February 2005 - ILVA Polimeri announces its latest development in paint technology: Poliallilico , a new spray-on white base coat for innovative resin-based enamel systems. Poliallilico is a low-emission, styrene monomer-free product which performs as well as polystyrenes.

Enamel paint systems for MDF commonly use direct gloss polyester base coats, usually white, known as polystyrenes.

These products are suitable for paint cycles with gloss finishes because they offer toughness, sandability, resistance to shrinkage and high adhesive power on flat surfaces and edges.

Polyester-based products contain styrene monomer:
a solvent commonly used in industry and classed as a hazardous substance. The IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classes it as potentially carcinogenic.

But as consumers become increasingly aware of health and safety issues, styrene monomer has come to be considered a substance to be avoided.
Therefore, to offer consumers products which are safe for use, the major international furniture manufacturers - especially those in northern Europe - have totally eliminated styrene monomer from their products.

Poliallilico technology: high-tech performance and safety
As a company with a long tradition in research in paint technology safe for the environment, the user and the consumer, ILVA Polimeri  is proud to announce Poliallilico:
an innovative polyallyl-based white base coat totally free of styrene monomer.

Poliallilico contains special polyallyl resins with unsaturated and hardening groups incorporating a redox mechanism (MEK peroxide / cobalt) to deliver the same performance and characteristics as polystyrenes.

Resin properties:
- high film build
- minimum film shrinkage
- excellent surface toughness and chemical-physical resistance
- high shrink resistance

ILVA Polimeri has subjected Poliallilico to the same tests normally carried out for assessing the performance of white polystyrene containing styrene monomer. The results - Poliallilico performs every bit as well as the polystyrenes:

- colourfastness to Italian standard UNI 9427/89 
- cold check resistance to Italian standard UNI 9429 / 89
- adhesion testing to standard ISO 2409/94
- gel time
- drying
- sandability
- film yellowing resistance after application with white polyurethane gloss.

Not only does Poliallilico perform as well as polystyrene but it's safer too. Poliallilico is much less hazardous than traditional polystyrene as it contains no styrene monomer, making it safer to apply, safer for the user of the end product, and safer for the environment.

Another feature of POLIALLILICO is low substrate emissions - here too its beats white polystyrene.

As shown in CATAS test reports 45490/1 and 45491/1, emissions from Poliallilico 24 hours after application are around 1/3 of those measured for conventional polystyrene. And after 28 days emissions are only 1/5 of those measured for polystyrene.

Total emissions 24 hours after application are already under the limits imposed by DGM (650 micrograms per m2 per m3 per 24 hours).

Due to its innovative formula ILVA Polimeri's POLIALLILICO meets all the key international specifications for furniture manufacturing, which require products free of aromatic solvents and styrene monomer.

Contact our technical department or sales outlets for further information.