Brian Hayes
This issue features our sixth annual Raw Materials, Chemicals and Additives Handbook. As in previous years, this year’s handbook has been updated and expanded with many new categories and definitions, as well as an increase in supplier listings.
The listings are divided into five major categories: Additives and Chemical Specialties; Oils and Fatty Acids; Resins and Base Polymers; Pigments and Dyes, Dry/Dispersions and Extenders; and Solvents. Each category features several subcategories. The directory is set up with a definition of each material followed by the names of suppliers who provide the material. Products are listed alphabetically under each major category.
While our staff made every effort to contact the entire community of materials suppliers to our industry, we may have inadvertently excluded some. If you are a materials supplier and would like to receive information on purchasing listings in next year’s Raw Materials, Chemicals and Additives Handbook, please contact Peg Van Winkle at (614) 760-4222 or e-mailvanwinklep@bnpmedia.com.
Also this month, an application engineer with Henkel Corp. discusses the latest in high-tech dispensing equipment for two-part adhesives. According to Tom Buckley, understanding the formulation of a two-part adhesive is a critical first step in choosing a dispensing system because of the influence certain adhesives can have over equipment variables, such as reactivity of dispensing components, shot size, and how material is fed to the valve. See “Dispensing Two-Part Adhesives” for more information.
“Air Barrier Properties and Building Envelope Science” provides an overview of current and future government initiatives designed to stop unwanted air filtration into residential homes and commercial buildings through the construction of better air barriers. Dr. Tom Fishback, technical director of Fomo Products, Inc., then discusses how specific sealant and caulking systems may be implemented into what he calls a “monolithic air barrier structure.”
Finally, Ross Noel, a senior application engineer in the Technical Service division of Dow Corning, offers “Five Tips for Selecting an Industrial Sealant.” Chief among Noel’s suggestions: wide-ranging temperature stability; dependable weather resistance and chemical stability; good bond strength; sufficient electrical properties; and low flammability.
