In manufacturing, the shift to sustainable materials is often driven by regulations, VOC reduction requirements, safety concerns, or changes in foaming methods. But replacing materials means considering adhesion, stability, drying, foaming, appearance, and equipment compatibility together.
SEKISUI Specialty Chemicals leads material selection and formulation studies for functional resins, including water-compatible resins and expandable microspheres. This page highlights two strategies: shifting from solvent-based to water-based systems and replacing chemical blowing agents with expandable microspheres.
The specific issue customers want to address determines the most suitable material approach.
For reduced solvent use, VOC emissions, odor, or an improved workplace, use water-compatible resins, including water-soluble polyvinyl acetal resins.
For decomposition gas, residue, odor, uneven foaming, or complex process control in chemical blowing agents, use expandable microspheres.
SEKISUI Specialty Chemicals proposes materials based on their characteristics, compatibility with existing processes, and key items to confirm during sample evaluation.
Solvent-based materials create issues such as air pollution, unpleasant odors, safety risks, specialized equipment requirements, venting, and recycling. Switching to water-based materials requires changing how the product is made, not just swapping out one ingredient. Look at how well particles spread, how the material coats, how it dries, how it sticks, how it resists water, and how strong it is.
Discover how SEKISUI Specialty Chemicals’ S-LEC™ KW and KX water-soluble polyvinyl acetal resins can help you reduce solvent use and optimize compatibility, adhesion, film strength, and stable dispersion for your water-based binders, coatings, and applications—contact us to learn more.
To replace a solvent-based material with water-based, verify resin compatibility, solubility, and dispersion stability. Assess coating leveling, drying, film strength, substrate adhesion, and water resistance.
Water-based formulations change drying time and energy use. Customers must check equipment compatibility and the impact on takt time. SEKISUI Specialty Chemicals helps select and evaluate materials based on your current conditions and needs.
Chemical blowing agents generate gas through thermal decomposition, and this mechanism can create challenges depending on the application and process. These may include decomposition temperature control, foaming gas, by-products, residue, odor, discoloration, mold contamination, and uneven foaming. Variations in processing conditions can also affect expansion ratio and cell structure, which may influence surface appearance and process stability.
SEKISUI Specialty Chemicals’ expandable microspheres, ADVANCELL™, are designed to provide foaming and lightweighting functions by utilizing the structure of the particles themselves. By selecting particle size, expansion behavior, heat resistance, resin compatibility, and processing temperature according to the application, they can support improvements in lightweighting, insulation, design appearance, and process stability.
Chemical blowing agents generate gas through thermal decomposition. This can cause challenges depending on application and process, such as controlling decomposition temperature, foam gas, by-products, residue, odor, discoloration, mold contamination, and uneven foaming. Varying processing conditions also affect expansion ratio and cell structure, which influences surface appearance and process stability.
SEKISUI Specialty Chemicals’ expandable microsphere, ADVANCELL™, offers foaming and lightweighting through the particles’ structure. By choosing particle size, expansion behavior, heat resistance, resin compatibility, and processing temperature for each application, ADVANCELL™ improves lightweighting, insulation, appearance, and process stability.
Clarify the issue before selecting environmentally compatible materials. Water-compatible resins and water-soluble polyvinyl acetal resins reduce VOCs, solvent use, odors, and improve workplaces. Expandable microspheres address decomposition gas, residue, uneven foaming, odor, discoloration, and process control difficulties linked to chemical blowing agents.
SEKISUI Specialty Chemicals collaborates with you by reviewing your materials, application, process conditions, and performance needs. We propose candidate materials, formulation approaches, and sample evaluation methods tailored to your development goals.
Q. What should be checked when replacing solvent-based materials with water-based materials?
Key evaluation items are solubility, dispersion stability, coating properties, drying conditions, adhesion, water resistance, and film strength. Redesign the formulation based on the process and required performance, rather than a simple replacement.
Q. Can performance change when switching to a water-based system?
Yes. Drying behavior, adhesion, water resistance, and dispersion stability can vary depending on the application and formulation. Select candidate materials after confirming the current material, substrate, coating, and drying conditions, and the evaluation method.
Q. What information is needed for sample evaluation?
Share application, current material, replacement reason, processing conditions, required properties, evaluation method, and expected mass-production conditions. This helps propose materials better aligned with requirements.
Q. What are the benefits of replacing chemical blowing agents with the expandable microsphere , ADVANCELL™?
Expandable microspheres depend less on gas generation from thermal decomposition, reducing residue, odor, decomposition temperature control, and uneven foaming issues. Selecting particle size and expansion characteristics supports lightweighting and improved surface appearance.
Q. What applications can the expandable microsphere, ADVANCELL™, be considered for?
ADVANCELL™ fits applications like resin molded products, paints, coatings, sealants, adhesives, lightweight materials, insulation, and design appearance enhancement. Suitable grades depend on processing and usage conditions, so conduct a preliminary evaluation.
Q. What should be checked when evaluating the expandable microsphere, ADVANCELL™?
Important evaluation items: particle size, expansion ratio, processing temperature, heat resistance, resin compatibility, mixing conditions, surface appearance, and dimensional stability after foaming. Confirm that the material can be used in the existing process.
