OREANDA-NEWS. At the Interlakokraska trade fair taking place in Moscow, Russia from March 11 to 13, BASF is going to present its comprehensive range of resins, additives, pigments and pigment preparations. The international trade fair is predominantly aimed at manufacturers of paints and coatings who supply the Russian and Eastern European market. At stand FE 094 in the Forum Expocentre pavilion, BASF experts are going to present innovative products that will enable the customers to develop more sustainable solutions.

"The paints and coatings market in Russia and Eastern Europe is constantly growing and attractive for our business. It is becoming increasingly important to our customers that the production and application of their products involves as little environmental impact as possible. To satisfy them, we come up with the perfect solutions," says Thomas Heberger, head of sales for pigments, resins and additives in the EAWA region, which includes Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

BASF develops, produces and markets a broad portfolio of raw materials for coatings destined for the paints, construction, furniture and flooring coatings as well as automotive and industrial coatings industries.

Innovations for current market trends
The new Bismuth Vanadate pigment Sicopal(r) Yellow EH 1567 (L 1130) has been developed to meet the requirements of the coatings industry in the field of decorative, industrial and automotive applications. It boasts high color strength, great brilliance, increased opacity and exterior durability. The pigment offers an ideal solution for customers wanting a lead-free formulation of especially bright and durable yellow shades. After its market launch in spring 2013, the product has become well established in the European market.

Moreover, BASF presents its hybrid pigments Paliotan(r) Yellow EH 1560 (L 1631), Yellow EH 1561 (L 1921) and Red EH 1604 (L 3131), which are combinations of high-quality organic and inorganic pigments and designed for industrial coating applications. The series is an economical alternative to lead-free formulations and convinces customers due to its weather fastness, good hiding power and high levels of color saturation ("chroma"). Hence, the pigments are the ideal solution for coatings and powder coatings used on construction and agricultural vehicles, trucks, busses and railcars.

With complete product families on the ground
In addition, BASF will be traveling to Moscow equipped with new effect pigments. The Lumina(r) Royal pigment family, for example, offers stunning levels of brilliance and reflection, in particular in the blue, aqua, violet and copper color spectrum. Hence, reduced amounts of these pigments can be used in standard effect shades.

Interior designers looking for an antique finish are going to love BASF's innovative range of pigments for decorative paints. In spite of their matt appearance, products from the Firemist(r) Velvet line add a slight sparkle to paints when exposed to direct light. Furthermore the products are easy to use.

Another highlight are the Luconyl(r) NG and Xfast(r) pigment preparations, that have been developed especially for the formulation of VOC-free paints for the architectural and construction industry. Plasters, facade and interior paints, wood glazes and many other water-based coating systems can be colored with these products.

New aqueous UV curable dispersions
The BASF experts have also been innovative in the field of resins such as the UV-curable amino-modified polyether acrylates of the Laromer(r) product range. Due to their low viscosity and high reactivity, they help significantly to adjust the right application viscosity while the curing speed is increased. Newly developed aqueous UV dispersions are in particular used for spray applications in the furniture and automotive industry.

Solutions for industrial coatings
Water-based coatings offer an array of benefits but also pose technical challenges. Water-based coatings for example, which are applied directly to metal substrates - also known as direct-to-metal (DTM) coatings - tend to produce defects, especially when exposed to low temperatures and/or high levels of humidity. To solve this problem, BASF has recently developed a new acrylic dispersion technology that is specifically targeted at DTM coatings: Joncryl(r) PRO 1522. It allows a single water-based coating to be applied to metal surfaces, providing enhanced resistance to water, humidity and overall corrosion.

Copper-based pthylalocyanines belong to the most important classes of organic pigments used for industrial coatings. However, these pigments are not always easy to disperse. With Efka(r) PX 4350 and Efka(r) PX 4751 BASF is presenting two new dispersing agents for Cu-phthalocyanines. Not only are they suitable for use in solvent-based systems but also for systems containing a high percentage of solids ("high-solid coatings"). Due to the novel BASF technologies that offer a tailor-made polymer structure, the dispersing agents are top performers and reduce the need to use additional pigment synergists .