TEGO® VariPlus LK: Lower VOC Content in Pigment Concentrates
Emission limits for volatile organic compounds (VOC) are being lowered worldwide. As a result, coatings formulators are increasingly limited in their choice of raw materials and hence their formulations. TEGO® VariPlus LK, the new grinding resin, drastically lowers the VOC content in pigment concentrates for solventborne coatings and for the overall formulation.
Until now, solventborne pigment concentrates have generally
had a high VOC content, which affects the final VOC content of colored coatings. To reduce the high VOC content, Evonik has developed the grinding resin TEGO® VariPlus LK. This new resin reduces the viscosity of the concentrate, thus permitting optimized pigment loading. When used in combination with the dispersing additive TEGO® Dispers 676, the VOC content in the concentrate can be lowered by up to 75%. For the overall formulation, this means a VOC reduction of up to 100g/L when adding 20% concentrate.
For the formulator, this means more formulation freedom, increased flexibility in the choice of raw materials, and greater color diversity.
TEGO® VariPlus LK is one of the first liquid grinding resins on the market. Until now, grinding resins have been supplied as granules which must be dissolved in a solvent. With TEGO® VariPlus LK, formulators will be able to eliminate this production step.
Advantages of TEGO® VariPlus LK
- more formulation freedom
- increased flexibility in the choice of raw materials
- greater color diversity
- elimination of production step "dissolving"
- ultimate viscosity reduction with TEGO® Dispers 676
The new grinding resin is compatible with all common binders, with only minimal effect on coating properties.
Tested binder systems
- short-oil alkyd resin
- medium-oil alkyd resin
- long-oil alkyd resin
- self-crosslinking acrylate
- 2-pack PU acrylate
- 1-pack polyester
- 2-pack polyester
- polyether
- poly-aspartic acid ester
- epoxy resin
- nitrocellulose
- urea-formaldehyde resin
