Specialty chemicals company LANXESS is presenting its comprehensive product portfolio for the surface coatings industry at the European Coatings Show in Nuremberg from March 29 – 31 under the motto “Pigments + Protection”. The showcased products include in particular Bayferrox red shades for paint and coating applications and yellow pigments with special properties.

With the high complexity of modern coating systems, the demands on the coating raw materials are growing too. LANXESS’ range of high-performance pigments more than meets the increasing requirements of the customers with respect to maximum consistency of quality for color shade and tinting strength, easy processability and reliability of quality. According to Dr. Volker Schneider of the Global Competence Center Paint, LANXESS Inorganic Pigments Marketing, “the decisive advantages of our high-performance products are their tight tolerances with respect to shade and tinting strength. This makes color reproduction when formulating paints and coatings faster, easier and more reliable; shading work is reduced to a minimum.” In addition, these pigments are characterized by very good dispersibility. This is achieved through micronization, a very intensive form of grinding that results in a significant reduction in the proportion of pigment aggregates in the product.  

The outstanding properties of the yellow low-silking pigment Bayferrox 915 result from its unique particle morphology. While in conventional iron oxide yellow pigments primary particles form needle-like structures, the particles in Bayferrox 915 are nearly spherical. Application by brush therefore does not cause the “pigment needles” to point in the direction of the brush strokes, and the silking effect is avoided. The spherical pigment structure also has a positive effect on the viscosity behavior of finished pigment preparations.

Another iron oxide yellow pigment, Bayferrox 3910, was specially developed for highly filled pigment pastes. Micronization ensures especially good dispersibility in fast-moving dissolvers. It also allows higher pigment concentrations in the pigment pastes compared to “normal” Bayferrox 3910.

The reds of the Bayferrox 100 line cover a very broad range of hues, extending from a yellowish cast to a distinctly bluish shade. The special quality properties achieved in the manufacture of these high-performance pigments are due not least to the use of the Laux process. This lends the pigments their excellent heat resistance and protects them from changes in the hue even when they are subjected to intense milling, grinding or dispersion. This is the reason for the widespread popularity of these red pigments in nearly all temperature ranges relevant to the paint and coatings industry. The excellent quality consistency of these Bayferrox grades provides a reliable basis for all customers whose products have to comply with very tight and consistent color specifications over long periods.

Customers in a wide variety of industries have been putting their trust in Bayferrox pigments for 85 years. For LANXESS, sustainability in production is extremely important. The high grinding stability and consistency of color quality achieved in the manufacture of these pigments is due not least to the Laux process. This process has been used in the world’s largest production facility for inorganic pigments at the company’s site in Krefeld-Uerdingen since 1926. This method is exemplary in its consistent use of the reaction heat generated during the synthesis of the iron oxide pastes. This heat is used for the production of steam and hot water for subsequent process steps. The result is a process that requires virtually no external heat and whose energy efficiency is currently unsurpassed.

At 4 p.m. on March 28, Volker Schneider will deliver a presentation at the European Coatings Congress entitled “Red iron oxide pigments – all the same?” where he will explore the special features of the red hues produced using the Laux process. In addition, a new brochure will be available at the trade show, which will focus exclusively on the particularly heat-resistant grades of LANXESS pigments.

LANXESS is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of iron-oxide-based inorganic pigments. These have a track record going back 85 years as components of paints and coatings, plastics and paper, as well as for use as specialty pigments for toners and other applications. Schneider said: “The excellent reputation of the Bayferrox brand also has a positive impact on the business of our customers. We help our customers on technical issues through the services we offer with our Global Competence Center Paint. And not least we develop customized solutions for the demands of tomorrow.”

LANXESS produces around 350,000 metric tons per year of iron oxide and chromium oxide pigments at its facilities in Germany, Brazil and China. The environmentally safe iron and chromium oxide pigments in the established Bayferrox and Colortherm ranges are lightfast, weather-stable and highly resistant to chemicals. The current portfolio of synthetic iron oxide pigments comprises more than 100 shades. The most important customers are the construction industry, followed by the paints and coatings sector and the plastics and paper industries. LANXESS subsidiaries all over the world ensure customer proximity, service and presence.

The IPG business unit belongs to LANXESS’ Performance Chemicals segment, which achieved total sales of EUR 1.98 billion in fiscal 2010.