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Durable surfaces with the system LuraSkin™/ PermaSkin™ |
Working with the customers – benefits for the customers
Durable surfaces with the system LuraSkin™/ PermaSkin™
Presented by Richard George, Permacoat Ltd., Castlemorton, Malvern, Great Britain
Trade Press Conference K 2004, June 23, 2004, Ludwigshafen, Germany
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Cooperation with OEMs and resin converters in the development of plastics applications has long been an important part of BASF's business strategy. Besides supplying the resin, BASF also provides plastics design and processing technology. In the case of its specialty styrenic polymers the company has now moved even closer to the customer by actually marketing a complete system solution for specific applications jointly with the manufacturer. BASF recently entered into a collaborative marketing agreement with Permacoat, a British company specialising in the development of innovative plastics processing technology.
Know-how gained over the years sparked the idea for a new process to allow the simultaneous forming and bonding of a high performance thermoplastic film onto one or both sides of a contoured substrate made from wood, plastic, polyurethane or metal, a process the company calls PermaSkin™. The finishing film employed had to be suitable for outdoor applications by being durable and resisting weathering, discoloration and chemical substances. Permacoat decided on a film made from BASF's Luran® S, a specialty acrylonitrile/styrene/acrylate (ASA) copolymer already used widely in the automotive industry and now becoming popular in the building sector (figure 1).
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Perfect surface finish - not just for doors
The objective of the PermaSkin project is to simplify and improve the process for product finishing. Former company projects like DoorPanel™ - the fabrication of doors in sandwich structure - relied already on the partnership with BASF and the application of Luran S.
Now for the PermaSkin forming process, BASF's polymer technologists have developed a Luran S compound with especially good weathering resistance and matched to the mechanical requirements of the process.
BASF markets the extruded film under the LuraSkinTM tradename. It is made by selected extrusion companies. Permacoat is responsible for the Know-How of the PermaSkin technology and for specific machinery, BASF is supplying the plastic Luran S and the LuraSkin film (figure 2).
LuraSkin is simultaneously formed and adhesively bonded to the object being coated in a single operation. In doing so the film perfectly adopts the shape and surface texture (e.g., wood grain) of the underlying substrate. Doors and facing elements can be laminated on both sides simultaneously. No mould is required and the technique is solvent-free (figure 3).
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A step closer: a complete system offering new market opportunities
Apart from using PermaSkin for the finishing of wooden/ timber building products and other building elements, Permacoat also offers the technology jointly with BASF to other industries, where high surface performance is required. PermaSkin thus represents a complete high-quality, cost-effective surface coating system for protecting and decorating a wide variety of objects both indoors and out. LuraSkin eliminates expensive conventional wet coating processes as well as the laborious task of having to repaint weathered surfaces every few years.
BASF is a very suitable partner for Permacoat since it helps the new system to enter European and global markets. PermaSkin and LuraSkin go hand in hand. In order to offer customers a genuine system solution, BASF developed LuraSkin finishing film specifically for the PermaSkin finishing technology. While supplying the Luran S compound, BASF also supports its industry partners in developing new markets for both the film and the finishing process.
The founders of Permacoat have many years of experience in the field of thermoplastics and composites having developed and launched the first thermoplastic composite door infill panel in 1983 “Permapanel”. This was followed by the development and launch of the first thermoplastic composite door in the UK in 1986 sold under the “Permadoor” brand name.
These products have subsequently enjoyed substantial and ongoing sales in to both the UK and European markets.
The next logical development was to take the knowledge and experience gained in developing these new products to focus on a new generation of finishing system to allow the use of high performance thermoplastic films as an alternative to conventional high maintenance paint based systems. Following over 7 years of development and testing the PermaSkin process is now launched for applications including the volume finishing of exterior injection moulded components with decorative films. Other applications currently being evaluated include timber doors, windows, cladding, fascia boards, soffits and bathroom components.
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