JSR Group Company Emulsion Technology Develops New Water-Based Adhesive
03/26/2012
Tokyo, Japan – March 26, 2012– Emulsion Technology Co., Ltd. (President: Akira Tsuji), a group company of JSR Corporation (President: Mitsunobu Koshiba) that manufactures and sells emulsion chemical products, has successfully developed a new water-based adhesive that can be used for plastic base material, thereby further broadening its reach to the market for acrylic resin emulsion adhesives.
Since the revised Order for Enforcement of the Offensive Odor Control Act went into effect in 1994 and effluent control of volatile organic compounds commenced in 2006, a major shift in industrial coatings and adhesives from organic solvent-based to water-based products has gradually occurred. Most coatings used for vehicles and building materials are now water-based, and water-based adhesives are also now widely used for paper base material.
On the other hand, there have been many problems with water-based adhesives used for plastic base material: they have a long drying time, they are weak in water, and their adhesion level drops when they absorb water. For building material applications, in particular, water-based adhesives have many practical issues, including lowered adhesion level due to dew condensation. For these reasons, major manufacturers are still using organic solvent-based adhesives instead of water-based ones, while at the same time taking measures such as collecting volatile organic solvents, in order to comply with various regulations and improve their employees’ working environment. However, they still have the problem of odors, increased specific energy consumption in the manufacturing process and other issues.
In the meantime, Emulsion Technology Co., Ltd. has successfully developed its proprietary acrylic resin emulsion to solve various practical issues that traditional water-based adhesives have. Water resistance, in particular, has improved significantly: when traditional water-based adhesives are subjected to severe tests such as the water immersion test*1, they displayed whitening and reduced adhesion for only one hour; however, the adhesive that Emulsion Technology has developed displayed no whitening and had sufficient water resistance and adhesion for more than 24 hours after the test. Therefore, this new water-based adhesive can be used to bond films and building materials that are used even under severe conditions often exposed to water, including outdoor areas exposed to the elements, wet areas, and places subject to dew condensation due to drastic changes in temperature.
This newly developed water-based adhesive is currently undergoing practical evaluation by building material manufacturers and film processing manufacturers on the premise that they will adopt the adhesive. Emulsion Technology Co., Ltd. plans to market this new adhesive under the name of "AQUATRAN*2" in summer 2012.
<*1: Water immersion test>
How to evaluate whitening resistance:
Prepare a sample by applying the adhesive to 50 μm thick PET film, and soaking it in water for 24 hours. Then stick a glass plate to the sample and visually evaluate the whitening level of the sample.
<*2: "AQUATRAN" is now being applied for trademark registration by Emulsion Technology Co., Ltd. >
Since the revised Order for Enforcement of the Offensive Odor Control Act went into effect in 1994 and effluent control of volatile organic compounds commenced in 2006, a major shift in industrial coatings and adhesives from organic solvent-based to water-based products has gradually occurred. Most coatings used for vehicles and building materials are now water-based, and water-based adhesives are also now widely used for paper base material.
On the other hand, there have been many problems with water-based adhesives used for plastic base material: they have a long drying time, they are weak in water, and their adhesion level drops when they absorb water. For building material applications, in particular, water-based adhesives have many practical issues, including lowered adhesion level due to dew condensation. For these reasons, major manufacturers are still using organic solvent-based adhesives instead of water-based ones, while at the same time taking measures such as collecting volatile organic solvents, in order to comply with various regulations and improve their employees’ working environment. However, they still have the problem of odors, increased specific energy consumption in the manufacturing process and other issues.
In the meantime, Emulsion Technology Co., Ltd. has successfully developed its proprietary acrylic resin emulsion to solve various practical issues that traditional water-based adhesives have. Water resistance, in particular, has improved significantly: when traditional water-based adhesives are subjected to severe tests such as the water immersion test*1, they displayed whitening and reduced adhesion for only one hour; however, the adhesive that Emulsion Technology has developed displayed no whitening and had sufficient water resistance and adhesion for more than 24 hours after the test. Therefore, this new water-based adhesive can be used to bond films and building materials that are used even under severe conditions often exposed to water, including outdoor areas exposed to the elements, wet areas, and places subject to dew condensation due to drastic changes in temperature.
This newly developed water-based adhesive is currently undergoing practical evaluation by building material manufacturers and film processing manufacturers on the premise that they will adopt the adhesive. Emulsion Technology Co., Ltd. plans to market this new adhesive under the name of "AQUATRAN*2" in summer 2012.
<*1: Water immersion test>
How to evaluate whitening resistance:
Prepare a sample by applying the adhesive to 50 μm thick PET film, and soaking it in water for 24 hours. Then stick a glass plate to the sample and visually evaluate the whitening level of the sample.
<*2: "AQUATRAN" is now being applied for trademark registration by Emulsion Technology Co., Ltd. >