Functional Polymers & Fillers
Baryte is a mineral consisting mainly of barium sulfate (BaSO4).
We offer natural Barytes as well as precipitated grades.
The Baryte group consists of natural barium sulfate, celestine, anglesite and anhydrite. Baryte itself is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of barium.
We are able to supply high quality Barytes. Beside standard qualities we can offer also snow white precipitated grades with different sieve analyses.
All of our Barytes show the following advantages compared to many other Barytes:
- a low SiO2 content and
- an extremely low content of heavy metals.
For friction materials "close-cuts" are available, i.e. grades with a reduced content of fines or specified particle size distributions.
The main application is for drilling purposes and also as heavy filler with a density of approx. 4.5 g/cm3 for paints, lacquers, other coatings and many more products.
Due to its low Mohs hardness (3-3.5) it is giving good lubrication at room temperature.
Bentonite is a volcanic ash/clay consisting mainly of montmorillonite. Though there are different types, depending on the dominant element (either Al, Ca, K, or Na) we offer the most requested sodium (Na) type only.
The main application is drilling mud, but it has multiple uses in different industries and also as water adsorbent in agriculture. Dry soil, such as deserts or pure sand, can be used for agricultural crop-growing due to the high water adsorption of the Bentonite, which hinders a fast drying-out of the soil.
Further uses are e.g. in binders, cosmetics, foundry sand, paints, and coatings.
We supply coarse milled, high-quality fibrillated Cellulose Fibers, gained from replenishable raw materials. All of our different Cellulose Fiber grades show good dispersion characteristics. They show a high level of thixotropy and improved physical properties in many applications, such as
- thickeners,
- absorbents and diluents or
- as a carrier and filler in manifold application fields, e.g. additives for paper/board/tissue production, plastic industry (thermo-/duroplastics & elastomeres), glues, technical ceramics and friction materials.
Cellulose Nano Fibrils, never-dried (CNF) are natural cellulose fibrils with a diameter below 100 nm. The length of the fibrils can reach several microns which leads to an outstanding aspect ratio and, in turn, allows for the extraordinary tensile strength of our CNF.
We provide CNF as an additive for thermoplastics and thermosets to enhance the mechanical properties and add a barrier effect against various gases.
Our Colemanite is a hydrous calcium borate with the chemical formula 2CaO 3B2O3 5H2O, belonging to the group of Boron Minerals. Boron Minerals have many applications.
- Agriculture
In agriculture boron minerals are essential micronutrients for plants, vital to their growth and development. The role of boron minerals is associated with the cell division and development of the growth parts of the plants. They are also needed for a good fertilization, seeding and fruit growth. The use of boron micronutrients in soils with high deficiency can increase productivity around 30%.
- Ceramics
Due to their strong fluxing action boron minerals are essential ingredients in many ceramic glazes and enamels.
- Glass
Boron minerals are important ingredients in many glass types like glass wool, fiberglass, optical fiberglass and borosilicate glasses.
- Detergents
Different forms of borates are used for laundry detergents and cleaners as bleaching agent, enzymes stabilizer, alkaline buffering etc.
- Metallurgical
In the metallurgical industry, borates are used in the production of steel and non-ferrous metals, alloys, magnets and welding compounds; this is due to their fluxing activity during the smelting process (dissolving impurities and protecting the metal).
- Rubber and Plastics
In rubber and plastics boron minerals are used as flame retardants and polymer additives.
- Construction Materials
Colemanite is applied as a flame retardant e.g. in bituminous cardboard roofings.
In neutron shielding concrete Colemanite is an economic aggregate to enhance the shielding properties.
Beside these main applications there are numerous other uses of boron and boron compounds like wood preservation, polymerization agent, pharmaceutical and cosmetics.
We offer both Natural as well as Synthetic Graphites.
Natural Graphites are available in flake and needle form. The minimum carbon content can be fixed anywhere between 75% and 99.5%.
Thermal conductivity: 8-17 W/mK (at 20°C)
Density: 2.1-2.3 g/cm³
Many different particle size distributions are available.
Synthetic Graphites are made from new pure electrodes with an extremely low SiO2 level and a sulfur content of less than 0.05%.
The carbon content can be fixed either at min. 98% or min. 99%.
Thermal conductivity: 40-130 W/mK (at 20°C)
Density: 2.1-2.3 g/cm³
Many different particle size distributions are available, but the most common grades of Synthetic Graphite are:
- Grade A: 100% < 0.5 mm
- Grade B: 100% < 2.0 mm
Both Natural as well as Synthetic Graphites are mainly used for their lubricity, e.g. in: friction materials, solid lubricants, carbon brushes, pencils, crucibles, chemical insulation, electrodes.
Our Interlayer Kiln Furniture Papers consist of alumina fibers (97% Al2O3 and 3% SiO2) and small amounts of natural pulp as binder (less than 5%). We can also offer Interlayer Kiln Furniture Papers with an increased carbon content; in this case 40% of alumina fibers are substituted by carbon fibers.
Interlayer Kiln Furniture Papers are used as mould release sheets during the sintering process of crystalline glasses or metal powders. The mould or the surface is being lined with the paper. These papers are an alternative to mould release powders and should be considered as an “ease-of-use” product.
Their higher price is often at least partially compensated by reducing work-intense cleaning times before and after each sintering process. Furthermore, in case of metal powders, less swirling of metal dust is observed thus avoiding any damage to vacuum pumps used in the production. In summary, the key point of this product is a positive effect on production parameters in labor-cost-intensive countries over time.
Kaolin is a naturally occurring clay mineral, a sheet silicate, which mainly consists of kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH4)). It is also called china clay. It derives from aluminium silicate minerals, mainly weathered feldspar, and therefore contains other minerals such as quartz and mica as well. Depending on the level of these impurities, the character of Kaolin changes.
Its appearance is in most deposits white and glossy. The hardness is about 2.5 Mohs and it has a soft and flexible touch, i.e. it is not abrasive.
More than 50% of the world production is used for the production of paper after muddling (washing out) a major part of the SiO2.
We offer the mined raw Kaolin type with approx. 70-75% SiO2. Its main applications are in many different industries, e.g. ceramics and as filler in rubber, plastics, paints etc.
In the friction materials industry, Kaolin is used as low cost filler in both dry and wet mixes. Different particle sizes are available.
Melamine Formaldehyde Resin (MF resin) is usually used as a binder for various applications, like plywood, thermoset plastic masterbatches, friction materials and others. Depending on the application, it can increase scratch and chemical resistance, wet strength and melting point.
We supply MF resins in powder form, which increases the shelf-life of the product.
Depending on the grade, a hardener may already be included. Otherwise we offer additional hardeners for the resins to give customers the possibility to adjust curing times according to their process speed.
The resin can be dissolved in water, usually in ratios from 1:2 to 2:1.
We can offer liquid and dry powder Mould Release Agents in highly concentrated qualities.
The liquids are water-soluble, without silicones and can be easily diluted to the desired concentration before application by brush or spray-gun. The agent forms a thin, very resistant film after hardening, which prevents the moulding compound to remain in the mould after pressing/curing. Our Mould Release Agents for demoulding of pressed articles, such as brake pads/linings or clutch facings, work up to approx. 200°C.
For dry Mould Release Agents see Hexagonal Boron Nitride and also Bone Ash, as well as Alumina Papers, which are used as mould release sheets.
NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) is a functional filler, which increases the compressibility of friction materials and gives a “cushioning” effect - especially in truck pads/blocks. This usually leads to a noise reduction.
Other applications for our NBR are oil-resistant hoses, modification of PVC for better oil resistance, shoe soles and the sealing industry.
We offer fully and partially crosslinked grades, mainly in the particle sizes of 40 mesh (= 425 µm) and 80 mesh (= 180 µm).
Phenolic Resins are thermoset resins which are the primary binder used in friction materials formulations and many other applications. The most common products are straight Phenolic Resins which are defined and typically vary by gel time, softening temperature, hexamine content, flow and free phenol, with gel time and flow being the most important characteristics.
Our special modified Phenolic Resins are used for providing specific benefits to the matrix of friction materials that cannot be achieved with a straight resin, such as e.g. a higher temperature stability.
The most common modifications are NBR, epoxy, CNSL, phosphorus, acrylic, silicone and aralkyl (alkyl benzene).
Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) is a high molecular weight, water-soluble, micro-granular powder ranging from a molecular weight of 100,000 g/mol to 9,000,000 g/mol. It can be used in a variety of applications (e.g. water-based adhesives, cosmetics, water-based paints, paper pulps, concrete, batteries, ceramics, etc.).
Depending on the grade, the transition from dispersing agent to flocculent is fluent. PEO also functions as thickening and lubricating agent and can be generally regarded as processing aid and may offer additional useful effects depending on the application.
As a novelty, we also offer modified PEO with lower crystallization properties or added functional groups which increase solubility with hydrophobic ingredients (e.g. CNT) or functional groups which add a cross-linking effect to PEO.
Our Polyethylene Waxes (PE waxes) are supplied in micro prills in 20 kg bags with acid values ranging from 6-22 depending on the grade.
Oxidized PE waxes are emulsifiable in water and are also used as an internal lubricant for plastic masterbatches to promote an even dispersion of the ingredients.
Non-oxidized PE waxes are e.g. used as an external lubricant for PVC and rubber extrusion. Furthermore, we can supply special Fischer-Tropsch PE waxes which can be used for instance in hotmelts.
Our virgin and recycled Rubber Powders & Granules are available in different particle size distributions. The recycled products are reprocessed truck and car tyres, which - depending on the grade - have been cryogenically ground in a second step after regular warm grinding.
Rubber Powders are mainly used as functional filler in friction materials. It is a relatively inexpensive material and due to its low specific weight, it is a popular choice to reduce the costs of a formulation (by adding volume with low weight). The usage of Rubber Powder also improves the binding properties and the compressibility in formulations, which can lead to a noise reduction.
Our virgin spray dried NBR has a big variety of applications; we have 8 different grades available.
Vermiculite is a mineral formed of certain basaltic minerals, essentially by hydrated aluminium and magnesium silicates, somewhat similar to Mica.
Vermiculite is a raw material used in friction materials due to its low abrasiveness, high thermal resistance, incombustibility and low chemical reactivity.
It is a safe alternative to replace asbestos. It can be used for the production of many different insulations, e.g. in exhausts and joints; and also as functional filler in paints. Another important application is in filters for many kinds of liquids.
We have Crude and also Exfoliated Vermiculite qualities in different particle size distributions.