during this period led to the creation of this updated book.

The book costs about $175.

According to Smithers, polyurethanes are one of the most dynamic groups of polymers, used in applications such as furniture, bedding, seating and instrument panels for cars, shoe soles, thermoinsulation, carpet backings, packaging, adhesives, sealants, binders and as coatings.

In 2004, Smithers said 10.6 million tons of polyurethanes were produced, and in 2014 the world production was close to 20 million tons. From 2005-15, worldwide developments in the area of polyols for polyurethanes were carried out, especially for polyols from renewable resources, described in this second edition, according to Smithers.

The main raw materials used for the production of PU are polyols and isocyanates. The first of these is the subject of this handbook.

Volume 1 is dedicated to polyols for elastic PU (flexible foams, elastomers, etc.), Smithers said, and Volume 2 is dedicated to polyols for rigid PU (rigid foams, wood substitute, packaging, flotation materials, etc.).

The book considers the raw materials used to build the PU polymeric architecture, according to Smithers, and it covers the chemistry and technology of oligo-polyol fabrication, the characteristics of the various oligo-polyol families and the effects of the oligo-polyol structure on the properties of the resulting PU. It presents details of oligo-polyol synthesis and explains the chemical and physico-chemical subtleties of oligo-polyol fabrication, Smithers claimed.

This book links data and information concerning the chemistry and technology of oligo-polyols for PU, providing an overview of basic PU chemistry; key oligo-polyol characteristics; synthesis of the main oligo-polyol families, including polyether polyols, filled polyether polyols, polyester polyols, polybutadiene polyols, acrylic polyols, polysiloxane polyols, aminic polyols; polyols from renewable resources; flame retardant polyols; chemical recovery of polyols; and relationships between polyol structure and PU properties.

To order a copy, click here.

Sick has unveiled the DFS60S Pro incremental encoder for functional safety.

The company said the DFS60S Pro incremental encoder is a certified safety product. When used with the MOC Drive monitor and Flexi controls from Sick, the company claimed, the DFS60S Pro incremental encoder can be used for mobile and stationary applications that require safe motion monitoring.

The DFS60S encoder can integrate safe motion into machine safety architecture by reducing the amount of work required for verification, validation and safety engineering, the company said. The instrument features IP 65 enclosure rating, wide temperature range and wide set bearings for enhanced durability, according to Sick, a manufacturer of sensors, safety systems, machine vision, encoders and automatic identification solutions for factory, logistics and process automation.

Other features include versatile connection options for flexibility and easy implementation, as well as a compact installation depth for compatibility with applications in which installation space is limited, the company said.

Click here for more information.

Master Bond has released a high strength, two-component epoxy that the company said offers chemical, abrasion and high temperature resistance for bonding, sealing, coating and casting of a wide variety of substrates, including metals, composites, ceramics, rubbers and most plastics.

Master Bond Supreme 45HTQ-4 features a silicon carbide filler and can be used for a wide variety of special industrial, aerospace, original equipment manufacturing and oil processing applications, especially in downhole situations, the company claimed.

The material is serviceable from -100°F to +450°F, Master Bond said, and it is capable of withstanding thermal cycling. It has high tensile lap shear, compressive and tensile strength of 1,400-1,600 psi, 24,000-26,000 psi and 8,000-9,000 psi, respectively, according to the company.

Master Bond claims the product retains its strength at elevated temperatures and is dimensionally stable with low shrinkage upon curing. This epoxy has excellent electrical insulation properties, Master Bond said, with a dielectric constant at 60 Hz of 4.6 and a volume resistivity exceeding 1014 ohm-cm.

Supreme 45HTQ-4 has a mix ratio of 100 to 30 by weight and a thixotropic paste consistency, the firm said, and features a pot life of more than 12 hours at room temperature for a 100 gram batch. It requires oven curing at 250-300°F with various cure schedules, and Masterbond said that a post cure of four hours at 350°F will optimize properties.

For more information, go to Master Bond's website.