Rubber and Flexible Coatings
Xylan® – Flexible Finishes
Together with developments in manufacturing techniques and processes for metallic substrates, there is an increasing demand for coatings for non-metallic substrates. Within this field of expertise, Whitford Ltd has developed a range of coatings to meet the ever increasing demands of engineering requirements for alternative non-metallic materials. Properties of these coatings include:
Abrasion Resistance
Noise Reduction
Weathering Properties
Freeze Release
Chemical Resistance (Cleaning Fluids & Petrochemicals)
Sliding Force (Coefficient of Friction)
Elongation
Within the range of coatings, there are two names that are most synonymous with coatings specifically designed for coating elastomeric substrates, Xylan® and Resilon®. Both systems offer different technical solutions to customer’s requirements.
Firstly, Xylan® products are solvent based, polyurethane containing PTFE and some are two pack systems, offering high abrasion resistance, with smooth and particulate grades.
Secondly, Resilon® products are water based, making provision for low VOC and NMP free. These systems are polyurethane together with silicone hybrid technology, providing low noise, high abrasion resistance and water sealing properties.
Key properties of these flexible finishes include the ability to be deformed and flexed up to 100,000 times with the added benefit of elongation more than 200% in some cases. Other attributes of these coatings included being hydrophobic, making these coating ideal for filtration and coalesces. The Xylan and Resilon coating systems also aid fitting and reduce noise.
Typical substrates coated with the flexible finishes range include Rubbers (EPDM, HNBR, NBR, PVC, TPE and TPO). Plastics can also be coated (ABS, PC, PP, Nylon and PU), together with Leather and artificial leather in some cases.