Clariant to build new innovation center in Charlotte, North Carolina
Clariant’s new laboratory is intended to bring together research and technical experts in specialty formulation ingredients and additives to foster collaborative product development across all formulation aspects.
The investment is intended to strengthen R&D support for customers across the industrial space of paints, coatings, inks, adhesives and elastomers. Existing capabilities at the location, which includes research laboratories and a pilot plant currently used by the technical teams of Clariant Industrial and Consumer Specialties, will be upgraded and expanded with an additional 5000sq feet of new laboratories and office space.
Innovating new ingredients
The emphasis will be on innovating new ingredients, formulating, applying and testing. This includes on-site application testing capabilities, with the ability to test a paint formulation on performance, such as scrub, sag, levelling and color acceptance, with industry draw down methods.
Further research will be performed in the areas of examining solutions for dispersing and wetting, emulsification, open time, durability and formulation optimisation. New equipment has been included that is supposed to promote faster throughput screening, improved rheological testing, a spray booth and accelerated weathering chambers.
