The leading polyurethane event was held in Mexico City last April: UTECH Las Américas. Concentrol attended again this fair, which is an outstanding meeting point for the leading companies in the industrial sector of the global PU family while being a space for dissemination of technical and scientific knowledge for the polyurethane market. The fair managed to gather and put in touch a large number of manufacturers and distributors of the sector.
Concentrol specially prepared for the event a presentation about release agents and discussed the problem of the misuse of these agents by users, as well as the recommendations offered by the company as a manufacturer. The title of the paper was “Optimization of mold release agents from their application and throughout the entire process in order to reduce waste.”
The topics that were discussed in the presentation were the following:
> Parameters to be considered to select a release agent
> Transport regulation
> Optimum conditions and recommendations for storage
> Optimum use of release agents
> How to optimize their efficiency
> How to reduce VOC (Volatile organic compounds)
> How to treat the waste: mold cleaning
> Future trends of release agents
At each point the characteristics were differentiated according to the type of release agent used, the three main groups being.
> Organic solvent based release agent
> Hybrid release agent (solvent 20-50%) and Co-Solvent (<20)
Water Based Release Agent
Transportation recommendations
The transport restrictions were recalled according to the type of release agent, and it was also noted that storage is regulated by the Regulation of Storage of Chemical Products (APQ) and its Complementary Technical Instructions (ITC), which classify them according to the type of dangerous material and are differentiated as 10 unique types.
Correct use
On the correct use of release agents, the importance of an appropriate dilution was highlighted, emphasizing the step-by-step dilution process.
The recommendations for the correct use of release agents, such as the characteristics and application equipment, air pressure and nozzle size according to the type of release agent used, were also detailed.
Environmental and safety factors
At Concentrol’s talk at UTECH Las Américas some aspects of the safety and residues of mold release agents were also discussed. The reduction of VOC (volatile organic compounds) is one of the challenges of the sector at present and one on which Concentrol is working most actively. Future trends in the sector are towards water-based release agents, which are less polluting and safer. It is foreseen that soon the elimination of tin components in mold release agents will be confirmed, a step forward for the safety and improvement of these agents.
Assessment
Concentrol rates its participation at UTECH Las Américas very positively. Much of the strength of the chemical company is due to its international vocation and its firm commitment to research. We are clear that only with the help of our collaborators and allies can we achieve our main objective: to get the Concentrol solutions from the three divisions across the planet.
