BAYER MATERIALSCIENCE LLC INTRODUCES NEW SPRAY POLYURETHANE FORMULATION FOR SEATING AND OTHER LEATHER AND VINYL REPLACEMENT APPLICATIONS

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BAYER MATERIALSCIENCE LLC INTRODUCES NEW SPRAY POLYURETHANE FORMULATION FOR SEATING AND OTHER LEATHER AND VINYL REPLACEMENT APPLICATIONS
17 June 2004 - Bayer MaterialScience AG

Bayer MaterialScience LLC announces its new Baytec® SPR polyurethane material. Baytec SPR is a polyurethane system designed for in-mold foam applications where a protective skin is needed - replacing vinyl and leather goods in applications ranging from seat cushions to molded foam seating to automotive dashboards.

'The Baytec SPR system offers multiple advantages,' said Jim Charron, technical manager for spray and cast elastomers. 'It features relative ease in processing, excellent adhesion of the skin to the foam cushion or backing, and has no solvents or plasticizers. It is also UV stable.'

Charron added that Baytec SPR can be pigmented to almost any color, and is almost as tough as its Bayer cousin, a polyurethane used to line truck beds. Another feature, Charron noted, is that the mold can include decoration such as stitching, embroidery, logos or leather grain, and the spray skin of the Baytec SPR system will pick up the exact detail.

'Use is straightforward,' Charron said. 'The Baytec SPR material is sprayed into a mold and the mold is closed and foamed with flexible or rigid polyurethane foam, depending on the application. About four minutes later, the finished part is popped out of the tool and you have a composite that has both the strong, flexible skin and the foam behind it.

'The Baytec SPR system is cost competitive per square foot with vinyl and leather,' Charron said.

Other advantages include the capability to be used in molds with a deeper draw. Thermoformed vinyl can only be drawn down about six inches, but with Baytec SPR, the mold can have an eight- to 10-inch draw. In addition, vinyl is stretched and has stresses in it, but when the Baytec SPR material is sprayed to the shape of the seat, there are no built-in stresses in the skin, so cuts, for example, don't expand as they can in vinyl. Lastly, vinyl has plasticizers that eventually migrate out so the skin becomes stiffer and stiffer, while the Baytec SPR system doesn't use plasticizers and so remains pliable.

Charron said the Bayer material has excellent inter-layer adhesion. 'Vinyl doesn't always bond well to the backing, and you can get bubbles over time,' he noted. 'With the Baytec SPR system, you're bonding polyurethane skin to polyurethane foam.'

The Baytec SPR system can be processed and sprayed on both high- and low-pressure equipment.

http://www.bayermaterialscience.com

About: Bayer MaterialScience AG
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is part of the worldwide Bayer Group, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer employs 23,300 in North America with net North American sales of 8.8 billion euros in 2003. Bayer’s three operating business areas – HealthCare, CropScience and MaterialScience, improve people’s lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose and treat diseases, protect crops and advance automobile safety and durability.

Bayer MaterialScience AG is one of the world's largest producers of polymers and high-performance plastics. The main customers for Its innovative developments in coatings, adhesives, insulating materials and sealants, polycarbonates and polyurethanes are the automotive and construction industries, the electrical/electronics segment and manufacturers of sports and leisure goods, packaging, and medical devices.

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