Epoxy chemistry

Introduction and history

“I know what plastic´s are, just solvents!”

Well, if it had been so easy, we had never published this page. There are many things to have in mind and take into consideration to do a good job.

Why does epoxy stick to almost anything? Why do you have to grind between layers? What is epoxy? Does the amount of hardener mean anything? These and many more questions are answered on this page.

If you prefer to read this as a book, you can order NM Epoxy handbook for free from us.

All texts on this site comes from our book “NM Epoxy handbook”, 3rd edition.

Introduction

Knowledge of materials has always been necessary for those who design. With today’s stringent demands on quality regarding manufacture, materials and execution, it is often assumed that purchasers, architects and contractors possess the necessary knowledge of that with which they work.

The NM Epoxy Handbook has been written to provide knowledge of the properties of epoxy plastic in a large number of different applications.

We have collected our knowledge primarily on low molecular epoxy and its use. It is our hope that the book will contribute to making product selections easier as well as finding the best solutions for each project.

History

Epoxy plastic has its roots far back in history, to be specific, in 1936, when Dr Pierre Castan in Switzerland succeeded in synthesising an epoxy resin that he hardened with phthalic acid anhydride.

In 1939. Dr S.O. Greenlee in the USA developed epoxy resins of epichlorohydrin and bisphenol A, i.e. the type of epoxy resins we use today. The purpose of the development of epoxy resins was to find a binding agent for coatings that were resistant to alkali, but it was soon shown that the epoxy had significantly more good properties than this. Today epoxy has its given place in aerospace, electronics and the automotive industry, as well as in foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, offshore and the marine industry. Most people are familiar with the word epoxy and associate it with something that is strong.

Back in 1960, Nils Malmgren and Curt Augustsson began to formulate and produce products based on epoxy with hardener. In 1967, the scope had become so wide that Nils Malmgren AB was founded, specializing in epoxy-based products.

The company was quality certified in 1990 and could thus strengthen its purposeful quality approach.