Euro Polymers GB Ltd has reaped the rewards of being awarded an Innovation Voucher to fund the development of their liquid roofing systems.
The vouchers, funded by Yorkshire Forward and facilitated by Business Link, offer an organisation the chance to work with an academic institution to develop a specific aspect of a business.
The vouchers, funded by Yorkshire Forward and facilitated by Business Link, offer an organisation the chance to work with an academic institution to develop a specific aspect of a business.
Euro Polymers managing director, Steve Horn, explains: “We wanted to look at the liquid systems available on the market and at certain associated problems – and then to try to improve our formulas to combat the key issues. The investment delivered by our successful application for the Innovation Voucher allowed us to do so by working with the University of Sheffield’s Polymer Centre.”
Steve continues: “We believe the biggest problems faced by liquids are de-bonding to existing substrates and drying times at low temperature.”
Whilst many problems are caused by applicators not preparing the surface adequately, the bond to the substrate can be an issue if a bulk polymer system is used.
“Most products on the market fall within this category (Bulk Polymers) and are typically Polyurethane-based systems. Like a blanket of snow they are plonked onto an existing bitumen or asphalt roof and can then delaminate through wind uplift and harsh British weather conditions.”
Polyurethane bulk polymers
The work with Sheffield focussed on looking at the bond between the Euro Polymers product and the types of substrate present on 80% of flat roofing refurbishment projects namely Bitumen and Mastic Asphalt.
Steve Horn comments: “Along with our partners at Sheffield University we designed an advanced liquid polymer system that incorporates NanoTechnology.
“The system, called Eurotec, actually bonds at a molecular level with the existing substrate to become part of the existing roof- and does so without a primer. The tests were conclusive with an almost five times better bond to the substrate than that of the market leading product.”
Eurotec
“Our challenge and our aim was to create the most advanced system on the market. We believe we have done that.This Nanoenhanced formula is arguably the best system that exists today with all of the latest innovative polymers being used. Moreover, it is very ‘green,’ given the added recycled elements of glass and tyre crumb used.”
Professor Tony Ryan, OBE, polymer scientist and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield’s Faculty of Science, is delighted by the partnerships progress.
“The Polymer Centre and our contract R&D spin-out, FaraPack Polymers, have made a great contribution to helping Euro Polymers, not only with gathering impressive performance data but also a deeper scientific understanding of their products. This is a great example of how the world-leading expertise at Sheffield cansupport company growth based on knowledge-led innovation”
Looking to the future, Steve Horn says: “Euro Polymers will continue to strive to move quality and application benefits forward. It is no coincidence that the tag line of this company is ‘Innovation by design’.”
With a second Innovation Voucher awarded just last week (30.01.2010) continued development with all of the aforementioned parties is assured, with low temperature application the next goal.
“We believe that we can develop a system that will be able to be applied at temperatures down as far as minus 10 degrees. Existing systems look at five degrees minimum thus reducing the window of application by, on average two months per annum” enthuses Steve.
“Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure” Albert Einstein.