Lucite International and Sericol sign exclusive partnership

15 Apr 2004 Southampton, UK

SericolLucite International, the world’s leading supplier of methyl methacrylate, and Sericol, the leading European manufacturer of textile inks, have joined forces to develop a new plastisol ink for customers that require products free from PVC and phthalates. The resulting partnership is an exclusive agreement to produce a specialised methacrylate polymer for use, by Sericol, in the production of PVC/phthalate-free plastisol inks for printing on textiles.

In plastisol inks, the binder polymer is predominantly Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and the carrier liquid is often a phthalate plasticizer. These inks are typically used for printing on items such as sports shoes, T-shirts and other textiles. The new product, which is a result of over four years research and development, enables the fundamental reformulation of plastisol inks to render them completely free of PVC and phthalates.

Lucite International has strengths in the innovation and production of methacrylate polymers, whilst Sericol are leading ink formulators. The combined expertise of both companies has led to the creation of a system that has the performance of a traditional plastisol ink, but without the need to use either PVC or phthalates.

A key part of the project has involved the Lucite team establishing a means to manufacture the specialised methyl Methacrylate-based polymer at its plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. The work has culminated in the recent launch by Sericol of its new ink, named Texopaque Pioneer OK, the first PVC/phthalate-free plastisol ink for textile printing.

Mike Chisholm, R&D Manager at Lucite International, comments on the agreement, “The successful development of the new PVC/phthalate-free plastisol ink is a tremendous achievement by the technical teams of both companies. It is an excellent example of the strong innovation that can result from the partnership of two leading companies in their respective fields."

Joe Mueller, Marketing Manager at Sericol’s graphic and textiles business, adds, “Our extensive development work alongside the team at Lucite has already produced a new ink, for which we are experiencing huge demand in the market. We are delighted that we have reached this milestone, from which we will continue to grow our market share in the textile printing industry.”

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