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Home > Press > Michelman scientists use Malvern rheometer in developing market–leading coatings

Abstract:
Scientists at Michelman, Inc., a global supplier of water-based surface modifiers, polymers and coatings, are using a rotational rheometer from Malvern Instruments to tailor products for the exacting demands of the company's diverse customer base. Through detailed characterization of the rheological response of a formulation, the team can develop cost-effective coating solutions which behave in a well-defined way during storage, application and drying.

Michelman scientists use Malvern rheometer in developing market–leading coatings

Malvern, UK | Posted on February 4th, 2010

"The Malvern rheometer is an extremely important asset for Michelman Inc," comments Senior Research Chemist Ron Foster. "It allows us to measure the viscosity of coatings at different shear rates and then confidently predict stability, ease of application and leveling behaviour. The melting oven is a valuable accessory that allows us to assess polymer feeds in wax emulsions. Malvern's technical support is excellent, particularly with respect to interpreting results, and has helped us to extract maximum value from the instrument."

During storage, paints and coatings are subjected only to gravitational forces but during application, high shear conditions may be imposed. As the coating dries to form a level surface with the desired attributes, very low shear conditions apply once more. Michelman takes advantage of the oscillatory testing capabilities and wide torque of the rheometer, to quantify formulation performance under all relevant conditions and ensure it will fully meet customer specifications. These capabilities simplifiy the replacement of existing commercial products with, for example, more environmentally benign, water-based alternatives.

The Malvern rheology offering is much more than a suite of high performance, precision instruments with applications in research, development and QC. Malvern understands that for many people, the challenge of knowing what measurements to make and how to interpret the results is a barrier to exploiting the full potential of rheological tools. To address this issue Malvern has developed Kinexus, a radically new rheometer platform whose embedded intelligence makes it much easier for users to access appropriate rheological information.

For more information see www.malvern.com/kinexus or call a Rheology Specialist at Malvern on +1 508 768 6400.

Malvern, Malvern Instruments and Kinexus are registered trademarks of Malvern Instruments Ltd

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About Malvern Instruments
Malvern Instruments provides a range of complementary materials characterization tools that deliver inter-related measurements reflecting the complexities of particulates and disperse systems, nanomaterials and macromolecules. Analytical instruments from Malvern are used in the characterization of a wide variety of materials, from industrial bulk powders to nanomaterials and delicate macromolecules. A broad portfolio of innovative technologies is combined with intelligent, user-friendly software. These systems deliver industrially relevant data enabling our customers to make the connection between micro (such as particle size) and macro (bulk) material properties (rheology) and chemical composition (chemical imaging).

Particle size, particle shape, zeta potential, molecular weight, chemical composition and rheological properties measurements are now joined by advanced chromatography solutions (GPC/SEC), extending Malvern’s technologies for protein molecular weight, size and aggregation measurements, and synthetic polymer molecular weight and distribution. The company’s laboratory, at-line, on-line and in-line solutions are proven in sectors as diverse as cement production and pharmaceutical drug discovery.

Headquartered in Malvern, UK, Malvern Instruments has subsidiary organizations in all major European markets, North America, China, Korea and Japan, a joint venture in India, a global distributor network and applications laboratories around the world.

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Contacts:
For press information, please contact:

Trish Appleton
Kapler Communications
Knowledge Centre
Wyboston Lakes
Great North Road
Wyboston
Bedfordshire
MK44 3BY
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1480 479280
Fax: +44 (0)1480 470343

USA contact:

Marisa Fraser
Malvern Instruments Inc.
117 Flanders Road
Westborough
MA 01581-1042
USA
Tel: +1 508 768 6400
Fax: +1 508 768 6403

Please send sales enquiries to:

Alison Vines
Malvern Instruments Ltd
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Grovewood Road
Malvern
Worcestershire
WR14 1XZ
UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1684 892456
Fax: +44 (0) 1684 892789