Chemicals & Polymers Blog

Coil and can coating is an organic material that’s applied on rolled metal strip in a continuous process which includes cleaning (if necessary) and chemical pre-treatment of the metal surface.  It also includes either one-sided or two-sided, single or multiple application of (liquid) paints or coating powders, which are subsequently cured and/or laminated with permanent plastic films, cleaning, chemical pretreatment, primer coat application, curing, final coat application, second curing, exit accumulator, and recoilers.

2-Methyl-1,3-propanediol (MPO) and dipropylene glycol (DPG) are safe, liquid glycols used in a broad range of industries as reactive diluents, viscosity reducing agents, solvents, carriers, and chemical intermediates.

Gantrade offers the incredibly versatile diol, 2-Methyl-1, 3-Propanediol (MPO) for a range of market applications for unsaturated polyester resins, including composites and gelcoats, as well as saturated polyester for liquid can & coil coatings, powder coatings, polyester polyols for polyurethanes, and more.

We sat down with John Drummond of Gantrade Europe and Helen Wu with the company’s US group for a Q+A session sparked by increased interest worldwide in the use of MPO.

Gantrade offers 2-Methyl 1, 3- Propanediol (MPO), also known as methyl propanediol, to enhance unsaturated polyester resins, including both composites and gelcoats, as well as  saturated polyester for coating, polyurethane,  polycarbonate, and much more.

Let’s take a look at the many applications of this versatile diol:

At Gantrade, we offer an array of diols and polyols, a group of  versatile hydroxyl-functional intermediates used in a broad range of applications and industries.

Neopentyl Glycol, NPG (2, 2-dimethylpropane-1, 3-diol) is the standard diol for high performance coating resins. The polyesters synthesized by NPG with saturated or unsaturated di-acids offer a great ingredient for paints, lubricants, plasticizers and fiberglass-reinforced plastics applications. NPG enhances stability toward heat, light, and water.  NPG achieves high performance of resins due to its resistance to oxidation, its non-polar chemical nature, and steric retardation of hydrolysis. Most polyester resin formulations contain NPG as the sole glycol component, or feature NPG in conjunction with a modifying glycol to achieve the desired properties.

In polyurethane processing, manufacturers always use polyester polyols as important raw materials, to make prepolymers with isocyanates or as chain extenders or curatives.  Due to the good oxidation and UV resistance, good wear and tear resistance, good heat performance and solvent resistance. Many polyurethane parts feature  polyester polyols to prepare them for the toughest environments and applications.