RAW MATERIALS

Component A is a hydroxyl-containing liquid that reacts with component B to produce the polymeric base of polyurethane foam. Its color varies from light-yellow to deep-brown, and it consists of a blend of several chemical compounds such as polyesters, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and stabilizers. Component A is low-toxic, inexplosive, and must be stored in a dry ventilated place at temperatures not lower than 0°Ñ.

Component A tends to split during storage and must be thoroughly agitated before use by tumbling and rolling the drum for 5 or 10 minutes. Component A is transported in metal drums (100L, 200L, 220L or 240L).

Component B is a polyisocyanate blended from 50 to 60 per cent of diphenylmethane diisocyanate and larger molecular weight polyisocyanate with a volume ratio of isocyanate groups not lower than 30%.

It looks like a dark liquid and has a characteristic smell. The blend is toxic (the MPC of its vapors in the occupational air is 0.2 mg/m3) and fire hazardous (flash point 175°Ñ, ignition temperature 215 °Ñ).

Component B (polyisocyanate) easily reacts with water and atmospheric moisture, producing a sediment of solid polymeric material that cannot be reprocessed. Therefore, drums containing component B must be tightly sealed and never exposed to water or atmospheric moisture.

On long storage, particularly at temperatures below +100?Ñ, polyisocyanate (PIR) can disengage a dark-colored fine crystalline mass that substantially increases the component’s dynamic viscosity. In such cases, PIR can be reprocessed after a special treatment.

The only Russian manufacturer able to produce PIR is ZAO Korund, which was down since mid-2002 till late 2004 for a number of reasons. The plant resumed the manufacture of small quantities of isocyanate in the beginning of 2005 (initially, for batching of spraying systems).

The overwhelming part of component B used in our country comes from outside Russia. The main PIR suppliers are Bayer, Elastogran (Germany), Huntsman (Netherlands), and Dow Chemical (USA). Some isocyanate is also imported from Hungary, Japan and, to a smaller extent, from Poland. Since the fall of 2003, we have greater supplies of component B from China, where a new Huntsman plant was launched. Dow and BASF are also rapidly building similar facilities in China, which are expected to be commissioned by the summer of 2006. This may put an end to the current shortage of isocyanate and, consequently, stop the price hike.

There are simple reasons why European and U.S. companies are building factories in China: the good financial investment climate, the cheap manpower, and the desire to move the hazardous production to remote countries. The quality of isocyanate currently manufactured in China is not worse that that produced in German or Spanish plants, but its price may be somewhat lower. In Russia, Chinese-made PIR is sold ex storehouses in Syzran (Samara Region).

For the period from June to October 2004, the price for isocyanate has risen from RUR 65,000 to RUR 105,000. Price increasing factors have again been in place since early June of 2005.

The 2004 price hike has resulted in an extraordinary situation that could not have occurred before, where the price of a foreign-made system bought directly from Moscow offices of Dow, Huntsman, Elastogran, or Bayer does not differ much from systems offered by domestic manufacturers of component A.

Russian companies (except Korund) only produce polyol. Domestic component A is manufactured in Vladimir, Dzerzhinsk, Cheboksary, Perm, and Nizhnekamsk. As of the early summer of 2005, the average price of a SYSTEM (A + B, at a maximum ratio of 1/1.1) in Russia does not exceed RUR 90,000 (exclusive of tare cost). As of the early summer of 2006, the average price of a SYSTEM (A + B, at a maximum ratio of 1/1.1) in Russia does not exceed RUR 85,000 (exclusive of tare cost).
To have a guaranteed end product with claimed properties, one should always purchase a SYSTEM of components (A + B) rather than try to save and buy PIR and polyester separately. A small cost reduction may result in an unsatisfactory quality of foamed plastic, although it will be impossible to recover the damage from the component suppliers.

This is why we recommend buying compositions directly from FEED MANUFACTURERS who warrant that the produced polyester matches the specific batch of polyisocyanate supplied in the system.

If you are buying the components from resellers rather but not manufactures of component A, you are both overpaying, being the source of the agent’s profit, and running a risk of getting unsolvable problems during processing. To avoid such error, one should just keep in mind that the domestic feed MANUFACTURERS are ONLY located in Vladimir, Cheboksary, Perm, Nizhnekamsk, and Togliatti.

Below is the list of dedicated polyol producers whose product quality has been appreciated by our Customers:
ZAO Uretan, OOO Vladipur, OOO Izolan in Vladimir;
ZAO Korund in Dzerzhinsk
OAO Himprom in Cheboksary
OOO Dekka in Perm

Besides, we have good relationships with Russian representative offices and distributors of Bayer, Elastogran, Huntsman, and Dow.

We have exhaustive information on what, where and at what price you can buy. We know ALL Russian manufacturers and traders of components. And we are ready to share this information with you. We will help you choose the best feed supplier to suit your specific objectives and location.

When choosing a PUF system, the consumer should be primarily based on the required end product density. For wall insulation, for instance, a density of 40 to 60 kg/m3 is sufficient. The advisable insulation density for roofs, particularly if they are design for a certain load, is from 60 up to 80 kg/m3. In addition, heat-insulated flat roofs may be then coated with a layer (max. 10 mm) of damp-proof skin, whose density may range from 120 to 200 kg/m3. For spraying onto an interior ceiling surface, where mechanical load is virtually impossible, an end product density of 40 or 50 kg/m3 will be sufficient.
Typically, the price of one metric ton of a PUF composition does not depend on (or varies insignificantly from) the end density of the foamed plastic.

In theory, a metric ton of the system having a claimed density of 40kg/m3 is capable of producing 25 cubic meters of polyurethane foam (1000/40=25). But the actual PUF output volume is generally smaller. When sprayed, some part of material always rebounds from the surface to which it is being applied. Another type of errors that also results in over-consumption of feed is related to spray drift. In addition, the components consumption rate depends on the geometrical outline of the surface to which insulation is applied. In multilayer spraying, when PUF layers are applied over one another, the inner layer may be crushed by the outer coating. Experienced workers can minimize the spraying loss (or over-consumption) of feed, but it takes time to acquire the necessary skill.

On average, the loss rate may be as high as 20%. Therefore, the actual raw materials cost for 1 cubic meter of sprayed PUF in case of a claimed composition density of 40 kg/m3 and a system price of RUR 90,000 per MT is: 90,000/25=3600 RUR, which must be corrected for 20 per cent loss, i.e. RUR 3600?1.2 = RUR 4320

When the components are mixed, a fine colloidal solution is produced in the mixing head. The exothermic reactions result in the buildup of the viscosity and temperature of the solution. When the temperature exceeds 25 to 28°Ñ, the foaming agent begins to evaporate heavily and the composite starts to rise, which is recorded as the initiation time. The growing viscosity of the system and the presence of a silicone foam stabilizer regulate the gas bubbles. A further growth of the bubbles is induced by the polyisocyanate-water reaction. This composite reaction produces a three-dimensional polymeric structure. The time when an integral polymeric structure begins to form is recorded as the gel time. At this stage, the low-crosslinked polymeric system has a large number of unconverted moieties. The further recorded polymerization phases are the aftertack time (loss of tackiness on the foamed plastic surface) and the rise time (the time when the foamed plastic stops rising).

The mentioned processes occur at the initial stage of rigid foam molding. The main variable (i.e., the gel time) is chiefly determined by the amount of catalyst mixed in. Other properties depend on the catalyst type and amount and on the quality of the primary components. In terms of chemistry, the thermal insulation hardening process lasts for a few hours after the product is demolded. And it takes several more days for the mechanical relaxation processes to be finished.

For manufacturers who want to have a guaranteed production of high-performance foamed plastic in low-pressure units, we recommend using systems that contain polyether-based (light-colored) polyol, not the dark PIR. To obtain quality foam, the system initiation time must not exceed 25 seconds and, generally, should be as short as possible.

In order to avoid problems (such as nonconforming polymerization), we recommend that you purchase your components only from manufacturers located in Moscow, Vladimir, Dzerzhinsk, Novocheboksarsk, Nizhnekamsk, Perm, or Togliatti. If you buy the materials from subpurchasers, you both have to overpay and cannot be sure about its quality.

The polyurethane foam production largely depends on the quality and properties of the feed. One should bear in mind that the material requirements become even stricter in case of PUF pouring, since the producer has to account for a variety of what may seem to be external and judgmental factors whose effect is less significant when PU foam is sprayed.

NST experts can willingly provide most detailed information concerning different makes of component systems and recommend a reliable supplier in your region, whose products will be thoroughly adapted to your conditions and objectives.