Environmentally compatible one-component polyurethane coatings for the automotive industry

Cardan shaft coating based on a polyurethane coating raw material from Bayer MaterialScience was honored with an SPE award

Friday - July 28, 2006, Leverkusen – Automobile makers and suppliers have lofty requirements when it comes to the performance of coating systems. With the cardan shafts installed in countless cars, very good adhesion of the coating to the substrate and efficient, long-lasting protection from corrosion are key. Waterborne one-component polyurethane (1K-PUR) coatings formulated with Bayhydrol® B 130, a binder from Bayer MaterialScience, are the equal of proven, solventborne coating systems in terms of quality, and also offer excellent environmental compatibility. Polyurethane coating systems formulated with this product help further reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and already satisfy legal requirements scheduled to take effect over the next few years.

The successful use of the coating system for the coating of cardan shafts has now been honored with one of the highly-prized awards conferred by the Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. (SPE). The award has attained an increasingly high profile in recent years; today it is considered to be the “Plastics Oscar” of the automotive industry. Dr. Ulrich Freudenberg, an expert for polyurethane coatings in the Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants Business Unit of Bayer MaterialScience, was presented an SPE award in the Powertrain category at the gala 10th Automotive Division Award Night.

The high adhesion of the coating produced by Weckerle Lackfabrik GmbH of Stuttgart, Germany, is primarily attributable to Bayhydrol® B 130, a coating raw material frequently used as an adhesion promoter or as a binder for primers. The result is very good corrosion protection, as the coating can withstand 240 hours of salt spray (fog) testing and six cycles of the cyclic corrosion test to VDA 621-415. The coating is also very resistant to stone chipping.

The production process also places high demands on the coating. The cardan shaft parts are first alkali-degreased, welded together and then coated with no further pretreatment. Shortly after coating, the cardan shafts are packed into shipping racks, where they are secured using rubber-coated clamps. “The advantage of the rapid drying of the binder is that it allows the coating film to withstand the mechanical loads undamaged,” says Dr. Ulrich Freudenberg.

With 2005 sales of 10.7 billion euros, Bayer MaterialScience AG is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and the sports and leisure industries. Bayer MaterialScience employs approximately 18.800 people at 40 production sites around the globe. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.

Information about polyurethane coatings, including detailed descriptions of sample applications, and contact information can be found on the internet at www.bayercoatings.com.

More news and information about products, applications and services of Bayer MaterialScience AG can be found at www.bayerbms.com. Data and facts about the company itself can be found at www.facts.bayerbms.com.

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Dr. Frank Rothbarth

Head of Media Relations Trade and Technical Press

Bayer MaterialScience AG

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