WACKER has expanded the service portfolio at its technical center in Singapore, Singapore Science Park. The center of excellence now also includes laboratories, applications technology and test equipment for polymer dispersions needed as binders for interior architectural paints in the coatings industry. This expansion not only helps local customers develop new and customized products, but also encourages the exchange of know-how and promotes internationally recognized quality standards in the region.

The expansion has focused on VAE dispersions used as binders for interior architectural paints in the coatings industry. VAE dispersions are copolymers produced through dispersion polymerization of hard polar monomer vinyl acetate and soft hydrophobic monomer ethylene. The dispersions marketed under the brand name VINNAPAS^®.

Specific VINNAPAS^® dispersions are manufactured without the use of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEO) or formaldehyde donors. Further, they enable the formulation of high-performing coatings without the addition of plasticizers or solvents resulting in coatings with a low content of volatile organic compounds (VOC < 5 g/L).

• Wacker Chemie AG, Munich, Germany