The Munich-based chemical company WACKER is to begin construction on a new production line for silane-terminated polymers at its site in Nünchritz, Germany, this year.

Such hybrid polymers are used as binders for formulating high-quality adhesives and sealants, liquid waterproofing systems and environmentally friendly woodflooring adhesives, among other applications. The investment budgeted for the construction project is in the mid double-digit million range. The production line will go onstream in 2022.

WACKER intends to significantly expand its production capacities for hybrid polymers and to further strengthen its focus on specialty chemical products with this investment.

WACKER manufactures silicones and polysilicon at its site in Nunchritz, Germany.

“Given the obvious rise in demand for such products, expanding our production capacity for hybrid polymers was a logical decision,” said Auguste Willems, Executive Board member.

The location for the capacity expansion was selected on the basis of market access, availability of critical raw materials and, most importantly, production technology aspects.

Hybrid polymers rank among the most important growth fields for WACKER SILICONES at present. “Our innovative alpha-technology based silanes are used in the manufacturing process,” says Robert Gnann who heads the company’s silicones business division. “Hybrid polymers have a unique property profile. That’s why they are used for formulating particularly high-quality and high-performance adhesives and sealants. WACKER has established a unique selling point worldwide with its alpha-silane technology.”

Wood-flooring adhesives formulated with GENIOSIL adhere well, are highly elastic and have a low environmental impact.

Silane-modified polymers enable the manufacture of environmentally friendly adhesives. The alpha-silane technology allows WACKER to develop customized binders for an exceptionally wide variety of adhesives and applications. Demand for these kinds of adhesives will continue to increase in the coming years, according to the company.

WACKER has produced silane-modified polymers since 2005. Applications for hybrid polymers, which the company has marketed globally under the GENIOSIL brand, include adhesives and sealants as well as construction, assembly and wood-flooring adhesives. Product properties like hardness, elasticity and tensile strength can be varied in a targeted manner with hybrid binders and adapted to special requirements for adhesive or sealant applications.

In addition, further hybrid polymers developed in a patented process open up numerous new application areas. These include water-repellent sealing membranes for flat roofs and balconies on the one hand, and extremely strong adhesives, grout mortars, crack-filling compounds, paints and wear-resistant coatings for concrete floors, on the other.