Must-see at the composite expo: What High-Performance New Products Has BYK Brought?

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used in everyday products such as non-stick coatings, firefighting foams, and paints. However, PFAS are currently suspected of being potentially harmful to health, which is why their use is increasingly restricted worldwide.

These two new defoamers have highly efficient and outstanding spontaneous defoaming performance, achieving spontaneous defoaming even at low dosage. They are completely fluorine-free, yet their defoaming effect is comparable to PFAS-containing products. This series of additives can be used in various solvent-based and solvent-free systems, with a wide range of applications.

2. BYK-1856 is a silicone-free, aromatic-free defoamer with excellent defoaming performance and outstanding compatibility.

In many application scenarios, defoamers need to achieve high-efficiency defoaming performance while maintaining good compatibility, which seems difficult to achieve simultaneously. However, BYK-1856 utilizes advanced acrylic technology to successfully balance this contradiction, perfectly integrating efficient defoaming with excellent compatibility. This defoamer is particularly suitable for systems that require strict compatibility and outstanding defoaming effects. It is not only applicable to two-component epoxy and two-component polyurethane coatings but also suitable for common thermosetting systems such as epoxy, unsaturated polyester, vinyl ester resins, and low molecular weight acrylic slurries.

3. BYK-081 Fluorine-Free, Highly Transparent Defoamer

BYK-A 516 is a universal, high surface activity defoamer. In fiber composite applications of unsaturated polyester resins and vinyl ester resins, it not only effectively defoams but also offers fiberglass wetting properties. Particularly in vinyl ester resin applications, BYK-A 516 does not cause the whitening phenomenon common with conventional defoamers. This defoamer is widely applicable, including room temperature curing resin systems based on unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, acrylic resins, epoxy resins, and polyurethane resins, as well as pultrusion systems based on acrylic resins, unsaturated polyester resins, or vinyl ester resins.

5. BYK-P 9912 is a processing additive with internal mold release functionality, enabling the wind power pultrusion beams to be free from grinding.

Under the current process conditions, removing the release fabric without treating the surface of the beam will affect the interface bonding performance between the subsequent beam panel and the infused resin. BYK-P 9912 is a processing additive with internal release function that allows for direct infusion bonding without grinding the product, and its performance at the interface has been recognized by pultrusion companies.

BYK-P 9912 is a modified hyperbranched polymer where low-polarity groups, which are incompatible with the resin, are distributed at the interface between the resin and the mold to achieve demolding functionality. Meanwhile, the moderately polar main chain and highly polar groups, which have certain compatibility with the resin, enable better compatibility with the resin and can form chemical bonding forces with it. Under the dual effects of hyperbranched physical anchoring and chemical bonding forces, it can be firmly locked within the resin system without secondary migration.

This is a multifunctional additive with both defoaming and wetting effects. When added in small amounts, it can reduce the viscosity of epoxy resin and polyurethane on one hand, and effectively lower the surface tension of the system on the other. This accelerates the spreading of the resin on the fiber surface, i.e., reducing the contact angle, thereby further enhancing the resin's wetting of the fibers and eliminating defects such as dry fibers and voids in the product caused by poor wetting.

BYK-P 9920 also has a significant effect on solving the fiber impregnation problem of large tow carbon fiber pultruded beams. Due to the strong bundling of large tow carbon fibers like 24K, 48K, 50K, and their smaller fiber diameter compared to glass fibers, it is challenging to achieve good impregnation between the bundles, especially within the bundles, in a short time while maintaining a reasonable production pace. By adding BYK-P 9920, the impregnation problem of large tow carbon fibers can be significantly resolved, improving product yield and reducing overall costs, making it the preferred additive product for carbon fiber pultrusion companies.

The free radical polymerization of unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins is typically a distinctly exothermic reaction, releasing energy that can result in extremely high temperatures. Excessive temperatures may cause the polymer to warp, become brittle, crack, or even undergo thermal decomposition. Therefore, we have developed a processing aid that reduces the exothermic peak without compromising other properties.