Luca Verga – FAR Polymers
With over 60 years of history and experience, FAR Polymers is one of the leading companies within the Italian and international chemical landscape. One of the main qualities of the company is its remarkable diversification of products, a feature that enables it to fit in many different applications. As a matter of fact, the great flexibility of the company manufacturing plants allows application of various polymerisation technologies along an extremely diversified production that is targeted at catering the specific needs of the coating business. Polymers employs more than 100 highly skilled employees, most of whom work in the production unit, which is located in Filago, Bergamo over a surface of 80.000 square meter area while the remaining workforce operates in the headquarters in Cologno Monzese, Milano. FAR Polymers core value derives from the high-level quality of its products and the professionalism and expertise of its team as it is inside the laboratory, where there are several operators taking care of quality control, technical assistance and R&D.
In accordance with the market’s needs, FAR Polymers dedicates a significant amount of time to research and development and to technical assistance, not only to fulfil the regulatory requirements, but also to develop new products in the emerging sectors. Every day the lab tests raw materials and new products allowing the company to respond to the requests of an increasingly demanding market, especially in terms of performance and compliance with the newest regulations. A modern research and development laboratory constantly updates the product line, while the products themselves meet the customers’ requirements and become further advanced in terms of performance. A renewed team of high-skilled chemists is in charge of monitoring R&D’s activities, starting from the initial concept, throughout quality control and all the way to the launch into the market. The team has top-level instrumentation and tools at their disposal, such as: research reactors, spray drying, gas chromatography, GPC and GC-mass spectrometry, FT-IR, Instron dynamometer, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, as well as sophisticated system for the dimensional analysis of the particle sizes and their distribution.
Our R&D lab is now targeting the production of polymer dispersion from renewable raw materials, according to the recent trend and requests from the market: acrylic resins with ISCC certification on one side, while vinylic resins with specific storage tanks for bio-based monomers, on the other. While steadily improving both the performance and processes, the company follows a strict policy related to security and environment, supported by the highest level of information, education and training of the entire workforce. While preventing the potential risks that can be connected to the plant’s activities through the improvement of the safety standards, the company includes among its targets the optimization of resources, both for energy reduction, and for raw materials and industrial waste reduction.
Some examples of the company’s dedication are:
Vinyl based products
Neolith 9450 L is a water-based vinyl-versatate copolymer dispersion, peculiarly suited for applications where hydrophobicity is a must. This polymeric binder increases the adhesion; the cohesion is high; and the final workability is also a key feature. The monomer composition guarantees a high flexibility as well as a high resistance to alkaline hydrolysis. Neolith 9450 L has a very low level of VOCs (volatile organic contents substances); therefore, customers can formulate products matching the strictest criteria for emissions according to the different regulations and classifications for paints and mortars. For all these characteristics Neolith 9450L is the premium choice for lime-based products.
Neolith 273 is a water-based vinylversacrylic terpolymer dispersion, suited for formulations of very low VOCs paints. This dispersion has a high bonding power even at high PVC, and the low film-forming temperature allows the saving of coalescing agents, which are required only for cold climates. Neolith 273 is perfectly suited for the formulation of interior odorless paints with high wet-scrub resistances. The double nature of versatic and acrylic makes the polymer suited for an all-purpose dispersion, suited both for interior and exterior applications, possibly an alternative product to traditional vinyl-versatic copolymer dispersions.
Acrylic based products
Policril 546 is a water-based all-acrylic copolymer dispersion, particularly suited to formulate very low VOCs paints. Paints made with this dispersion show an excellent stability during the preparation, tolerating longer preparation times and mechanical stresses without major increases of viscosity. The product offers a high binding power towards pigments and fillers even at high PVC, coupled with an outstanding weathering resistance (UV and rain). The low minimum film-forming temperature results in a substantial reduction of coalescing agents, which are really required only in cold climates. This product is the winning choice for the formulation of odorless exterior paints, with high resistance to rain and UV light and a high storage stability.
Policril 278 is a water-based styrene-acrylic copolymer dispersion, particularly suited for the formulations of very low VOCs paints. The low minimum film-forming temperature comes from a technology of differential monomer feeds, which safeguards the features of a traditional styrene acrylic dispersion at much higher Tg (glass transition temperature). A key feature of paint formulations with Policril 278 is the excellent storage stability of the paints themselves, as well as the high binding power of pigments and fillers, even at high PVC values, conferring high wet scrub resistances to paints. This product is therefore the most suited choice for the formulations of interior odorless high PVC paint, with high wet scrub resistance and high storage stability.
