Munich-based WACKER Group has adopted the motto "Discover Tomorrow's Solutions" for this year's Middle East Coatings Show (MECS), in Dubai from March 10 to 12. The company is unveiling a new dispersible polymer powder for cost-efficient, low-emission, self-leveling flooring compounds: VINNAPAS 4220 L produces smooth, uniform sur-faces that satisfy the strictest ecolabel requirements, such as EMICODE EC1+. The company is also premiering the polymer dispersions VINNAPAS EF 3818 for low-odor and low-VOC inte-rior paints, and VINNAPAS 550 ED for flexible sealing slurries. Further highlights are silicone additives for interior paints, sili-cone resins for weather-resistant coatings, and polymer disper-sions for demanding packaging printing.

WACKER is using the Middle East Coatings Show 2014 to premiere its novel VINNAPAS 4220 L dispersible polymer powder for self-leveling flooring compounds that are both cost-efficient and environ-mentally sound. This powder, based on vinyl acetate-ethylene copoly-mer (VAE), produces a smooth, even surface that possesses high abrasion resistance, flexural strength and compressive strength. The new binder also confers good leveling properties, low viscosity and good defoaming properties. Not only does it yield uniform surfaces with no air bubbles, VINNAPAS 4220 L also enables the formulation of self-leveling flooring compounds with a very low content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), thus meeting the latest environmental and safety standards, such as EMICODE® EC1+. As VINNAPAS 4220 L also offers an outstanding cost-performance ratio, it repre-sents a good combination of performance capability, economy and ecology.

Low Environmental Impact, Low Odor: VINNAPAS EF 3818 for Decorative Coatings
New to the Arabian market is WACKER's novel VAE dispersion, VINNAPAS EF 3818. This combines excellent properties, such as excellent scrub resistance, high opacity, very good processing prop-erties, good blocking resistance and a favorable cost-benefit ratio, with the potential for formulating low-emission, water-borne interior paints. The binder is particularly suitable for flat paints beneath the critical pigment-volume concentration (CPVC). The dispersion is manufactured without using formaldehyde donors or alkylphenol eth-oxylates (APEOs). In addition, the low glass transition temperature (Tg) and equally low minimum film forming temperature (MFFT) ena-ble homogeneous polymer films with no need for a cosolvent. VINNAPAS® EF 3818 is therefore ideal for low-odor and low-emission interior paints that have a low VOC content (< 5g/l) and satisfy current environmental and safety standards.

VINNAPAS 550 ED for Flexible Water-Proofing Membranes
Another premiere at the MECS 2014 is WACKER's VINNAPAS® 550 ED, a versatile binder for two-component water-proofing membranes such as sealing slurries for creating permanent, hard-wearing seals in wet rooms, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Thus modified, two-component water proofing membranes remain flexible at low temper-atures. Further characteristics are good water resistance, outstanding crack-bridging ability, high tensile adhesive strength, and ease of pro-cessing. Moreover, the dispersion is manufactured without the use of APEOs, plasticizers or solvents. VINNAPAS® 550 ED is ideal for flex-ible two-component water-proofing membranes and so affords a reli-able means of protecting buildings against moisture penetration.

Further Product Highlights from WACKER at the MECS:
• SILRES HP 2000 for Weather-Resistant Coatings
SILRES HP 2000 is an amino-functional silicone resin for highly weather resistant and high-value coatings. As a curing agent, SILRES HP 2000 provides epoxy coatings with the UV and weather-ing resistance of a polyurethane top coat. In many cases, one coat suffices instead of two. The product also features durable gloss reten-tion. The silicone resin cures quickly with cycloaliphatic epoxy resins at room temperature, and allows the formulation of finished paints with a low VOC content (<100 g/l). SILRES® HP 2000 is therefore eminently suitable for weather-resistant industrial coatings, marine and protective coatings, and infrastructure applications.
• SILRES BS 168 for Interior Paints with High Wet-Scrub Re-sistance
In SILRES BS 168, WACKER brings to the MECS a silicone additive that increases the wet-scrub resistance of interior paints. By virtue of its high alkalinity (pH 13), the product supports the high binding power of the dispersions, thereby significantly boosting the paint's tough-ness. As the alkaline additive also serves to control the pH, it facili-tates the formulation of paints with long shelf-lives. SILRES BS 168 itself contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and so does not influence the VOC content of the paint.
• VINNOL H 5/50 A for Demanding Packaging Printing
VINNOL H 5/50 A, a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-vinyl alcohol terpol-ymer with functional hydroxyl groups, has been developed for de-manding packaging and industrial coatings. The surface coating resin offers excellent adhesion to many different plastic substrates and is also notable for its outstanding chemical resistance, high flexibility and compatibility with pigments, excellent compatibility with co-binders, and extensive solubility in ketones and inexpensive ester-based systems. Coatings based on VINNOL® H 5/50 A have a neutral taste and odor, are waterproof and highly resistant to oil, greases, di-lute acids, bases and aqueous salt solutions. The surface coating res-in complies with numerous food-contact regulations and is thus ideal for printing inks for high-quality, sterilizable food packaging.