Emulsion Systems

 Arkema Emulsion Systems produces and markets latexes (waterborne polymer emulsions) for many industries, including architectural and industrial coatings, construction, traffic paints, sealants and adhesives. 

 

 Headquartered in Cary, N.C., USA, Arkema Emulsion Systems operates three production facilities in North America and employs approximately 170 people in areas such as polymer development, application research, chemical engineering, production, sales, marketing and customer service.

  

Manufactured and Marketed Products

 

Arkema Emulsion Systems is a major producer of raw materials for architectural coatings and holds a leading position in the North American latex paint market.  Other markets include caulks and sealants, wood sealers and stains, traffic paints, pressure-sensitive adhesives, construction materials, industrial coatings and specialty coatings.

Arkema Emulsion Systems offers a wide range of latex raw materials with the varying characteristics and compositions formulators need to develop waterborne products with optimal performance in many different applications. Our products include :

 

• EVOCAR™ Ethylene-Modified Latexes, which enable formulators to achieve a wider range of performance enhancements, such as scrub resistance, block resistance and touch-up potential, in low VOC formulations.
• UCAR™ FLEX Latexes, a new line of products that enables improved dirt pickup resistance, weatherability and elongation in low-VOC elastomeric coatings.
• EnVia™ Certified Latexes, products that have been certified to help formulators meet sustainability and regulatory goals in their finished products.
• UCAR™ Acrylic Latexes, a wide range of 100% acrylic latexes for use in many different applications, including interior/exterior paints, adhesives, sealants and traffic paints.
• UCAR™ Vinyl Acrylic Latexes, products that allow formulators to improve their high performance finishes by enabling attributes such as excellent scrub resistance, block resistance, freeze-thaw stability and gloss.
• UCAR™ Styrene Acrylic Latexes, providing attributes such as excellent adhesion, water resistance and gloss development in interior/exterior high gloss coatings and applications such as porch and deck enamels.
• NEOCAR™ Acrylics, highly versatile products that enable coatings with outstanding water resistance and aesthetics on a variety of substrates, including wood, masonry and cement.
• NEOCAR™ Latexes, which provide excellent adhesion, water resistance and gloss development in architectural coatings applications.

 

Production, Testing and Research Facilities

Arkema Emulsion Systems operates three manufacturing facilities in North America – Alsip, Illinois; Torrance, California; Hahnville, Louisiana.

The company has a research and development facility located at its Cary, N.C. headquarters. This fully staffed and equipped facility is the center for polymer research, product development and application testing. The Cary, N.C. research and development facility has extensive testing capability for a wide range of end-use applications including coatings, adhesives and sealants. Polymerization capabilities at the site include vinyl-acrylic, acrylic, vinyl-acetate ethylene, styrene acrylic and other chemistries. The company also maintains analytical and microbial control labs at this facility.

The company operates two exterior exposure stations (test fences) to test the weatherability of its latexes in paints and other outdoor applications.  The primary station in Cary, N.C. covers two acres and tests more than 3,000 exterior exposure panels coated with a variety of products in many different formulations.  Exterior exposure tests are extensively conducted to measure many properties, including durability, color retention, chalking and mildew resistance.  The company also conducts exterior exposure testing in Miami, Fla. and maintains accelerated weathering capabilities in Cary, N.C.