Martin Kays
Technical Support Manager
BYK USA
Martin Kays is Applied Technology Specialist at BYK USA. He graduated from the University of Louisville, earning a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering followed by a MBA. During his career, Martin developed an expertise for formulating and introducing new products into the coatings and plastics markets. His experience eventually led to sales and marketing roles with both national and global responsibility.
Next Generation of Tint Viscosity Stabilizers
Formulating waterborne coatings that can retain their viscosity after tinting has always been challenging, especially with deep and neutral bases. Over the years, formulators have developed workarounds to address the issue, but the solutions usually come at the expense of other essential performance characteristics. For example, the loss of flow and leveling with cellulosic thickeners, or the slower filling and inconsistency of bases produced at high viscosity to accommodate the viscosity loss. Traditionally the poor viscosity retention of association thickeners like HEURs eliminated their viability to address these concerns. The introduction of the HEAT technology pioneered the use of associative thickeners to help stabilize viscosity loss. However, there were still some performance benefits with the HEUR technology outside of viscosity retention unmatched until now. A new twist on urethanes, developed by BYK, combines the unique viscosity retention of the HEAT technology with the added benefits of the HEURs allowing the paint formulator to take the next step toward premium performance.