BASF, the company supplying chemical solutions worldwide, has launched a new research facility for thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) at Wyandotte in Michigan, United States.
The research lab will facilitate a multidisciplinary team comprising material scientists, chemists and product developers to develop new products that find applications in the American industries of sports, construction, automotive and leisure.
According to Dr. Christian Fischer, President of BASF’s Advanced Materials & Systems Research Division, the key to realizing new market trends to engineer viable innovations is to be in direct touch with their American customers and other stakeholders. Apart from being in line with their global approach to research, the new lab enables the expansion of existing collaboration with research institutes and universities in North America.
BASF already has many research facilities in North America that focus on the research and development of coatings and polymers to cater to the North American segment. The research facility at Wyandotte is BASF’s largest in the United States Midwest.
Dr. Karl-Rudolf Kurtz, Senior Vice President of global research for PUR Systems & Composites and initiator of polyurethane research in Wyandotte, stated that the Wyandotte research site like all other BASF research sites will employ a strongly interlinked team encompassing applications engineering, research and development to rapidly develop new products in a focused way. The initial team will comprise five members working on synthesis and processing of TPU. The objective of the research is to adapt critical properties such as elasticity, stiffness, UV stability and transparency to fulfill individual customer criteria by adjusting the manufacturing conditions.
Source: http://www.basf.com