Acrylic Lacquer Production

Step 1 is to define the abbreviation PMMA.

PMMA is Poly Methyl MethAcrylate

Step 2 is to evaluate the chemical reactions. Is there a process chemist on-board?

Free advice is worth what you pay for it.

Since we have no idea where you are, what sector of the industry you would target, my only suggestion is to enlist the help of your acrylic resin supplier and his process engineer.

That's assuming you have a supplier.

The minuscule amount of information provided is typical, but not inspiring.

Dear All,

Thanks for all the suggestions and advices that are pouring in.

Let me brief you all what I am looking at.

Lacquer is a clear or coloured Varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process which gives a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss. It is used for Wood works and Concrete works.

Lacquer is basically of 3 types -

(1) Nitro Cellulose base

(2) Acryllic based :- Lacquers using Acrylic Resin (a synthetic polymer). Acrylic resin is a colourless, transparent thermoplastic obtained by the polymerization of derivatives of acrylic acid.

(3) Water based.

Acryllic based Lacquers are manufactured by dissolving the Acryllic Resin in the lacquer thinner (a mixture of several solvents typically containing butyl acetate and xylene or toluene). The problem what we are facing is, just like that the resin doesn't dissolve in the thinner. We have practically melted the resin and then added the thinner and that is when it is completely dissolving. To melt the resin, which has a Melting temparature of approximately 130 degree centigrade, it has to be heated. Since, thinners are highly volatile, there is every possibality of the thinner catching fire or even a chance of explosion can't be ruled out.

We don't know the actual equipments or the machineries involved in manufacturing the lacquers. We just know the chemical process or the procedure to manufacture the lacquer.

If any of you friend could kindly suggest me how to go forward from here, I will definitely be greatful to you guys.

Thanks

Dear All,

Thanks for all the suggestions and advices that are pouring in.

Let me brief you all what I am looking at.

Lacquer is a clear or coloured Varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process which gives a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss. It is used for Wood works and Concrete works.

Lacquer is basically of 3 types -

(1) Nitro Cellulose base

(2) Acryllic based :- Lacquers using Acrylic Resin (a synthetic polymer). Acrylic resin is a colourless, transparent thermoplastic obtained by the polymerization of derivatives of acrylic acid.

(3) Water based.

Acryllic based Lacquers are manufactured by dissolving the Acryllic Resin in the lacquer thinner (a mixture of several solvents typically containing butyl acetate and xylene or toluene). The problem what we are facing is, just like that the resin doesn't dissolve in the thinner. We have practically melted the resin and then added the thinner and that is when it is completely dissolving. To melt the resin, which has a Melting temparature of approximately 130 degree centigrade, it has to be heated. Since, thinners are highly volatile, there is every possibality of the thinner catching fire or even a chance of explosion can't be ruled out.

We don't know the actual equipments or the machineries involved in manufacturing the lacquers. We just know the chemical process or the procedure to manufacture the lacquer.

If any of you friend could kindly suggest me how to go forward from here, I will definitely be greatful to you guys.

Thanks

Dear Friends,

I had requested you all to help me in the process to melt PMMA in the presence of a Solvent to manufacture Acryllic Lacquer used to give a shiny-glossy coating to cement concrete tiles.

Kindly help - plssssssssssss.

Late entry to this thread, but you've got the chemistry wrong and it will not work how you are describing (hoping) for it to happen.

From your description you hope to dissolve teh resin into the solvent then apply this mixture and allow the solvent to evaporate leaving behind the parent resin. (Not really feasible!)

The lacquers that we use are such that as the volatile materials leave the film that has been sprayed on, there is chemical cross linking of the ingredients that "creates" to final surface material. The lacquer is not a suspension of plastic, nor a simple solution of plastic. It is more like a chemical reaction "on hold" until applied.

You are correct that handling those solvents at the tempertures you describe is very dangerous.

The European guys will be quivering in their boots about the amounts of Volatile Organic Solvents you intend to release into the atmosphere.

I humbly suggest that you contact your local (national) paint manufacturers for their assistance. This is their specialty. They can readily source quality solvents and ingredients to make such coatings for you.

Alternatively, if you want to merely coat the surfaces, then consider "hot dipping" the tiles. (Or more correctly, I imagine spraying a fine powder of the resin you wish to use for the coating onto tiles that are already hot enough to fuse the plastic powder to teh surface. Think of low velocity sand blasting using the resin dust instead of sand.)

As always, though, be very careful. Hot parts, and combustible dust could also get VERY EXCITING.

Dear Just an Engineer,

Thanks for all the advice.

I have some clarifications to give from my side.

The only ingredients in an Acryllic Lacquer are (1) Acryllic Polymer/Resin and (2)Solvents.

Lacquer is unlike varnish, polyurethane or paint in one important respect: when it dries, it's still the same material you had in the can, without the solvents that made it liquid. All the others change chemically as they dry...ordinary lacquer doesn't. This is important to know because the solvents in the second coat of a lacquer finish will dissolve the first coat...the third coat will affect the previous two, and so on. The more coats you apply, the easier it is to wind up with a mess, and the longer the drying time between coats.

So, it is true that after the solvent evaporates from the tile surface, the left over polymer gives a plastic like glossy finish to the tile surface.

Now, again I come back to my main issue. " HOW TO DISSOLVE ACRYLLIC POLYMER RESIN IN A SOLVENT." What is the technology involved......?

Regards

Been away for a few days.

If the PMMA is able to be dissolved into the selected solvents, then it gets back to basic physics.

Surface area, turbulence and temperature are what I would think to be the most critical process inputs.

Surface area available for solution could be influenced by the particle size that you are trying to dissolve. Finely powdered PMMA will present substantially more surface area than "chunky" material. Do the sums on surface area of 1,000 pieces 0.1mm cubed compared to 1 piece 1mm cubed, you have 10 times the surface area. With 0.01mm cubes you have 100 times the surface area and so on.

By turbulence I means the availability of "fresh" solvent at the material surface. Something like a "rock tumbler" (Or if you're already in the paint industry a fluidized bed/ball mill type device) to cause the solvent and particles to be constantly stirred. The impact velocity of solvent onto the particles might also have some influence.

Finally temperature. With the solvents proposed, I would not even guess a safe temperature elevation to use. I can only guess that an enclosed Oxygen free environment might be a good starting point provided there are no "oxidizers" available in the parent mix, this may provide a non-explosive outcome, but check that out with the petrochemical guys.

Another thought though is that maybe there is an intermediate solvent path that you could take. I have no idea what might be suitable, just an "out there" idea.

Dear Just an Engineer,

Thank you very much for the inputs.

Kindly keep me posted if you have more to say.