To comply with the global trend of sustainability Sika is investigating into sustainable options for adhesives and sealants. Sustainable sealants combine reduced environmental impact, durability and a formulation, which complies with the most stringent global VOC (volatile organic compounds) requirements, where the claim is to get the VOC emission reduced to the minimum.
How is a better sustainability product profile achieved?
One way to reduce solvent is to switch to water – to have water based adhesive systems. It’s a common move to switch from a solvent based system to a waterbased, but keeping up with internal and external standards often makes the development challenging. It has been Sika’s ambition to combine sustainability with a more flexible, performance-based approach that calls for measurable results throughout a building’s life cycle.
SikaSeal® 106 Construction
Sika’s proposal for a waterbased sealant with excellent properties
Sika launched a number of new products that set new standards in terms of performance and environmental impact: SikaSeal®-106 Construction is an example for such a solution: With the SikaSeal®106 Construction, an elastic construction sealant for connection joints, Sika is proposing a sustainable alternative for a variety of interior and exterior sealing applications.
Having multiple benefits such as no dangerous good classification, very low emissions or low odour (complies with highest emission classification EC1plus and thus with the LEED v4 low-emitting materials credit), the product can challenge the applications e.g. of oxime-curing silicones of each performance level.
The overall good weathering performance, low modulus, good tear propagation resistance and viscoelastic behavior strongly help to reduce the probability of cracks in the sealant or at the interface to the substrate and are a valuable advantage especially on weak substrates like gypsum, cardboard, foams or renders.
SikaSeal® is easy to extrude, has a good sag resistance and has almost no cut-off string. Besides these good application properties, this new product has adhesion to many plastic or metallic or porous substrates such aswood or concrete. Other than silicones, it is excellently over-paintable.
High Colour Stability
like acrylics and top silicones
High Elastic Movement Capability
like polyurethanes and silicones
Great Application Properties
like acrylics
Can Be Overpainted
like acrylics and polyurethanes
Non Hazardous and Safe
like water-borne acrylics
Good Adhesion
like polyurethanes, SMP's and silicones
Sika's water-based sealants
Especially recommended for ..
- Window and door perimeter joints
- Interior and exterior joints with a limited amount of movement
- Flexible Joints that need to be overpainted
- Facade elements
SikaSeal-106 Construction
- very low emitting and low odour
- easy to apply and safe for the applicator
- especially indoors.
- stays permantently flexible
- UV and weathering resistant
- The low modulus and the efficient reduction of stresses make it an excellent choice also for weak substrates
Combining Sustainability and Performance
Although being waterbased, the performance of SikaSeal®-106 Construction resembles to that of reactively curing systems. For the adhesives industry, sustainability is becoming an essential value proposition. With the SikaSeal®-106 Construction, Sika has developed a solution which is an attractive and sustainable alternative to solvent-less and solvent containing state of the art sealants. It is a sound example that a good sustainability profile does not mean to compromise a high performance!