clipping
productionequipmenttoexpand itscapacity,anda laboratory
withnew, state-of-the-artequipment. “Netzschhasastrategy
of expanding through the organic growth of our products
and through innovation and invention in our equipment and
processes,”saysGiulianoAlbiero,businessdirectoratNetzsch
EquipamentosdeMoagem.
Thecompanyhasalso invested inmoresustainableandefficient
technologies. “Ourmain focus isonenergy saving, lowerwa-
stegeneration, safety, andergonomics.Our latest launch, the
OMEGAhigh-efficiencydispersercombinesallofthesebenefits
and is easy to operate for awide range of applications. This
andotherpiecesofequipmentfromourportfolioareavailable
for demonstrations at a cutting-edge laboratory on our own
facilities,”Albiero informs.
Other investmentplanswillcontinuebeingcarriedout inBrazil,
as it isstrategic to thecompanyasamarket. “TheentireLatin
Americanmarket isvery important for theNetzschgroup, cur-
rentlyaccounting for20percentof itssales.Brazil isviewedas
a strategic country for intercompany equipment supply, and
asanemergingmarketwhichstillhasgreatpotential fordirect
sales,”Albieropointsout.
PolyurethaneResins -AFriendlyTrend
Withsuperiorperformance intermsofdurabilityandresistance
andmechanicalproperties,polyurethaneresinsalsodeliverhigh
yield,whilebeingextensivelyused inpaintsandcoatingswith
aneco-friendlyappeal.
Polyurethane resins are ingreat demand in theBrazilian
market. This isbecause theyare recommended forappli-
cations requiringhighchemical andmechanical strength,
flexibilityand light-fastness,amongotherkeyproperties.
Polyurethane resins are available in either one or two-
-component systems. “For one-component systems, we
reallyhaveaformedpolyurethaneproduct,which, infact,
may be provided in the form of an aqueous dispersion,
for application in plastics, industrial coatings andwood
finishes.Fortwo-componentsystems,weprovideapolyu-
rethaneproductthat isformeduponreactionwithapolyol
(whichmaybeeitheranacrylicorpolyesterpolyol).These
systemsarebettersuited forapplications requiringsupe-
rior performance in termsof durabilityandof resistance
andmechanical properties, such as maritime coatings,
automotive coatings and premiumwood finishes,” says
Paulo Roberto Vieira Jr., PhD, technical coordinator for
LatinAmericaatAllnex.
Inbothcases,urethanesarepartofnotonlymorespecial
applications, but also traditional ones, such as industrial
coatings andwood finishes, where they competewith
differentchemistries (suchas regularpolyesterandalkyd
resins), which is especially hardwhere price is themain
concern. “Inmore specific nicheswhereperformance is
primary factor in the choiceofmaterial, the advantages
