Atlac History
It was in the 50s that Atlas Powder Co in Wilmington Delaware (USA) developed
a new class of unsaturated polyester resins with outstanding chemical
resistant properties. The polymer backbone was based on propoxylated bisphenol
A, reacted with fumaric acid into a solid, powdered resin and was sold under
the brand name Atlacâ. Customers had to dissolve the powder themselves in
styrene to turn it into a liquid that was easy to handle in laminating
processes. Various grades of Atlac resins were developed with differing
flexibility and heat distortion temperatures. The most widely sold type was
Atlac 382 and Atlac 4010.
Atlac resins were enormously successful. Their resistance to acids, solvents
and alkaline solutions made a whole new class of process equipment possible.
In particular, they brought exceptionally high levels of chemical resistance
that had never been possible with traditional construction materials. New
processes like filament winding and centrifugal casting for cylindrically
shaped products boosted the use of Atlac resins further. Key applications were
found in the pulp and paper and metal/mining industries, chlorine production
and metal plating shops. The chemical industry saw storage tanks, scrubbers,
reactors and stacks made of Atlac resins.
Atlac resins were often the only construction material that could withstand
harsh acidic solutions like sulphuric and hydrochloric acid at temperatures up
to 90°C. They were also used for sensitive applications such as wine storage
vessels and water purification plants. Many storage tanks, transport pipes,
stacks and scrubbers that were constructed in the 60s, are still successfully
operating today.
Vinyl ester resins were born at the beginning of the 70s. Although they use a
different chemistry, the backbone of the molecule was still the same base
chemical (Bisphenol A) that made Atlac resins so successful.
