DBT Coatings, Inc., a division of Daybreak Technologies, is a leading formulator of custom energy-curable solutions. DBT’s 7,000-square-foot laboratory facility includes formulary, analytical, and application sections that enable our staff to test every product within each stage of its development. DBT Coatings is committed to thorough scientific research and innovation, and our staff of researchers and technicians bring more than 100 years of cumulative experience to every project.

Polytex Environmental Inks, Inc., our partner company, operates as a leading worldwide supplier of environmentally safe water-based inks. With manufacturing locations in the United States and the Netherlands with more than 125 technicians and support staff, Polytex formulates inks for use with virtually all printing methods, including gravure, flexography, surface print, flat-screen, rotary-screen, and wash coating. Each of these methods requires particular ink formulations to provide the full range of benefits offered by the printing process. We can also customize inks as needed for specific applications.

The partnership between Polytex and DBT is key to the success of both entities. At Polytex and DBT, our extensive analytical capabilities set us apart from our competitors, allowing us to solve a wide range of problems using a non-biased lens.

Analytical Capabilities

As scientists, the DBT Coatings team takes a science- and logic-based approach to research and development. We’ve invested significant resources into our lab, enabling us to offer honesty and accountability in all processes. Through the implementation of advanced analytics engineering practices, we apply an ever-growing pool of past customer and industry data to each project, giving us full ownership of the workflow and facilitating the production of ideal solutions.

Our process begins immediately upon customer contact. We apply the full force of our analytical capabilities to every product we develop. We also continue to apply these tools throughout the life of the product to identify new opportunities for improvement. If customers ever experience issues — whether related to our products or not — we will use equipment in our lab to troubleshoot the problem and provide feedback.

DBT understands that our success depends entirely on the success of our customers. Our customers trust us because we collaborate on projects and troubleshoot problems as full partners. We’re happy to let potential customers visit our lab to see the full scope of our capabilities before signing on.

Our lab supports technically challenging projects for energy-curable packaging converters, industrial manufacturers, and more. We specialize in developing unique and environmentally friendly solutions tailored specifically to a customer’s needs. Our experts thoughtfully develop all products to encompass all aspects of use from production through the end-user.

DBT Coatings’ state-of-the-art technology and processes reduce guess work and potential downtime customers might otherwise spend running pointless trials. Each of our formulations are tested and considered for attributes such as operator-friendliness and product performance. If a product doesn’t perform as expected, we go over each variable with the customer until we isolate the cause and identify a solution.

When partnering with Polytex and DBT Coatings, our customers benefit from our extensive portfolio of combined equipment, including:

Analytical

  • GCMS: Typically used for migration testing for sensitive applications
  • FTIR: Robust instrument typically used for cure analysis, substrate identification, and composition matching for QC
  • DMA: Determines viscoelastic properties of resin chemistries
  • Particle size analysis with DLS: Provides particle size distributions
  • 4K digital microscope: High-fidelity imaging and analysis of finished products
  • UV-Vis with integrating sphere: Light transmission and color analysis

Development

  • EB unit: Development of products for electron beam (EB) curing
  • UV-Hg unit: Development of products for conventional UV curing
  • UV-LED unit (395 nm & 365 nm): Development of products for UV-LED curing.

Physical Testing

  • COF: Verify COF control for packaging applications
  • Peel tester: Verify adhesive bond strengths
  • Taber: Testing wear resistance
  • Martindale: Testing wear resistance
  • Sutherland rub: Testing wear resistance

Environmental Testing

  • Environmental chamber: Temperature and humidity testing
  • Salt fog: Simulates extreme outdoor conditions that lead to corrosion
  • Xenon with thermal cycling: Light fastness testing with sunlight exposure
  • Q-UV with water spray function: Simulates outdoor exposure with sunlight, condensation, and intense water spray

Application

  • UV flexo press: Used to test product performance using a customer’s press conditions
  • HP Indigo 4000 series: Used to test and develop chemistries that are compatible with digital printing applications

Lead Times & Secondary Services

Our analysis lead time ranges from 1-5 days. Project development lead times vary widely depending on the scope of the project, ranging from a week to as much as one year. We also offer a variety of support services — including developing resolutions for products that did not originate with DBT Coatings or Polytex – and offer technical assistance throughout the full lifecycle of our products.

About DBT Coatings

DBT Coatings is committed to innovation and special coating development through our investment in research and testing techniques. The combined products and capabilities of Polytex Environmental Inks and Daybreak Technologies offer a diverse portfolio for our customers.

Our staff welcomes the opportunity to work with you to explore the advantages of aqueous and energy-curable inks, coatings, and adhesives for your application. Please contact us to discuss your needs.