BYK USA’s Tom Delay: Advanced Additives Bring Key Benefits

Tom Delay has a 2009 Pontiac G8. Like many car owners, an issue often pops up when his headlights turn on—a haze appears on the cold part (a polycarbonate pane) inside the headlamp. The issue, called “fogging,” occurs when conventional internal mold release agents face migration and sublimation.

Composites firms can lift (well, prevent) the fogging issue by using advanced multifunctional processing additives, Delay told a packed room at COMPOSITES 2010, which runs today through Thursday in Las Vegas.

That’s just one example of how composites firms can optimize SMC/BMC formulations and improve the entire compounding/molding process. “Traditional mono-functional internal mold release agents are difficult to disperse, and they do not contribute anything positive to the compounding process and merely provide a release from the tool,” said Delay, closed mold market manager at BYK USA, a supplier of adhesives for plastics, coatings, inks, sealants and paper surfaces.

In standard formulations, zinc stearate works as internal release agent and is essential to remove the molded part from the form. Newer technology improves the appearance of the molded part and guaranteed the thorough release, Delay said. “New multifunctional liquid processing additives allow the user to eliminate typical sources of scrap, improve overall quality and eliminate a nuisance material.” Other benefits include decreased shrinkage, enhanced gloss, better color of finished parts and improved anti-separation properties of the compounds, he said.

Delay’s presentation underscored a key value of the educational sessions being held this year at COMPOSITES 2010: They’re filled with insight on new technologies that composites firms understand, so they can advance their firms.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Manufacturing and Processes, Materials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.