The UK industrial and building supply chain is suffering from some very big challenges right now. Many products are on allocation, lead times are getting longer across the board, and supply and transportation issues are pushing up prices.
Which makes now the right time to look for, try, and use alternatives for many common tasks on site. Many of our customers are turning to our new generation hybrid sealants to carry out some of the these jobs – like sealing around windows and doors, composite panels, connection and expansion joints, or façade work – that are traditionally associated with low modulus silicones.
So what are hybrid sealants? Here’s the science bit. Our Hy-Spec range is a group of new generation silane modified organic polymers. They cure by reacting with moisture and offer an eviable range of features and benefits. The process, known as crosslinking, is the formation of additional chemical bonds between polymeric chains to form a three dimensional network – stronger yet as flexible as traditional silicones or first generation hybrids and the upshot is fast, strong and tack free curing.
They have a number of other practical advantages over traditional sealants too. Perhaps the most obvious is that they are paintable – a real benefit. And they are more tolerant of damp application conditions in use – perfect for the British climate – and it won’t bubble or peel if applied in the wet either. One of the reasons some sealants fail is that they crack after continued exposure to sunlight, allowing moisture in. But our new generation hybrids are much more resistant to damaging UV radiation relative to polyurethane and other traditional sealant technologies.
And there’s a number of practical usage points to our Hy-Spec sealants too. They contain no chemical nasties and are not labelled with warnings about irritation or sensitisation issues they are safe. Safe to manufacture, safe to use, safe to transport. The crosslinking process means that hybrid sealants cure through completely, without any residual tack that will pick up dirt, reducing clean up times.
So now is the perfect time to try new generation hybrids. Try them for perimeter sealing window and door frame substrates including PVCu, aluminium and wood, sealing of roofline and drainage systems even in the wet, expansion and connection joints, roofing seals including, copper, roofing slates and fibre-cement, HVAC ducting pipework and drainage joints. In fact try them for general maintenance and sealing jobs including on coated metals, anodized aluminium, and stainless steel.
