Wacker Group has launched Silres IC 368, a new liquid solventless silicone resin intermediate for highly weatherable coatings. Silres IC 368 liquid has a low viscosity and can be processed without organic solvents. When this intermediate is cooked with the same proportion of alkyd and silicone resins, the resultant viscosity is one third of the value obtained with solid silicone resins. This means that Silres IC 368 is extremely useful for combination resins that have an extremely high solids content, yet sufficiently low viscosity for low-solvent, high-solids topcoats, according to the company. The new intermediate is highly versatile and is suitable for modifying alkyd resins,
hydroxy-functional acryl resins and hydroxy-functional polyesters that are commonly used for the industrial coating of wood and metal, including
coil coatings.