COLOGNE, Germany—Lanxess Urethane Systems has developed a range of prepolymers with under 0.1 wt percent free isocyanate.
The company says that they are suitable for use in hot-melt adhesives, and could find homes in the automotive, construction, electronics and bookbinding industries.
The company claims the technology gives adhesives with good technical performance and easier processibility than earlier systems, which enables productivity gains as well. There also are environmental, health and industrial hygiene benefits, compared with earlier products.
"Our approach aims for a flexible formulation platform with customized properties for improved performance and reduced complexity," said Gerald King, head of technical services and applications development in Europe for the business unit.
He will be presenting a paper on the advancements at the 44th Munich adhesives and finishing symposium later this year.
"Our newly developed prepolymers can achieve high isotonic content and high functionality for better performance," he added.
Lanxess said that its LF polymers are available for isocyanates including IPDI, HMDI and pPDI. Polyols based around polyether, polyester, polylactone and polycarbonates round off the company's offering.