WACKER to showcase sustainable binders for the coatings, adhesives and construction industry

WACKER is all set to showcase several product novelties at this year’s European Coatings Show (ECS) from March 25 to 27. In Hall 1, Booth 1-206, the company will be demonstrating its expertise as a leading manufacturer of specialty chemicals for the coatings, adhesives and building materials industry on a floor space of 300 square meters. Among the newcomers are alpha-silane-crosslinking
binders for the formulation of high-quality adhesives, sealants and assembly adhesives. Sustainable solutions for the coatings and building materials industry will also play a major role this year.

True to the company motto “Here for you”, WACKER will, as it has in past events, once again focus on talks and the collaboration with customers at this year’s ECS. Numerous exhibits are intended to clearly demonstrate the relevant products and features in the booth’s “Coatings”, “Adhesives” and “Construction” zones. “Our focus this year is, for instance, on innovative hybrid polymers based on our new
alpha3 technology. In terms of elastic modulus and recovery, they surpass their predecessors in every way. Moreover, they also allow the formulation of tin-free products which is a significant gain in consumer safety,” says WACKER Silicones President Tom Koini. Another highlight is a silicone sealant for natural stone that is based on biomethanol and produced in a resource-efficient manner. Koini: “Such products offer our customers real added value.”

Sustainable solutions for the building materials industry will also play an important role at the booth. For example, the chemicals group will be presenting special dispersible polymer powders that enable the formulation of high-quality tile adhesives based on emissions reduced cement. ”Sustainability is no longer a trend, but a business imperative along the value chain”, Peter Summo, President of WACKER’s Polymers division, points out. “We want our solutions to enable our customers to establish future technologies that cut CO2 emissions and conserve resources. Sustainability is the key to future success.”

WACKER will be unveiling the following products at ECS 2025:

• Coatings
In the Coatings Zone, SILRES® HP 2000 LV and VINNOL® H 15/45 M Renewable Energy are celebrating their debut this year. With SILRES® HP 2000 LV, the Group will be unveiling an improved version of its successful hardener system for epoxy-polysiloxane topcoats. The new product contains significantly less volatile compounds, as indicated by the suffix “LV” (for low volatiles). Consequently, it is
now possible to formulate high performance metal coatings that are safer to process and to apply.

Another coatings highlight is WACKER’s VINNOL® H 15/45 M Renewable Energy, a copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate containing carboxyl groups, which is mainly used as a binder for heat-sealing coatings, industrial coatings and printing inks. The product is manufactured using electrical energy generated from renewable energy sources, significantly lowering the carbon footprint (PCF value). VINNOL® H 15/45 M Renewable Energy offers several advantages, including outstanding product and processing properties and excellent metal adhesion.

• Adhesives
Formulators and manufacturers of adhesives and sealants should also visit WACKER at ECS. Three new products will be displayed in the Adhesives Zone this time: the silane-terminated polyethers GENIOSIL® STP-E 140 and GENIOSIL® STP-E 340 and the neutral-curing silicone sealant ELASTOSIL® eco 7770 P.

GENIOSIL® STP-E 140 & GENIOSIL® STP-E 340: Both products are based on WACKER’s state-of-the-art alpha³ technology. The silane-crosslinking polymers consist of both alpha and gamma-silyl groups, thus combining the advantages of both alpha and gamma-silane-crosslinking polyethers. Just like conventional alpha-silane-terminated polymers, the new polymers do not require a tin catalyst for curing. The binders enable the formulation of tin free adhesives that exhibit high elasticity and low modulus – properties that are extremely useful in the construction sector.

Both binders can be processed into creep-resistant, fast-curing adhesives. They also facilitate the production of low-modulus sealants. These are flexible and, even without the application of much force, retain elasticity. Moreover, they also exhibit good elastic recovery, i.e. they return to their original length after exposure to prolonged elongation – a combination of properties that is unusual for conventional alpha-silanes. Adhesives and sealants based on GENIOSIL® STP-E 140 and GENIOSIL® STP-E 340 can be processed and applied without any need to change existing mixing or processing methods. Even formulations without solvents and plasticizers are possible. Incompatibilities with ester-based additives are eliminated, as the polymers crosslink without a tin catalyst.

ELASTOSIL® eco 7770 P: Developed for construction and sanitary applications, the condensation-curing silicone sealant is especially suitable for natural stone applications. The product cures to a low-modulus elastomer with high elastic recovery when exposed to air humidity. The sealant adheres to almost all materials commonly used in the construction industry without requiring primed surfaces. The sealant’s special features include high resistance to mold and mildew combined with a low fungicide content and a very low-emission classification in accordance with the guidelines of the German Association for the Control of Emissions in Products for Flooring Installation (GEV).

ELASTOSIL® eco 7770 P is weather resistant and is suitable for interior as well as exterior applications. WACKER applied a distinctive formulation concept in the manufacturing of the new sealant. Based on a special non-volatile silicone softener, it is formulated such that it cannot penetrate the pores of natural stone like marble, granite or sandstone. This means that the stone substrates adjacent
to the joint are not hydrophobized. The natural stone remains spot- and flawless. WACKER uses biomethanol in the formulation of ELASTOSIL® eco 7770 P which saves resources. It is the first silicone sealant to be offered exclusively as an ecoproduct.

• Construction
With the aim of reducing CO2 emissions, the cement industry is increasingly switching its production to Portland composite cements (CEM II). This has serious consequences for several dry-mix mortar products such as tile adhesives. The tensile adhesion strength of these products after immersion in water often does not comply with the applicable standards.

Recent studies by WACKER show that tile adhesives based on CEM II cement can indeed achieve the tensile adhesion strength values to meet the requirements of the relevant standards. This is only possible when polymer binders that contain a special terpolymer instead of a standard vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) are used for improving the tile adhesive formulations. At this year’s ECS, WACKER will be presenting three dispersible polymer powders – VINNAPAS® 8118 E, VINNAPAS® 8620 E and VINNAPAS® 7220 E – that are suitable for formulating such tile adhesives.