Unsaturated polyester resin is the most commonly used type of thermosetting resin, which is generally a linear polymer compound with ester bonds and unsaturated double bonds formed by the condensation of unsaturated dicarboxylic acid with diols or saturated dicarboxylic acid with unsaturated diols. Usually, the polyester condensation reaction is carried out at 190-220 ℃ until the expected acid value (or viscosity) is reached. After the polyester condensation reaction is completed, a certain amount of vinyl monomer is added while hot to prepare a viscous liquid. This polymer solution is called unsaturated polyester resin.
Unsaturated polyester resin has achieved great success in many industrial fields, such as in the manufacture of windsurfing and yachts in water sports. This polymer has always been at the core of the true revolution in the shipbuilding industry, as it can provide excellent performance and very high flexibility in use.
Unsaturated polyester resins are also commonly used in the automotive industry due to their design versatility, light weight, low system cost, and low mechanical strength.
This material is also used in buildings, especially in the manufacture of cookware, stoves, roof tiles, bathroom accessories, as well as pipes and water tanks.
The applications of the unsaturated polyester resin are varied. The polyester resins in fact represent one of the absolute
compounds used in a wide range of industries. The most important, as well as those illustrated above, are:
* Composite materials
* Wood paints
* Flat laminated panels, corrugated panels, ribbed panels
* Gel coat for boats, automotive and bathroom fixtures
* Colouring pastes, fillers, stucco, putties and chemical anchorings
* Self-extinguishing composite materials
* Quartz, marble and artificial cement
