As experienced process oil suppliers, we like to attend annual events like the World Adhesive & Sealant Conference. This year, the ongoing silicone shortage was definitely a dominant topic of conversation. But it certainly wasn’t the only issue that was top of mind for manufacturers.
Three issues stood out last spring and continue to come up as frequent inquiries:
- Cost-effective solutions for extending silicone as the silicone shortage continues.
- Limited supply of a highly solvent (naphthenic), color-stable process oil to extend TPEs (thermoplastic elastomers) and for select products such as hot-melt adhesives.
- Rising demand for automakers to eliminate fogging caused by VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) with lower-volatility process oil.
In this article, we provide a little information on the solutions we’ve been discussing, and about upcoming events where you can learn more.
1. Silicone Shortage: GTL Isoparaffins for Silicone Sealants
Q: What is the best solution for extending silicone without losing elasticity and stability?
Silicone’s unique properties are key to product quality in this industry. Some of the essential charateristics of silicone include:
- Keeps elasticity and stability in high and low temperatures.
- Resistant to other chemicals, moisture, and weathering.
- Compatible with more materials than most alternative polymers.
Any material used to extend it must have a high degree of compatibility with silicone to maintain, and not undercut, these properties.
A: We find that Shell’s line of GTL products acts as an ideal extender for silicone adhesives and sealants.
Correctly formulated, it has been tested and proven to extend silicone’s ability to maintain the weatherability of adhesives and sealants, resist moisture, and prevent leakage and shrinkage.
The properties of these isoparaffinic solvents lend themselves to a consistent, safe, and eco-friendly product formulation for silicone-based products.
Shell GTL isoparaffins extend silicone while offering the performance benefits of:
- Very low evaporation rate helps maintain product consistency over time (no shrink).
- Low odor reduces the need for costly additives.
- Low color is ideal for white sealants and transparent applications.
In addition, GTL solvents offer environmental and safety benefits:
- Low VOC (volatile organic compound) output makes it safe for indoor use.
- Its low skin irritancy is important, especially for adhesive products children might use.
- Its non-toxic and readily biodegradable characteristics meet consumer demand.
Signal Fluid Solutions carries a deep inventory of Shell GTL oils and solvents as we help adhesives and sealants makers manage the silicone shortage cost-effectively without sacrificing product quality.
2. Color-Stable Process Oil: Highly Solvent Naphthenics
Q: How can we diversify our supply chain for process oil with this specific blend of solvency and color stability?
Paraffinic process oils offer high color stability. We recommend this line as an extender, especially for nonpolar elastomers and many applications: insulation, footwear, automotive moldings, and many more, including adhesives and rubber.
However, certain applications require higher solvency than you can achieve with paraffinic oils:
- Some hot-melt adhesives
- Pressure-sensitive adhesives
- Colored rubber and elastomer gaskets
- Some resins and polymers
The use of a highly-refined naphthenic process oil helps maintain softness and suppleness. The greater solvency can help maintain product performance by preventing oil migration, which leads to hardness and brittleness.
A: Until now, one competitor has been the dominant supplier of a similar product. We developed Renoil 500-X to provide customers with an alternative supply source to reduce their risks.
Renoil 500-X is a highly refined naphthenic process oil provides the solvency needed to prevent oil migration, keeping end products soft and supple. It also is light in color with better stability than typical naphthenic process oils.
Renoil 500-X provides:
- Higher solvency than paraffinic process oils.
- Light color with better stability than typical naphthenic process oils (<1.0 ASTM Color).
Having completed successful testing trials with customers, Signal Fluid Solutions is now producing 500-X in bulk. And we are working on an even lighter color (<0.5) naphthenic process oil which can meet technical grade white mineral oil with Saybolt color 20+.
3. Automotive Interiors: Low-Volatiilty Process Oils to Eliminate Fogging
Q: Demand is increasing among consumers and automakers to eliminate “fogging” and the “new car smell” caused by VOCs. How can we meet this demand?
Automakers and many consumers today recognize that “new car smell” is caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – from, among other sources, process oil evaporation from moldings and soft-touch materials – which over time will result in harder, more brittle polymers.
Of course, within the industry, we measure the common effect of process oil mobility. If the process oil evaporates, it redeposits into the film that develops on the interior of glass surfaces, referred to as automotive “fogging.”
Fogging from heat exposure (particularly in summer) may not appear for some time; however, “new car smell” is an early indicator that signals to consumers that something is wrong.
And it signals to automakers that process oil mobility and evaporation into the vehicle’s interior is a negative for the customer.
A: A very highly-refined, low-volatility process oil, such as Renoil 1000-LV and Renoil 1500-LV, helps reduce VOC emission.
A good process oil for automotive interiors provides the desired “soft touch” for the full life of the vehicle as well as color stability for white or lightly-colored moldings.
The higher molecular weight of low-volatility process oils satisfies these minimum requirements while providing an important additional benefit: superior reduction of VOC emissions.
Signal Fluid Solutions’ low-volatility process oils help auto parts makers exceed environmental regulations and meet market demands for precise color matching and the elimination of “new car smell.”
Due to anticipated increase in demand, we are ramping up production of Renoil 1000-LV and 1500-LV to meet the needs of auto parts makers.
You can always contact us to learn more about how Signal Fluid Solutions can help you meet the needs of today’s competitive adhesives, sealants, and thermoplastic elastomers markets.
