ROWAFLON® UV Protect Primer

ROWA Lack has been offering a range of high-quality fluoropolymer lacquer systems for decades with the product group ROWAFLON^®, a range developed precisely for these applications and one which is subject to continuous improvement. ROWAFLON^® lacquers are a first choice for membranes and fabrics used in the fields of textile architecture, roofing, sun protection as well as halls and tents.

High quality tarpaulin materials based on PVC-coated fabrics with a 1 layer lacquer coating are mostly used for halls and tents. In the long-term, this type of lacquering is generally not sufficient for textile constructions, since materials used outdoors are exposed to intensive and permanent UV radiation. As a result, damage occurs in the boundary layer between the lacquer, which is transparent to UV radiation, and the PVC-coated fabric. Consequently, the adhesion between the topcoat and the PVC surface decreases, causing a significant deterioration in the performance properties of the membrane despite a fully intact lacquer film.

The effect of PVC damage can be minimized by applying a ROWAFLON^® UV protection primer in addition to the original topcoat. This creates a 2 layer lacquer structure. The additional UV protection reflects part of the UV radiation, while absorbing a large proportion before it can damage the PVC base material. More than 80 % of the UV component from the sunlight can be filtered out, depending on the structure and thickness of the layer. Also, the protective effect only slightly decreases even after several years of use, due to the very high (photo) chemical resistance of the UV-protective agents used. The majority of membranes used in textile architecture feature very pale shades, with white materials being used most often. The demand for constructions with bolder colors, however, is steadily increasing. The classic ROWAFLON^® UV protection primers are only suitable to a limited extent for these substrates, as they leave a clearly noticeable, whitish film on the substrate despite their relatively high transparency in the visible wavelength range.

With this in mind, the ROWAFLON^® lacquer systems product group has now been expanded to include additional, particularly transparent UV protection primers, such as ROWAFLON^® G-75308. This product incorporates an optimized UV protection system and consequently allows colored substrates to be lacquered without affecting the appearance of the color. The new systems continue to provide excellent UV protection and enable a long service life for the suitably treated materials. ROWAFLON^® G-75308 is available for sampling with immediate effect.

To comply with REACH restrictions on solvents such for example DMF and NMP, both the newly developed ROWAFLON^® UV protection primers and the well-established ROWAFLON^® topcoats and UV protection primers are available in variants that do not contain any substances from the restrictions list.