4 September 2007 BASF has started up a pilot facility for a pioneering breathable coating technology which can impart a uniform appearance to a variety of different substrates including plastics, fabrics and leather.
The new unit, at the Ludwigshafen complex, will be used for further development and customer support on individual applications.
Developed by inventor Philipp Schaefer, Steron coating is claimed to open up attractive design opportunities, giving smooth, velvety, glossy or matte, or a hint of elegant embossing, the group says.
At BASF Performance Chemicals Division, project manager new technologies Dr Jurgen Weiser foresees the partnership with Schaefer as a promising one, building on the group s development expertise and infrastructure.
To coat a carrier using Steron, an aqueous formulation of pigmented polyurethanes is first sprayed on a silicon matrix; most of the water evaporates leaving a gossamer thin matrix with microfine pores.
Among the applications to be targeted for Steron are mobile phones and vehicle interiors.
The new unit, at the Ludwigshafen complex, will be used for further development and customer support on individual applications.
Developed by inventor Philipp Schaefer, Steron coating is claimed to open up attractive design opportunities, giving smooth, velvety, glossy or matte, or a hint of elegant embossing, the group says.
At BASF Performance Chemicals Division, project manager new technologies Dr Jurgen Weiser foresees the partnership with Schaefer as a promising one, building on the group s development expertise and infrastructure.
To coat a carrier using Steron, an aqueous formulation of pigmented polyurethanes is first sprayed on a silicon matrix; most of the water evaporates leaving a gossamer thin matrix with microfine pores.
Among the applications to be targeted for Steron are mobile phones and vehicle interiors.
