Unlocking Innovation in Additive Selection: How Technical Support Drives Superior Formulations

5 Minute Read

Munzing Chemie Technical Support Request (TSR) provides Laboratory and Formulation Support

Addressing Common Additive Challenges in Formulation

Formulating coatings, inks, or adhesives is a rigorous scientific process, and selecting the best speciality additive can make or break a product. Chemists and technical managers know the challenge well: improving one property, like rheology, dispersion, or defoaming, often introduces unintended side effects. Choosing the right additive for your unique requirements is rarely a one-step process, especially with tightening performance and regulatory demands. This can result in formulation chemists taking on many samples and running long, potentially costly, screening processes.

Examples of Formulation Dilemmas

Rheology and Flow Control: Adjusting flow can stabilise pigment dispersion but may negatively affect wetting or levelling.
Pigment Dispersion: Achieving optimal dispersion can cause foaming, which might require a separate defoamer additive.
Surface Properties: Enhancing burnish or scratch resistance with waxes can alter slip and gloss.
Defoaming: An additive that kills foam could leave craters or surface defects.

How the Right Technical Support Accelerates Solutions

This is where direct access to applied laboratory and technical support is invaluable. Our close partnership with multi-national chemical company MÜNZING CHEMIE provides UK formulators with a unique, lab-driven Technical Support Request (TSR) program. Designed specifically for R&D chemists, technical managers, and lab teams, TSR puts world-class additive expertise and formulation equipment at your fingertips.

Customer Driven Technical Support – The Process

Custom Problem Solving: Share your precise project challenge, regulatory limitations, and processing realities. Our supplier’s team tailors solutions suited for your operation—not a generic fix.
Replicable Testing: A test method using industry-standard lab equipment and methods will be proposed, ensuring all results can be seamlessly mirrored in your own test environment.
Comprehensive Equipment: Evaluate essential performance metrics including air incorporation (Red Devil), foam formation (Dissolver), surface leveling, scratch resistance, abrasion resistance (Quartant rub tester), and more.
Documentation and Guidance: Receive clear test protocols and transfer technology smoothly into your workflow.

Sample Applications: Solving Industry-Relevant Problems

Challenge	Equipment or Testing Method	Benefit to R&D Teams
Persistent foaming in waterborne coatings	Dissolver, Red Devil	Identifies optimal defoamer efficiently and levels of air incorporation, Measure formation of foam in low-viscosity products
Need to increase abrasion resistance	Quartant rub tester, Abrasion and Scratch tests	Quantitative assessments for sheen hardness, mar resistance and fingernail marking and wax suggestions to fix
Levelling issues causing defects	Analysis after surface drawdown	Fast diagnosis and fix for surface flaws
Burnish resistance for ink applications	Quartant rub tester, Scratch testing	Scrub Cycles performed to offer additive suggestion that balances resistance with print quality

Table 1: A summary of some common challenges faced with coatings formulations, the test or equipment used to quantify and how that test can benefit an R&D team. All of these tests, plus more, are available for use at Münzing's TSR Lab

By collaborating through TSR, your technical team gains actionable insights before investing time or material into lengthy screening routines. The outcome: faster approvals, higher-performing products, fewer surprises at scale-up, and greater confidence in your additive selection.

Testing methods and equipment in a coatings lab such as red devil, dissolver, quartant rub tester to measure scratch and abraision resistance, foam formation and levelling

Figure 1: A collection of images showing some of the equipment and test methods employed by the Munzing Chemie TSR service. Included are a Quartant Rub Tester (top and middle left) for assessing abrasion resistance, a levelling test (bottom left), scratch resistance tests (middle and top middle), a Red Devil for testing air incorporation (bottom right), and a dissolver, particularly for measuring foam formation (top right).

Seamless Process for R&D Collaboration

Contact Your Account Manager: Give your Lawrence Industries’ Account Manager a call to let them know your formulation goals or issues.
Initiate a TSR: If a TSR is appropriate, your account manager will help you fill our a TSR form with your goals, restrictions, and project specifics.
Receive a Tailored Plan: The technical experts at MÜNZING CHEMIE will design a relevant test protocol.
Access Replicable Results: All findings are shared with methodology, enabling direct integration into your lab.
Ongoing Support: Technical support will be available until you have the results you need.

Is Your Additive Project Stuck? Ask for Technical Support Today

Whether your enhancing, troubleshooting or developing, MÜNZING CHEMIE TSR could streamline your formulation journey. Contact us to describe your challenge and let our technical team provide expert additive guidance to see how science-driven formulation advances your products.

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