Dow Launches Nonwovens Technology Platform for Rhoplex Econext Acrylic Binders
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The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., USA, has introduced its technology platform for RHOPLEX™ ECONEXT™ acrylic binders for the North American hygiene and medical market. This series of low and ultra-low formaldehyde binders allows companies an opportunity to manufacture end-use nonwoven products with minimal levels of formaldehyde and comply with the industry's most stringent standards.
The first line of products to be commercialized in North America – RHOPLEX™ ECONEXT™ 110, 210, and 230 Acrylic Binders – can be used in disposable and re-usable nonwoven applications and are particularly useful in environments that might be formaldehyde sensitive, including hospitals, schools, LEED certified buildings, and manufacturing facilities.
Dow notes that it introduced this innovative technology platform to address growing demand for the best performance characteristics of the conventional self-crosslinking nonwoven binder technology, but with ultra-low levels of formaldehyde. This family of acrylic binders enables customers to meet increasingly stringent industry standards, such as the OEKO-TEX 100 standard for textile raw materials, intermediates, and end products. The OEKO-TEX Association is a third-party certifier that evaluates products used in textile applications.
"Our breakthrough RHOPLEX™ ECONEXT™ technology allows companies an opportunity to use this family of binders with the knowledge that they were made with minimal formaldehyde and frequently maintain the same performance characteristics as those traditionally served by formaldehyde-releasing solutions," said Courtney Fretz, global marketing director for Textile, Non-Wovens, and Films at The Dow Chemical Co. "With this new technology platform, we continue to expand the range of performance of Dow's binder solutions for North America that demand nonwoven products with low or ultra-low formaldehyde levels."
The RHOPLEX™ ECONEXT™ technology platform offers excellent wet strength, rapid fluid penetration (or hydrophobicity), and offers customers options to adjust the degree of softness or stiffness for differing applications.
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