Lanxess launches new products for leather retanning and finishing
08/04/2008
Specialty chemicals group Lanxess presented a series of new products for the leather industry at the FIMEC exhibition in Novo Hamburgo, Brazil, which started on April 8. The focus was on innovative products and technologies for retanning and finishing.
Levotan X-Cel, the company’s latest development in retanning, consists of an optimised polymer dispersion using innovative technology based on expandable microcapsules. These microcapsules have a diameter of 5–20µ and are small enough to penetrate the collagen structure during the retanning process.
They are filled with liquid gas and can expand up to 40 times their original size using a steam-based treatment in a machine specially built by the Italian machine manufacturers Fratelli Carlessi according to Lanxess specifications. They then form larger and more resistant micro-cells.
During the process, the polymer penetrates the leather, taking the microcapsules with it. Once the retanning process is complete, the leather is submitted to a special saturated steam-based treatment expanding the microcapsules inside the leather.
To fill the increasing demand for leather with a low specific weight, Lanxess has developed the softening polymer Levotan L, which—besides providing low specific weight—also results in excellent softness and uniform grain pattern after milling and a unique, pleasant touch. It is also recommended for application in automotive leather production.
Finally, Lanxess included its latest high-performance fatliquor development for very soft articles, Baykanol Licker LSM.
For the finishing sector, there was the Aquaderm X-Shield, a water-based polymer dispersion that is applied as a top coat on the leather. Unlike conventional systems, whose soil-repellent substances gradually wear off, the binder system, developed by Lanxess and theJapanese chemical company Daikin Industries, with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) segments incorporated by polymerisation is firmly anchored on the surface of the leather.
Aquaderm X-Shield protects leather surfaces not only from ‘standard soil’, but also from stains caused, for example, by mustard, ketchup, marker pen inks or engine oil. It also makes cleaning with leather-care products considerably simpler.
Visitors to FIMEC could also see a complete portfolio of water-based top coats for all kind of articles, with special focus on the silica-free top coat Aquaderm Mateante 100, which is polyurethane-based.
In combination with the new Aquaderm XL DI—an isocyanate-based cross-linking agent for direct injection—Lanxess said the highest standards in terms of look and physical resistance could be achieved.
In step with fashion trends pointing towards patent leathers, a complete collection of articles has been developed with the new Baygen Finish P, a very shiny water-based polyurethane top coat. It is an easy product to handle and apply, and gives leathers a differentiated look, mainly for shoes and bags.
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