Liquid Applied Membranes and Coatings
The Global Technology Centre in Preston opened in 2014 and covers more than a thousand square meters. The state of the art facility encourages teamwork and creativity amongst its research chemists. Many Sika products were used in the construction of the facility including wall coverings, flooring, roof waterproofing, admixtures, sealing & bonding solutions as well as intumescent coatings.
The facility houses 20 technical staff working on a variety of global and local developments.
Sika has continued to invest in the facility and in to the further development of roof waterproofing and resin flooring solutions with the aim of producing technically advanced and environmentally friendly liquid applied membranes. A team dedicated to synthesising new resin and curing agents for in house use gives Sika an advantage over the competition.
More recently advances have been made in water based chemistries and in particular the focus is now on sustainable solutions.
Technology Leadership Through Innovation
The global polyurethane (PU) coatings market is estimated to see a healthy growth. In addition, a shift to water-borne PU coatings is expected to fuel the demand for polyurethane coatings over the next five years. Â
With increasing focus on improvement in performance, polyurethane coatings are emerging as the favoured options for applicators, in particular in high-performance resin flooring and roofing applications . Two-component aliphatic polyurethane coatings, for example, have outstanding weathering, chemical, abrasion and scratch resistance. In addition, these coatings are also tough but flexible.
Recently, Sika developed the new cool-deck technology of SikaFloor® Marine 595, a polyurethane based floor, which is a sustainable product as its resins are bio-sourced and reduces the temperature of the surface to walk on.
For more than 10 years, Sika has been investing in its Preston facilities and in the continued development of waterproofing and floor coatings.
