High lights! Energy curing for industrial coatings and graphic arts

Transcription

1 High lights! Energy curing for industrial coatings and graphic arts

2 Table of contents BASF and energy curing 3 BASF and the efficiency of energy curing resins and photoinitiators 4 Energy curable oligomers and reactive diluents for printing and packaging 5 Energy curable oligomers and reactive diluents for industrial coatings 6-9 Product technology overview Laromer oligomers Laromer oligomers Viscosity reactivity and hardness flexibility Laromer reactive diluents 17 Laromer reactive diluents Viscosity - reactivity and hardness - flexibility Photoinitiators a key element of UV cure technology Product technology and applications Darocur, Irgacure, and Lucirin photoinitiators Absorption spectra of photoinitiators Stabilizers and UV absorbers for energy curing Tinuvin, Lignostab and Irgastab UV-VIS absorbance spectra of UV absorbers 30 2 High lights!

3 BASF and energy curing At BASF we are committed to helping our customers succeed. Through collaboration of expert advice and in-depth knowledge of energy curable processes, we can help improve your product properties in a broad range of industries and applications. Our unique product portfolio of oligomers, reactive diluents, photoinitiators, stabilizers, and UV absorbers are key to your energy curing solutions. Our commitment Substantial investments in the development of new products, testing methods and new high throughput screening techniques for customer driven innovations is our commitment to helping our customers succeed. With our broad and unique product portfolio we aim to meet and exceed the highest market demands. Through our innovative excellence and research competence we set new standards and market trends. Depth provides quality, reliability and consistency Widely integrated in the supply chain from the oil well to the fil product, BASF is the Chemical Company. Customers benefit from our diverse products and capabilities that provide a secure supply of high quality products, an advantage hard to find anywhere else. BASF puts continuous efforts into process improvements, new processes and new production technologies to maintain or further improve our high quality. Our customers can simply expect more than the status quo. The global reach within BASF creates a one-of-a-kind network to share information and meet customer demands. With local integration, we are familiar with regiol needs, and our global network helps find solutions to local market demands. Our manufacturing facilities can be found around the globe. Prepared for REACH and GHS Sustaible and ecological responsibility are key factors to help preserve our standard of living. As a member of the ICCA s Responsible Care 1 initiative, BASF is committed to ecological sustaibility. We support legislative authorities world-wide, in their efforts to ensure the safety of our environment and human health. We are prepared for new safety standards; BASF has implemented REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) and GHS (Globally Harmonized System) guidelines in production and supply chains. Our experts are available to consult with customers and partners implementing new safety standards. Innovation and services By collaborating with our customers, BASF works to meet the most demanding industry standards. We provide customers with alytical, technical and supply chain services in a broad range of industries to be your solution provider in: printing and packaging automotive and industrial coatings furniture and flooring adhesives special applications 1 Responsible Care is a registered trademark of the American Chemistry Council. High lights! 3

4 BASF and the efficiency of energy curing resins and photoinitiators Introduction In the past five decades, coatings curable by electron-beam or UV energy have expanded into new markets. Energy curable technology is used in various applications and industries such as printing and packaging, automotive and industrial coatings, furniture and flooring, adhesives and special applications. Advantages of this technology include: Faster curing rates over conventiol drying techniques Low thermal stressing on substrates Good adhesion to a wide range of substrates Low energy consumption High scratch and chemical resistance Reduces the use of volatile organic solvents Customized solution provider BASF is constantly working on product developments to expand the opportunities in the field of energy curing. Together with our customers and their value chain network, we are searching for solutions to meet the market needs of today and the challenges of tomorrow. By working with our customers, BASF works to meet the most demanding industry standards. Our technical marketing chemists and engineers collaborate with formulators, equipment and product-line manufacturers to help develop the best solutions for your market requirements. 4 High lights!

5 Energy curable oligomers and reactive diluents for printing and packaging Laromer Inks Offset Flexo Screen Digital OPV Laromer Inks Offset Flexo Screen Digital OPV Epoxy acrylate (aliphatic) LR 8765 R Epoxy acrylate (aromatic) LR 8986 LR 9019 Polyether acrylate (amine-modified, free of monomers) PO 77 F PO 94 F LR 8996 Special energy curable LR 9023 Polyester acrylate PE 9024 PE 44 F PE 9079 Urethane acrylate (aliphatic) UA 19 T UA 9033 Polyether acrylate LR 8863 PO 43 F LR 8967 LR 8982 LR 9013 PO 9026 PA 9039 Dual cure LR 9000 Reactive diluent DPGDA HDDA LR 8887 POEA TBCH TMPTA TPGDA universal grinding resin improve scratch resistance in OPVs and inks improve adhesion to plastic and metal adhesion primer on plastic substrates excellent very good good High lights! 5

6 Energy curable oligomers and reactive diluents for industrial coatings Laromer Furniture Flooring Building Products General Industrial Transportation Adhesion Glass Metal Plastic Wood Epoxy acrylate (aliphatic) LR 8765 R Epoxy acrylate (aromatic) LR 8986 LR 9019 LR 9023 Polyester acrylate PE 55 F PE 56 F PE 9024 PE 44 F LR 8800 LR 8981 PE 9079 Urethane acrylate (aliphatic) UA 19 T LR 8987 UA 9033 UA 9047 UA High lights!

7 Clear Pigmented Resistance Properties Attributes Primer/ Sealer Topcoat Primer Topcoat Abrasion Chemical Scratch Weathering Hardness Elasticity Reactivity applies superior excellent very good good High lights! 7

8 Laromer Furniture Flooring Building Products General Industrial Transportation Adhesion Glass Metal Plastic Wood Polyether acrylate LR 8863 PO 43 F LR 8967 LR 8982 Polyether acrylate (amine-modified, free of monomers) PO 77 F PO 94 F LR 8996 Water based PE 22 WN PE 55 WN LR 8983 LR 9005 WA 9057 UA 9059 Special energy curable UP 35 D LR 9013 PO 9026 PA 9039 PR 9052 Dual cure LR 9000 Reactive diluent DPGDA HDDA LR 8887 POEA TBCH TMPTA TPGDA 8 High lights!

9 Clear Pigmented Resistance Properties Attributes Primer/ Sealer Topcoat Primer Topcoat Abrasion Chemical Scratch Weathering Hardness Elasticity Reactivity applies superior excellent very good good High lights! 9

10 Product technology overview Laromer oligomers Laromer * Type of Resin Diluent (content) Calculated Functiolity Calculated Relative Molar Mass (g/mol) 23 C (cps) Hydroxyl Value (approximately mg KOH/g) Epoxy acrylate LR 8765 R aliphatic , LR 8986 aromatic ,000-6, LR 9019 aromatic ,000-25, LR 9023 aromatic DPGDA (15%) ,000-5, Polyester acrylate PE 55 F ,000-45, PE 56 F ,000-40, PE ,100 10,000-30, PE 44 F ,000-5, LR ,000-8, LR ,300 4,000-14, PE Urethane acrylate 60 C 50 UA 19 T aliphatic TPGDA (35%) ,000-32, LR 8987 aliphatic HDDA (30%) ,000-6, UA 9033 aliphatic LR 8887 (30%) 1.7 1,230 15,000-25,000 6 UA 9047 aliphatic butyl acetate (20%) UA 9072 aliphatic TBCH (30%) 1.7 > 6.0 2,000-7, C 6 * All products registered with EINECS and TSCA. All other countries, please contact your BASF representative. 10 High lights!

11 Hardness Elasticity Reactivity Chemical Resistance Descriptions Partially water-soluble, flexible, and highly reactive. Low viscosity, free of diluents, and resistant to chemicals. Very highly reactive and resistant to chemicals. Diluted version of LR Well balanced properties, leads to a tough film. Better compatibility with reactive diluents compared to PE 55 F. Compatible with nitrocellulose. Free of diluents, low viscosity, low odor, and flexible. Hard, resistant to chemicals, and low odor. Very highly reactive, flexible, with good sanding properties. Highly viscous, pronounced elasticity and toughness. Low yellowing and flexible at room temperature and temperatures below 0 C. Scratch and weather resistant for outdoor applications. Highly flexible, highly reactive, and good adhesion. Physical drying, best performance when UV cured at high temperature. Extremely flexible, best strain-stress behavior. superior excellent very good good High lights! 11

12 Laromer * Type of Resin Diluent (content) Calculated Functiolity Calculated Relative Molar Mass (g/mol) 23 C (cps) Hydroxyl Value (approximately mg KOH/g) Polyether acrylate LR 8863 ethoxylated TMP-triacrylate PO 43 F LR LR Polyether acrylate (amine-modified, free of monomers) PO 77 F ,000-3, PO 94 F LR Water based PE 22 WN polyester acrylate water (50%) PE 55 WN polyester acrylate water (50%) LR 8983 LR 9005 WA 9057 UA 9059 Special energy curable aromatic urethane acrylate dispersion aromatic urethane acrylate dispersion acrylated acrylic emulsion aliphatic urethane acrylate water (60%) , water (60%) 2.0 5, water (60%) water (30%) 1.8 6,000-11,000 UP 35 D unsaturated polyester DPGDA (45%) ,000-6,000 LR 9013 PO 9026 modified polyether acrylate no-modified polyether acrylate 1.5 1,700 45,000-70, ,500 PA 9039 adhesion promoter PR 9052 polyester resin TMPTA (60%) ,000-8,000 Dual cure LR 9000 isocyato acrylate NCO 1,000-1,400 * All products registered with EINECS and TSCA. All other countries, please contact your BASF representative. 12 High lights!

13 Hardness Elasticity Reactivity Chemical Resistance Descriptions Low viscosity, low yellowing, and low odor diluent. All-purpose resin, resistant to chemicals. Low viscosity version of PO 43 F, good surface cure. Partially water-soluble, spray viscosity adjustable. Very highly reactive, versatile resin, good sanding properties. Very high reactivity and good pigment wetting. High reactivity, very low in color and viscosity. Hard, resistant to chemicals, with good sanding properties. Flexible, easy to matte, well balanced properties. Excellent physical drying properties, easy to formulate. Excellent hardness and resistance to chemicals. Good chemical and scratch resistance, excellent block resistance. Excellent adhesion on wood, very flexible, excellent coin-test results. Low yellowing, good chemical resistance and sanding properties. Excellent pigment wetting properties, low in shrinkage. Contains 50% non-crystalline no-silica, very scratch resistant. Leads to good adhesion on different substrates. Best Taber** Abrader (S33/S42) resistance in combition with aluminum oxide. Contains NCO- and UV-reactive groups within one molecule. superior excellent very good good ** Taber is a registered trademark of Taber Industries. High lights! 13

14 Laromer oligomers Viscosity - reactivity and hardness - flexibility Viscosity reactivity / all products were cured with 1 UV lamp 120 W/cm. Photoinitiator: 4% Irgacure 500 1,000,000 viscosity [cps] 100,000 UA 9072 PE 9079 LR 9013 PE 55 F UA 19 T PE 56 F 10,000 UA 9033 UA 9059 PE 9024 LR 9019 UP 35 D LR 8800 PR 9052 LR 8986 LR 8987 PE 44 F LR 9023 LR ,000 PO 9026 LR 8765 R PO 77 F PO 94 F PA PO 43 F LR 8982 LR 8967 PE 22 WN LR 8983 PE 55 WN LR 8863 LR 8996 LR 9005 WA UA reactivity [m/min] epoxy acrylate polyester acrylate amine-modified polyether acrylate water based special energy curable urethane acrylate polyether acrylate 14 High lights!

15 Hardness flexibility / all products were cured 5 x 5 m/min. with 1 UV lamp 120 W/cm. Photoinitiator: 4% Irgacure Erichsen indentation [mm] UA UA 9033 UA 9059 LR UA 19 T 7 PE PE 55 WN PE 56 F PE 55 F PE 9079 UP 35 D LR 8981 PE 44 F PO 77 F LR 9019 LR 8800 LR 8765 R PO 94 F LR 8996 PE 22 WN LR 9023 PA 9039 LR 8987 WA 9057 LR 8986 LR 9005 LR 8982 PO 43 F 3 LR UA LR 8863 LR PR 9052 PO pendulum hardness [oscillations] epoxy acrylate polyester acrylate amine-modified polyether acrylate water based special energy curable urethane acrylate polyether acrylate High lights! 15

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17 Laromer reactive diluents Product* CAS Number Molar Mass (approximately g/mol) 25 C (g/cm 3 ) Level of Stabilizer (ppm MeHQ) APHA Color (max.) 23 C (cps) Laromer DPGDA Dipropyleneglycol Diacrylate ± Laromer HDDA Hexanediol Diacrylate ± Laromer LR 8887 Trimethylolpropaneformal Monoacrylate ,000 ± Laromer POEA Phenoxyethyl Acrylate ± Laromer TBCH 4-t-Butylcyclohexyl Acrylate ± Laromer TMPTA Trimethylolpropane Triacrylate ± Laromer TPGDA Tripropyleneglycol Diacrylate ± * All products registered with EINECS and TSCA. All other countries, please contact your BASF representative. High lights! 17

18 Laromer reactive diluents Viscosity - reactivity and hardness - flexibility Viscosity reactivity / formulation: 70 parts Laromer PE 56 F, 30 parts monomer, 4 parts Irgacure 500 viscosity [cps] reactivity [m/min] , , , , , , , TMPTA HDDA TPGDA DPGDA POEA LR 8887 TBCH 18 High lights!

19 Hardness flexibility / formulation: 70 parts Laromer PE 56 F, 30 parts monomer, 4 parts Irgacure pendulum hardness Erichsen indentation [mm] TMPTA HDDA TPGDA DPGDA POEA LR 8887 TBCH High lights! 19

20 Photoinitiators a key element of UV cure technology UV curing is a rapidly growing technology within coatings, printing and packaging, adhesives and electronic materials. UV curing systems have dramatically increased line speeds and become environmentally friendly coatings. Perfect partner for UV curable resins Selecting the correct photoinitiator or photoinitiator combition is critical to achieve the desired curing speed and balance of properties. UV cured inks are used for a variety of lithographic, flexographic, digital, and screen printing applications. These inks can present special formulation challenges due to their pigmentation and need for tightly controlled viscosity. To solve this problem, BASF offers several photoinitiators such as Irgacure 369 and Irgacure 379 with strong absorption at longer wavelengths in the UV region. They are very effective in curing cyan and black inks and may be used alone or in combition with sensitizers. Generally a photoinitiator concentration of 1-5% is suggested with ladder studies to optimize the formulation in terms of reactivity. Irgacure 369 may impart color to the ink due to the absorption of visible light. This makes it less preferable for white, pastel and other light color inks. For this segment, a photoinitiator of the bisacyl phosphine oxide (BAPO) class is suggested. Irgacure 819 shows high reactivity due to a long wavelength absorption in combition with efficient photobleaching. For UV cured coatings, products of the alpha hydroxy ketone family (Irgacure 184, Irgacure 2959, and Darocur 1173) are preferred as part of a photoinitiator package when curing unpigmented clear coatings or for surface curing in highly 20 High lights!

21 pigmented systems. For through curing of thicker sections and for highly pigmented systems, an acyl phospine oxide type of photoinitiator such as the BAPO or monoacyl phospine oxide (MAPO) families is suggested. BAPO-type photoinitiators are designed to be activated by a longer wavelength UV light in the near visible region above 400 nm. Light of this wavelength penetrates deeper into the lower layers of the coating, thus ebling the through curing desired. Moreover, BAPO-type photoinitiators also allow UV absorbers to be formulated into the coating for improved outdoor durability. In addition to excellent through-cure properties, BAPO phototinitiators photobleach after UV exposure to give a clean white appearance in contrast to an off-white color associated with other long wavelength absorption photoinitiators. Shorter wavelength light, around 230 nm, is of higher photon energy but is less penetrating than that of longer wavelengths. Light of shorter wavelength is particularly useful for surface curing. Selection of the best individual photoinitiator or combition depends on a number of variables including the chemistry of the resin system (UPES, epoxy acrylate, urethane acrylate), selection of monomers, UV lamp type and orientation, curing speed required, coating properties, substrate and more. High lights! 21

22 Product technology and applications Darocur, Irgacure, and Lucirin photoinitiators Industrial Coatings Product Physical Form n-butyl acetate Solubility (%) Laromer HDDA Laromer TPGDA Wood Top & Intermediate Coat UPES Acrylated Wood Fillers Top Coats on Plastic & Metal Clear Pigmented UV Coatings Powder Stabilized Clear Offset Screen Inks Alpha amino ketone Irgacure 369 solid Irgacure 379 solid Irgacure 907 solid Alpha hydroxy ketone Darocur 1173 Irgacure 184 solid 43 Irgacure 2959 solid 3 < 1 5 Alpha hydroxy ketone/acyl phospine oxide Darocur 4265 Irgacure 2022 Alpha hydroxy ketone/benzophenone Irgacure 500 Acyl phosphine oxide Irgacure 819 solid Irgacure 819-DW Irgacure 2100 Lucirin TPO solid Lucirin TPO-L Benzyldimethyl ketal Irgacure 651 solid Benzophenone Darocur BP solid Cationic Irgacure 250 Irgacure 270 solid 7 (in acetone) Irgacure 290 solid 20 Metallocene Irgacure 784 solid Phenylglyoxylate Darocur MBF Irgacure High lights!

23 Printing & Packaging Specialty Flexo & Digital OPV Printing Plates Flexo Laser Direct Imaging Offset Facade Dispersions Adhesives Putties Fiber Glass Composites Gel Coats Cationic Photocuring Thick Sections LED (395 nm) Water-based UV Xi- & Xn-free Low Volatility, Low Odor co-initiator potential use applies High lights! 23

24 Absorption spectra of photoinitiators Alpha hydroxy ketone photoinitiators 0.001% in acetonitrile absorbance wavelength [nm] Irgacure 184 Darocur 2959 Darocur 1173 Alpha amino ketone photoinitiators 0.001% in acetonitrile absorbance wavelength [nm] 3.0 Irgacure 369 Irgacure 907 Irgacure 379 Acyl phosphine oxide photoinitiators 0.1% in acetonitrile absorbance wavelength [nm] Irgacure 819 Irgacure 2100 Lucirin TPO Lucirin TPO-L 24 High lights!

25 Classical photoinitiators 0.001% in acetonitrile absorbance wavelength [nm] Darocur MBF Irgacure 754 Irgacure 500 Darocur BP Irgacure 651 Cationic photoinitiators 0.05% in acetonitrile absorbance wavelength [nm] Irgacure 250 Irgacure 270 High lights! 25

26 Stabilizers and UV absorbers for energy curing Tinuvin, Lignostab and Irgastab 20 C (g/100g) Industrial Coatings Product Physical Form Melting Range ( C) mineral spirit / toluene xylene / methyl isobutyl ketone methyl amyl ketone / methyl ethyl ketone butyl acetate / ethyl acetate ethyl Cellosolve* acetate / butyl Cellosolve* acetate butyl Carbitol* / Texanol** water Furniture and Flooring Cementitous Substrates General Industrial Automotive and Transportation Hindered amine light stabilizers Tinuvin 123 Note: For EB cure applications, use light stabilizer packages as needed. For UV cure applications, please contact your BASF representative to assist with photoinitiator and light stabilizer package optimization. *Cellosolve and Carbitol are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company. **Texanol is a trademark of the Eastman Chemical Company. 26 High lights! Tinuvin 152 solid Tinuvin 292 Tinuvin 622 SF solid (2-hydroxyphenyl)-Benzotriazole Tinuvin 99-2 Tinuvin Tinuvin 928 solid Tinuvin Hydroxyphenyl-s-triazine Tinuvin 400 Tinuvin 405 solid Tinuvin 460 solid Tinuvin 477 Tinuvin 479 solid > > 75 > > > 30 > 30 > > 30 < 0.01 < 0.01 < mg/l < 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01

27 Printing & Packaging Specialty Digital Inks OPV Adhesives Sealants Descriptions Amino-ether HALS that minimizes defects such as cracking and gloss reduction in clear coats and chalking in pigmented paints. Especially useful for acid catalyzed resins. A high performance HALS that significantly improves coating durability. HALS that provides significantly extended lifetime to systems by minimizing defects such as cracking and gloss reduction. HALS that is an effective antioxidant that contributes to long term heat stability of polyolefins and tackifier resins. UV absorber that allows efficient protection of light sensitive substrates. UV absorber with a very high thermal stability and environmental permanence for coatings exposed to high bake cycles or extreme environmental conditions. UV absorber that provides efficient protection to high performance coating applications and light sensitive substrates. A versatile UV absorber with excellent spectral coverage in the UVB and UVA range. UV absorber for high performance and durability needs of waterborne, solventborne, and 100% solids applications. UV absorber that provides superior protection to coatings and light sensitive substrates that are subject to extreme processing conditions and light exposure. UV absorber that provides outstanding protection to systems and light sensitive substrates and materials in ultra thin coating applications. UV absorber for solventborne and UV curable coatings. UV absorber that provides excellent performance in thin film applications and very high photostability. applies High lights! 27

28 20 C (g/100g) Industrial Coatings Product Physical Form Melting Range ( C) mineral spirit / toluene xylene / methyl isobutyl ketone methyl amyl ketone / methyl ethyl ketone butyl acetate / ethyl acetate ethyl Cellosolve* acetate / butyl Cellosolve* acetate butyl Carbitol* / Texanol** water Furniture and Flooring Cementitous Substrates General Industrial Automotive and Transportation NEAT (Novel Encapsulated Additive Technology) Tinuvin 99-DW Tinuvin 123-DW Tinuvin 400-DW Tinuvin 477-DW Blends Tinuvin 5050 < 0.01 Tinuvin 5060 < 0.01 Tinuvin 5151 < 0.01 Tinuvin 5248 < 0.01 Tinuvin 5333-DW Tinuvin 5866 solid 25 C 25 C In-can stabilizers Lignostab 1198 solid > 20 > 20 > 20 > Irgastab UV 22 Note: For EB cure applications, use light stabilizer packages as needed. For UV cure applications, please contact your BASF representative to assist with photoinitiator and light stabilizer package optimization. *Cellosolve and Carbitol are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company. **Texanol is a trademark of the Eastman Chemical Company. 28 High lights!

29 Printing & Packaging Specialty Digital Inks OPV Adhesives Sealants Descriptions Solvent-free, UV absorber that permits formulation of low/zero VOC coatings. Solvent-free, non-basic amino-ether HALS that permits formulation of low/zero VOC coatings. Encapsulated UV absorber with high extinction in the UVB range for high performance applications and/or low/zero VOC water-based formulations. UV absorber that permits formulating low/zero VOC coatings with excellent photopermanence. A versatile UVA/HALS blend with high thermal stability suitable for water-based or solvent-based coatings exposed to high bake temperatures or extreme environmental temperatures. UVA/HALS blend that provides excellent photoprotection and ebles formulating with acidic materials. Amino-ether HALS that minimizes interaction with acidic materials and improves coating resistance to cracking and gloss reduction. A high performance UVA/HALS blend. Aqueous UVA/HALS blend with high active content for waterborne and waterborne UV coatings. A multicomponent HALS blend designed for silicone-based sealants. Used as an in-can stabilizer that inhibits early polymerization in UV curable ink and coating formulations, as well as a wood photostabilizing additive. An in-can stabilizer that inhibits early polymerization in UV curable ink and coating formulations. applies High lights! 29

30 UV-VIS absorbance spectra of UV absorbers NEAT 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-Benzotriazole spectra were recorded with 100 mg/l in 80:20 THF: toluene, path = 1 cm 1.0 spectra were recorded with 20 mg/l in toluene, path = 1 cm absorbance / AU absorbance / AU wavelength / nm wavelength / nm Tinuvin 99-DW Tinuvin 400-DW Tinuvin 477-DW Tinuvin Tinuvin 99-2 Tinuvin 928 Tinuvin Hydroxyphenyl-s-triazine Blends 2.5 spectra were recorded with 20 mg/l in toluene, path = 1 cm 1.5 spectra were recorded with 40 mg/l in toluene, path = 1 cm absorbance / AU absorbance / AU wavelength / nm wavelength / nm Tinuvin 400 Tinuvin 405 Tinuvin 460 Tinuvin 477 Tinuvin 479 Tinuvin 5151 Tinuvin 5050 Tinuvin 5060 Tinuvin High lights!

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32 About BASF BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.9 billion in For more information about BASF s North American operations, visit www. basf.us. BASF is the world s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we eble our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustaible future. BASF posted sales of about 73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at WHILE THE DESCRIPTIONS, DESIGNS, DATA AND INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN ARE PRESENTED IN GOOD FAITH AND BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE, THEY ARE PROVIDED FOR GUIDANCE ONLY. BECAUSE MANY FACTORS MAY AFFECT PROCESSING OR APPLICATION/USE, BASF RECOMMENDS THAT THE READER MAKE TESTS TO DETERMINE THE SUITABILITY OF A PRODUCT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE PRIOR TO USE. NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE MADE REGARDING PRODUCTS DESCRIBED OR DESIGNS, DATA OR INFORMATION SET FORTH, OR THAT THE PRODUCTS, DESCRIPTIONS, DESIGNS, DATA OR INFORMATION MAY BE USED WITHOUT INFRINGING THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OF OTHERS. IN NO CASE SHALL THE DESCRIPTIONS, INFORMATION, DATA OR DESIGNS PROVIDED BE CONSIDERED A PART OF BASF S TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE. FURTHER, THE DESCRIPTIONS, DESIGNS, DATA, AND INFORMATION FURNISHED BY BASF HEREUNDER ARE GIVEN GRATIS AND BASF ASSUMES NO OBLIGATION OR LIABILITY FOR THE DESCRIPTIONS, DESIGNS, DATA OR INFORMATION GIVEN OR RESULTS OBTAINED, ALL SUCH BEING GIVEN AND ACCEPTED AT THE READER S RISK. = registered trademark of the BASF Group 2012 BASF, Wyandotte, MI All rights reserved. BF-9684 rev 03/12 Contacts United States & Cada BASF Corporation Resins & Performance Additives 1609 Biddle Avenue Wyandotte, MI USA Tel.: Fax: polyorders@basf.com basf.us/dpsolutions Mexico BASF Mexica S.A. de C.V. Av. Insurgentes Sur 975 Col. Ciudad de los Deportes Mexico, D.F. Mexico Tel.: Fax: