Spray in Bedliner Polyurethane Polyurea

Category: Polyurea and Polyurethane Bedliner

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  • What is MDI – Is it Safe?

    What is MDI?

    MDI is the acronym representing methyl diphenyl diisocyantate. There are three main versions of this compound:

    • 2,2′-MDI
    • 2,4′-MDI
    • 4,4′-MDI

    The 4,4′ isomer is most widely used.

    Who makes MDI

    Bayer followed closely by Yantai Wanhua. Other major producers are BASF, BorsodChem, Dow, Huntsman and Nippon Polyurethane Industry. All major producers of MDI are members of the International Isocyanate Institute. Their main purpose is the promotion of the safe handling of MDI and TDI in the workplace, community and environment. This implies that there is an inherent risk or danger involved with the use of this chemical.

    How Dangerous is MDI?

    MDI is an allergen and sensitizer, meaning that once certain amount of exposure occurs, the person is more susceptible to reaction at much lower concentrations. Persons developing sensitivity to isocyanates may have dangerous systemic reactions to extremely small exposures, including respiratory failure. Handling MDI requires strict engineering controls and personal protective equipment. With this knowledge it must be understood, that even though the resulting chemical reaction of polyols and MDI is a safe rugged durable polyurethane or polyurea coating, the process of applying this material is where the danger lies.

    Marketing information for spray bedliner materials and other coatings tends to bypass this important fact. Yes, it’s stated in the msds sheets, or in fine print. However, generally sales people leave out the very important fact that any exposure to mist from the process of spraying a bedliner can result in allergic and sensitized reaction to the components. This is DANGEROUS and should be taken very seriously.

    MDI Exposure from Bedliners

    We would like to hear from anyone who has had physical negative side effects resulting from the exposure to spray on bedliners or other coatings involving polyurea or polyurea hybrids.

    Why Do We Care?

    We are manufacturers of high quality polyurethanes and polyhybrids that do not use MDI for reactions. We continue to research polyureas and polyurethane vendors. In that research, we find some covering up the facts about MDI in their products, or at least the danger associated with them.

    Safe Bedliner with the Same Strength as Rhino and Scorpion

    If you want a truly safe bedliner or coatings product that competes with Rhino Lining or Scorpion Bedliners, take a look at SL1000(R,X) polyhybrid bedliner. This material is superior in safety and comparable in function to rhino and scorpion.

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  • Benefits of Spray Cartridges

    They are definitely clean compared to using plural equipment….But, there are a lot of downfalls to polyurea spray cartridges for Bedliner.

    Top 5 Problems with Polyurea Cartridges

    1. Expensive material compared to pure polyurea prices.. The prices of the average cartridge system are significantly more than just buying the raw material.
    2. Unfriendly spray Apparatus – The spray guns have all the material loaded in the front where you have to balance the gun, making it easy to mess up.
    3. Discounts — NOT Available. We called for pricing and found that the best you can get is with 20 boxes a 20% discount.. There don’t seem to be any discounts after that.
    4. Colors – You can’t mix colors with these premixed systems which is ok if you are looking to only spray black. We get many requests for color options and there’s no way this would work for us. In some cases you can get about 8 standard colors, but that’s not enough for guys who love their truck and want true color matching.
    5. Cartridges?average?cost is between $45 – $65 each. This spray in bedliner solution ends up being one of the highest cost bedliner. It?requires about?3 cartridges to make one gallon. That’s more than $150 in disposable equipment per gallon!!

    RhinoPro Cartridge Bed Liner Review

    Solutions to Cartridge Spray Guns

    Typically the Cartridge is seen as a solution to traditional plural spray systems for polyurea and polyurethane hybrid coatings. However, in this post we are going the other way. Why? To keep the reader informed on all technologies. In the polyurea and polyurethane hybrid coating markets, there are a lot of options when it comes to materials and equipment for bedliners, floors and other projects.

    Spray-Lining Product Detail

    Polyurea

    Superior performance to hybrids and polyurethane in general. The main reaction is isocyantates and an amine which yields a super strong industrial strength material. However, the application of these materials is highly regulated in it’s pure form and in many cases across the US, is not allowed.
    Poly Basics

    Polyurea Hybrid

    Poylurea hybrids have less polyurea (isos) but still exhibit superior tensile strength and impact resistance making them very suitable replacements for pure polyureas.

    Polyurethane Bedliner

    Pure polyurethane bedliners are not popularized that much these days. You usually hear about pure polyurea (which is typically not true) and polyurea hybrids (70-30 polyurea/polyurethane blends). The large franchises are marketing their products as superior to everyone else’s. The reality is that out of the top 3-5 brands, they all have positive aspects that make them better than the other in some way or the other.

    Other Applications for Polyurea and Polyurea Hybrids

    Koi Pond Lining and Coatings
    Floor Coatings for Garages and Workshops

  • A Summary of Polyurea and Polyurethane

    What is a quality Spray Bedliner made from? If you do research about the large bedliner vendors (Rhino Lining, Line-X, Scorpion, etc) you will see boasts about polyurea bedliners as well as the words polyurea/polyurethane and polyurethane. When trying to understand the differences between materials one can be overwhelmed quickly.

    What is a Polyurea

    A polyurea coating is the result of a one-step reaction between an isocyanate component and a resin blend component. The isocyanate can be monomer based, a prepolymer, a polymer or a blend. For the prepolymer, amine- and/or hydroxylterminated resins can be used. ……. uh, what?

    Though a true polyurea has no VOCs or solvents, it is a product of isocyanates which makes it caustic and dangerous.

    What is a polyurethane?

    Polyurethanes are in the class of compounds called reaction polymers, which include epoxies, unsaturated polyesters, and phenolics. Polyurethanes are produced by reacting an isocyanate containing two or more isocyanates groups per molecule (R-(N=C=O)n ? 2) with a polyol containing on average two or more hydroxy groups per molecule (R’-(OH)n ? 2), in the presence of a catalyst………. Again…. What?

    What are the benefits of polyurea versus polyurethane?

    1. Both of these materials are excellent for spray coating applications. Here are functional differences/similarities of polyurea and polyurethane:
    2. both systems can use the same or similar “A” components. Therefore, the main properties differences are provided by the “B” component side of the system.
    3. In polyurethanes, The “B” component is comprised of various polyols (polyether, polyester) and typically need a catalyst to support fast curing. Because this catalyst can be adjusted to control the reaction profile to fit the application it is seen as a benefit. The result is a smoother finish though variable textures can easily be achieved.
    4. When the material is required to flow into the corners or hard-to-spray areas and need a few extra seconds before gelling, polyurethane is a great choice because it can be set to cure slowly compared to polyurea. The catalyst can be adjusted for a urethane to cure as fast as 10 secs and at low temperatures.
    5. Polyurea is very reactive and does not require a catalyst (auto-catalytic polymer). This reactivity usually between 5-15 seconds and cures well on cold surfaces.
    6. The reaction time also causes polyureas to be moisture insensitive and do not easily react with humidity and moist substrates.
    7. Pure Polyureas are not the correct solution when requiring a smooth surface or a delay time before the system gels.

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    Read a detailed explanation of polyureas and polyurethanes

    With these observations made, let’s discuss the strength of a quality bedliner. What are the real differences between the strength and durability of vendors like Rhino Lining, Line-X and Spray-lining? The truth is Spray-Lining offers a spray bedliner just as durable and long-lasting than Rhino, Scorpion Coatings and others. Read about Rhino Lining, Line-x, Scorpion Coatings and Spray-lining qualities?

  • Polyurea and Polyurethane Detailed

    Professional Grade Bedliner

    The truth is there are very few true polyurea bedliners. They are very expensive and dangerous. This topic is obfuscated with terms like poly hybrid, polyurea/poly polyurea/hybrid, etc. The reality is that pure polyurea is extremely expensive and has dangerous properties that keeps it from being applied without great precaution in some states.

    A professional grade bedliner is differentiated from DIY retail bedliners by the fact that high grade bedliners are manufactured from polyurea hybrids versus polyurethanes. You will see large vendors such as Rhino Linings and Line-X boast polyurea. We are here to inform you that NO bedliner is a true polyurea. These are extremely expensive and caustic.

    Formulation Basics between polys

    Resin Part Chain Extender System Type
    Polyetheramine Amine Terminated Polyurea
    Polyether Polyol Amine Terminated Polyurea/Polyurethane
    Polyetheramine Glycol Polyurethane/Polyurea
    Polyether Polyol Glycol Polyurethane

    What is a polyurea

    A polyurea coating is the result of a one-step reaction between an isocyanate component and a resin blend component. The isocyanate can be monomer based, a prepolymer, a polymer or a blend. For the prepolymer, amine- and/or hydroxylterminated resins can be used. On the other hand, the resin blend should only contain amine-terminated resins and/or chain extenders and not any hydroxyl reactive polymer components. All the polyurea coatings mentioned in the paper comply with this requirement.

    Though a true polyurea has no VOCs or solvents, it is a product of isocyanates which makes it caustic and dangerous.

    Major Bedliner Differences

    Are any commercial or retail bedliners true polyureas?

    The answer is NO. Eventhough companies like Rhinolining and Line-x use the word polyurea, they are actually mixtures of polyurea and polyurethane. This is primarily to reduce cost and issues with environmental factors.

    What is a polyurethane

    A purely polyurethane coating is the result of a reaction between an isocyanate component and a resin blend made with only hydroxyl-containing resins. The final coating film will contain no intentional urea groups. A polyurethane system will most probably contain one or more catalysts. Polyurethanes for truck bed liners have elastomeric polyurethane which provides high tensile, elongation and elastic properties.

    Primary differences between polyurethane and polyureas

    The main distinguishing characteristic with the polyurea technology over polyurethanes is that amine terminated (-NH2) resins are used rather than hydroxyl terminated (-OH) resins, commonly referred to as polyols. The reaction of the amine terminated resins with the isocyanate component results in the formation of a urea linkage. Since this is a polymer and these units repeat, the term polyurea then applies.

    Other Differences

    – effect of moisture on elastomer density
    (Density of elastomer is decreased in polyurethanes compared to polyureas)
    – set time
    – effect of ambient temperature and substrate temperature
    – polyureas are amorphous while polyurethanes are crystalline in nature

    What is a Poly Hybrid?

    Polyurea/Polyurethane hybrid formulations can be defined as the result of a chemical reaction between an isocyanate and a mixture of polyol and amine reactants. These mixtures result in a polyurea product that displays some of the properties of polyureas and is less expensive. Polyurea hybrids are normally associated with use on ?non-critical? items that generally do not require immersion or extreme temperature conditions for application. Some examples of these applications include sprayed-in truck bed linings and balcony deck coatings.

    Why do retail bedliner kits use polyurethane
    Who uses polyureas and polyhybrids
    Who uses polyurethanes

    DIY Grade Professional
    PROFESSIONAL GRADE= POLYUREA, POLYHYBRIDS- DEFINED CHEMICALLY, SUB DEFINE REAL USES, FACTS, EXAMPLES & LINKS
    DIY GRADE = POLYURETHANE, URETHANE, EPOXY- DEFINED CHEMICALLY, SUB DEFINE REAL USES, FACTS EXAMPLES & LINKS

    SL DEALER GRADE ? beat #1
    SL THE ONLY PROFESSIONAL DIY GRADE ? beat #2

  • VOCs Versus Isocyanates

    What are VOCs

    Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. They have a low boiling point which yields a high vapor pressure. Because of this a large volume of molecules evaporate (sublimate) from the liquid or solid into the local air.

    VOCs include both man-made and natural chemical compounds. VOCs are the primary cause for odor in chemicals. Not all VOCs are harmful to people. One must understand that because something has VOCs in it does NOT mean that it is dangerous to use in open air environments.

    VOC Regulation

    The definition of VOCs is not straight forward as it is based on the laws and codes in the state it is being regulated. Anthropogenic VOCs are regulated by law, especially indoors, where concentrations are the highest. VOCs typically effect people slowly overtime which makes them hard to study. The United States Department of Labor and its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulate VOC exposure in the workplace. Volatile organic compounds that are hazardous material would be regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration while being transported.

    What are Isocyanates

    Isocyanates are a class of compound that includes a functional group of elements -N=C=O. The logical difference between VOCs and isocyanates is the fact that VOCs are logical and include a vast array of molecules and compounds where Isocyanates are exact in form.

    VOC free Bedliners are the Way to Go

    External links

    NIOSH Safety and Health Topic: Isocyanates, from the website of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

    Health and Safety Executive, website of the UK Health and Safety Executive, useful search terms on this site – isocyanates, MVR, asthma

  • What is Polyurea

    Two-part polyurea spray elastomers were brought to market in the 1990s after being invented by Bayer in Germany?the aspirin company. They are useful coatings for large surface area projects because of their fast reactivity and relative insensitivity to moisture. They can be applied at nearly any temperature, bonds easily to concrete and metal surfaces, cures to full strength in as little as a half an hour, is flexible enough to bridge small cracks and withstands high temperatures when cured. Some polyureas reach strengths of 6000psi (40MPa) tensile and over 500% elongation making it a tough coating. Due to rapid cure time, many coats can be built up quickly.

    Is Polyurea Really this Good

    The biggest factor that determines how well a polyurea will bond and last is preparation of the substrate. Moisture vapor emmission rate and proper solids content are also important factors in developing a proper bond. When those conditions are met, you will experience a truly professional polyurea coating system.

    Polyurea Applications

    The reported applications range from a new way to topcoat concrete floors to sealers for concrete countertops to impermeable coatings for concrete bridge beams as well as spray on linings such as bedliners (The history of Spray Bedliners) and floor coatings.
    In the decorative concrete arena, the most intriguing potential applications are as a replacement for epoxy/polyurethane coatings for floors.

    Is a polyspartic a polyurea?

    All polyureas are two-part systems, meaning that a resin has to be mixed with a catalyst to create the curing reaction that hardens the material. Polyurea has been used very successfully for corrosion-resistant coatings and repair materials, although application is awkward since it has an extremely short pot life?about 3 seconds, so the two parts must be mixed at the spray tip, requiring lots of maintenance on expensive high-pressure equipment.

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