The growing need for improving the aesthetic and touch of the device is projected to bring bright opportunities for the soft-touch polyurethane coating market

 

Soft-Touch polyurethane coating provides high-quality products due to their unique and effective technology, as well as their dedication to continuously improve their coatings so that they can be found in the best possible coatings that provide the highest level of performance and function. These coatings are designed to offer a high level of hardness, durability, and reliability. They are designed to perform well in both wet and dry applications and are known for their ability to repel water and moisture, which prevents stains and corrosion. They also offer the most durable protection against oil, gas, and solvents.

The growing demand for soft-touch polyurethane coatings from the electronic industry for improving aesthetics and touch of devices is again contributing to the market growth. Moreover, increasing adoption of plastic in automobile interiors is fueling demand for soft-touch polyurethane coatings which in turn augmenting the market growth. On the other hand, the availability of cheap substitutes such as master batches as it is an advanced technology and is widely gaining adoption across furniture and also interior parts of an automobile is projected to hamper the market growth. Whereas, the development of innovative matting agents for the soft-touch coatings is again expected to accelerate the market growth of soft feel PU coatings. For instance, in February 2019, Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH has introduced ACEMATT® 3400 a new matting agent for high-transparency clear coatings and soft-touch coatings with smooth surfaces.

North America is projected to gain significant growth over the forecast period and this is attributed to the strong presence of the furniture industry in the region. According to the woodworking network, North America is the largest market for office furniture, with sales recorded at $16.53 billion in 2018.

Key Developments:

In January 2020, BASF announced a single-digit million-euro investment in the capacity expansion of water-based polyurethane dispersions at its Castellbisbal site in Spain. The expansion enables BASF to increase its production capacity by 30 percent.

In October 2018, Electrolube, the global manufacturer of specialist electro-chemicals for the automotive, electronics, LED and industrial manufacturing industries, announced the launch of a series of innovative new polyurethane and silicone conformal coating products

In February 2018, API, an Italian company specialized in the production of thermoplastic elastomeric compounds and bio plastics introduced its newest lightweight footwear solutions, APILONTM 52 EXP and APILONTM 52 LIGHT. The newest expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) materials, offeres an outstanding combination of soft-touch, aesthetics, and especially lightness.

In June 2020, BASF launched 10 variations of Haptex 2.0 – a new and improved series of its innovative polyurethane (PU) solution for the production of synthetic leather.