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The Chemicals Business of UFlex announced securing of a
patent (Patent No 354903) on 'A process for the preparation of Epoxy Ester Resin' in accordance with the provisions of the Patents Act, 1970. This is the first patent for Chemicals business ever in India and it will be considering applying for a global patent in due course of time. UFlex' Chemicals Business is a leading manufacturer of Inks, Coatings and Adhesives for flexible packaging, ycartons, labels, and paperboard.
UFlex' new patent will ensure technical advancement in providing a process for resin preparation
wherein no waste water treatment is required which is a significant move in the direction of
sustainability. Furthermore, Epoxy Ester Resin prepared by this process will be used in radiation curing
or energy curing and therefore curing will be faster, unlike the typical Epoxy Ester resin which is
thermally cured and takes a longer time besides being uneconomical. With enhanced stability of
coating and its chemical resistance attributes a total of 16 claims have been taken under this
patent.
Epoxy Ester resins are known for their use in coatings, paints and adhesives. Before this patent was
registered, conventionally Epoxy Ester resin is produced in a two-stage process. The first stage is
condensation which generates a lot of salt that is removed through several water washings, resulting in
high effluent generation. Typically, waste water contains 50,000-95,000 ppm TDS and 50,000-60,000
ppm COD, which, therefore, requires large capital investment for waste water treatment plants adding
to the capital expenditure and operating expense of the process of Epoxy resin preparation. In the
second stage of a conventional process, Epoxy resin is converted into Epoxy Ester resin with the
esterification process which results in the formulation of undesirable Epoxy Ester resin, which has a dark colour and odour.
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