The Rheological properties of products (adhesives, paints, inks) are of the utmost importance for the formulation and final quality of products.

This conference was organised by AVISA to sensitise partner companies on the topic. The main target of the conference included research managers, laboratory technicians and formulators, process engineers, operators providing technical assistance to clients, besides personnel not directly involved in purely technical aspects, who can make the most of this opportunity to receive training, participate in discussions and improve their know-how.

Through interventions and case histories, AVISA also involved LECHLER and some leading partner firms that rank high in their own sectors (MAPEI, PPG, VERSALIS, SUN CHEMICAL). The rich conference programme also envisaged the intervention of leading manufacturers of rheological tools (ANTON PAAR, NETZSCH, GOTTFERT).

Lechler’s intervention enlarged on the theme of the CC Rheometer’s potential, specifying the problems it can help to solve. Our speakers, Dr. A. De Rose and M. Bellotti from the R&D Department explained the added value of implementing such techniques.

The conference recorded the attendance of over 130 subjects from AVISA’s various member companies.

AVISA-FEDERCHIMICA

AVISA is one of the 17 Associations of the Federchimica sector. It is the Italian National Association that represents manufacturers of adhesives and sealants, printing and serigraphic inks, paints and varnishes. The Association’s activity particularly centres on industrial legislation, environmental issues and regulations, statistical data and economic surveys, on promotional initiatives and assistance for export, research and development, and communication. Organised by market sectors, and supported by Technical Committees and Work Groups, AVISA offers member companies privileged information services and discussions on common themes.

RHEOLOGY

The applicative characteristics of the formulations (adhesives, paints and inks) are mostly related to their rheological properties, precisely machine or manual application of adhesives, spraying of paints and stability of the ink are only some of the examples the formulator might have to face. Rheology is the science that allows raw material suppliers and transformers to face the above problems more efficiently. Indeed, this discipline studies the constitutive equations that regulate/describe the flow of materials, and develops experimental methods to analyse the behaviour of the flow. Rheology can describe process operations or application in order to characterise them with the most suitable experimental methods. Technicians from Member Companies who interface with the world of applied research often find it difficult to identify the specific rheological method that can solve the issue of practical application. The conference proposed offered an opportunity for discussion among researchers who already work in the sector, for other less expert researchers, and provided training for staff not assigned to the specific technique.