Polymers and polymer coatings are everywhere. They give magazine pages their gloss and ensure the durability of paint used on our homes. They turn up in adhesives, carpets, athletic tracks, roofing shingles and even roads. Each application needs the polymer to behave in a particular way, and behavior is determined by...
Recent Posts
Photographer Tim Coffey Visits Mallard Creek Polymers
When photographer Tim Coffey moved to North Carolina a few years ago, he was looking for a unique way to explore his new home state. This desire gave birth to his Carolina Works project. For the project, Coffey visits manufacturing plants around North Carolina to take pictures and interview employees about their jobs. He...
Benefits of Emulsion Polymers for Elastomeric Roofs
Companies that design roof coatings are in a constant battle with the elements when formulating a coating that can stand up to constant exposure to sunlight, extreme temperature swings, and water damage.
By taking knowledge from other industries, roofing companies have historically tried to use both waterborne house paints...
The Difference between Styrene-Butadiene Rubber and Styrene-Butadiene Latex
Often the terms Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SB Rubber) and Styrene-Butadiene Latex (SB Latex) are used interchangeably. However, they are two different materials that are used in different ways on a variety of products.
Think Small: Innovative Ideas
Innovation is essential in business. In fact it's the only way of ensuring lasting success. As Henry Ford is alleged to have said, “If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.” We've taken this to heart at Mallard Creek Polymers and it's something that fuels our drive to solve...
Think Small: Quality Over Quantity
Mallard Creek Polymers is a smaller business – not exactly small, but not the same scale of some of our competitors either – and that shapes how we operate. For example, one of our key tenets is “Quality over Quantity.” There are several ways of defining “Quality,” so let's explain what this means to us and how it relates...
What's in Your Can? A Chat With Evonik About Dispersants
Mallard Creek Polymers: What is the dispersant’s purpose in the system?
Evonik: Wetting and dispersing additives prevent floating, flooding, and sedimentation of pigments in paints, inks, lacquers, and pigment concentrates. They operate in three partly consecutive / partly concurrent steps: wetting, dispersion, and...
Think Small: Personal Experts
When you work with Mallard Creek Polymers, or MCP, you work with a small group of experts. These people listen while you explain what you're looking for, they'll develop a customized solution that works, and they'll be there when you come back with your next request. Working with MCP means having a team dedicated to...
What's in Your Can? A Chat With Evonik About Defoamers & Deaerators
Mallard Creek Polymers: What is a defoamer / deaerator’s purpose in the system?
Evonik: Defoamers prevent formation of foam during manufacture and application of coatings and printing inks. Foam that is already formed is destroyed and air occlusions are prevented. Deaerators prevent development of air occlusions and...
Think Small: Affordable Customization
Product differentiation is one route to higher profits, but it's hard to be different from competitors if you all use the same raw materials. The answer is to use customized latex emulsions, but finding suppliers can be difficult. Many, especially those with large scale manufacturing processes, want to see the potential...
What's in A Can?
Water-based coatings are on the rise. Whether it’s for a waterproofing coatings, a flexible elastomeric film, or a concrete sealer, going water based allows for a more environmentally friending product offering with easy clean up. Choosing the right raw materials for a formulation can be challenging when you are trying...
Understanding the Glass Transition Temperature
Read the specifications for any Mallard Creek Polymer product and you'll see a number for its glass transition temperature. Written as “Tg,” this helps users anticipate how the latex polymer will behave at it's service temperature. In this blog post we'll explain some of the science behind Tg and the implications for...
