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Technical Center Middle East & Africa
Take advantage of support by specialists
Whether for new applications, changing customer expectations, growing competition or new governmental regulations, nearly all industries are forced to continuously optimize their products and processes today. This is why we have established a technical center in Dubai with extensive lab capatcities for different industries.
With our Technical Centers around the world, we work side-by-side with customers on new applications or to adapt products to regionally distinctive requirements. As the inventors of dispersible polymer powders, the leader in the market for polymer binders, and the holder of thousands of patents across sectors, WACKER can draw on a century of R&D and unparalleled applications consulting.
The Dubai Technical Center was established in 2001 and accredited in 2007. It is a highly specialized, applications-focused lab, supporting customers from the Middle East and Africa. We are ISO 17025 certified, which allows us to be recognized worldwide for testing coatings, adhesives and elastomer products. Our experts put their extensive knowledge and state-of-the-art test methods to work for you, developing value-adding products and formulations for various aspects of construction, paints, coatings & consumer care.
Cement & Concrete Lab
A new competence center for cement and concrete applications in Dubai is seeking to develop silicone products that will strive to improve the properties and durability of cement and concrete, with a special focus on performance-enhancing silicone additives. The goal is to provide innovative products and solutions that contribute toward the sustainable growth of the global construction-materials industry. Due to the nature of silicone-based additives, they have excellent compatibility with cement. This effect will help us to offer a variety of solutions tailored specifically for new types of cement. We use standard EN and ASTM methods to test and evaluate the efficiency of innovative products in our laboratories.
Adhesives Lab
Adhesives are indispensable for many applications in construction. Our ISO 17025 certified adhesives lab performs tests on adhesives such as liquid resins, emulsions or dispersions. State-of-the-art test methods provide reliable results and are the basis for further customization and optimization.
Mortars and Cementitious Systems
We can help you optimize key properties of your mortars and other cementitious systems, as well as reformulate them for new applications.
Consumer Care Lab
As leading silicon raw material producers, we specialize in supplying top-tier materials for Skincare, Coloring, Household Care and Hair Care. A dynamic hub for progress, tailored to meet the unique needs of the region beyond providing exceptional raw materials, we actively engage in formulation development and offer comprehensive customer support and training.
Architectural Coatings
To meet the demands of the modern paints and coatings industry, products must offer high quality and performance while complying with strict environmental and safety standards.
Silicone Elastomers
The engineering silicones’ lab is equipped to carry out developments for silicone elastomers. The main focus in the areas of application are insulator coatings, moldmaking and baking trays.
Adhesives and Carpet
High quality, flexibility and reliability are standard for us. The polymers’ lab adopts the international standard to local needs and conditions.
Certified Testing Methods
Does your product meet local requirements? Is it suitable for the specific climatic conditions? Does its formulation have to be adapted to the raw materials of the region?
A team of highly-trained specialists provides technical support, answers questions on formulations, provides training for customers’ technical personnel and cooperates closely with official standardization institutes.
At the Dubai Technical Center, all finishing construction applications, interior and exterior coatings, adhesives and carpet, as well as elastomers, can be tested for their behavior under real conditions. Here and at the WACKER MYLAB in Johannesburg, South Africa, experts apply test procedures in accordance with EN and ISO standards, as well as tests developed in-house.
Supporting standardization in the region
We started an innovative project together with Dubai Central Laboratories in Dubai to study how construction chemicals help make buildings more sustainable. Located in Dubai at the premises of DCL, this project aims to promote internationally recognized construction standards and techniques at a regional level, with an eye toward the broader picture of natural resource conservation and prolonged sustainability.
Proven Testing for Greater Application Reliability
Adhesives Lab
The ISO 17025 certification has been extended to the adhesives lab
| Test Method | Application | Standard | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Determination of Apparent Viscosity Using a Single Cylinder Type Rotational Viscometer Method |
Adhesives | Plastics - Resins in the Liquid State or as Emulsions or Dispersions | ISO 2555:2018 |
Mortars and Cementitious Systems
New tests
| Test Method | Application | Standard | ISO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Determination of Open Time | Dry Mortar | Ceramic Tiles - Grouts & Adhesives Part 2: Test Methods for Adhesives | ISO 13007 - 2 Clause 4.1 |
| Determination of Slip | Dry Mortar | Ceramic Tiles - Grouts & Adhesives Part 2: Test Methods for Adhesives | ISO 13007 - 2 Clause 4.2 |
| Determination of Tensile Adhesion Strength | Dry Mortar | Ceramic Tiles - Grouts & Adhesives Part 2: Test Methods for Adhesives | ISO 13007 - 2 Clause 4.4 |
| Determination of Transverse Deformation | Dry Mortar | Ceramic Tiles - Grouts & Adhesives Part 2: Test Methods for Adhesives | ISO 13007 - 2 Clause 4.4 |
| Open Time | Dry Mortar | American National Standard Specifications for Dry-Set Cement Mortar | ANSI A118.1 Clause 5.3 |
| Sag Resistance on Vertical Surfaces | Dry Mortar | American National Standard Specifications for Dry-Set Cement Mortar | ANSI A118.1 Clause 6.0 |
| Shear Strength to Ceramic Tile | Dry Mortar | American National Standard Specifications for Dry-Set Cement Mortar | ANSI A118.1 Clause 7.0 |
| Open Time | Dry Mortar | American National Standard Specifications for Modified Dry-Set Cement Mortar | ANSI A118.4 Clause 5.3 |
| Sag Resistance on Vertical Surfaces | Dry Mortar | American National Standard Specifications for Modified Dry-Set Cement Mortar | ANSI A118.4 Clause 6.0 |
| Shear Strength to Ceramic Tile | Dry Mortar | American National Standard Specifications for Modified Dry-Set Cement Mortar | ANSI A118.4 Clause 7.0 |
| Open Time | Dry Mortar | American National Standard Specifications for Improved Modified Dry-Set Cement Mortar | ANSI A118.15 Clause 5.3 |
| Sag Resistance on Vertical Surfaces | Dry Mortar | American National Standard Specifications for Improved Modified Dry-Set Cement Mortar | ANSI A118.15 Clause 6.0 |
| Shear Strength to Ceramic Tile | Dry Mortar | American National Standard Specifications for Improved Modified Dry-Set Cement Mortar | ANSI A118.15 Clause 7.0 |
Accredited tests as per ISO 17025
| Test Method | Application | EN DIN |
|---|---|---|
| Density of fresh mortar | All mortars | EN 1015-6 |
| Waterproofing systems | Sealing slurries | EN 14891 |
| Compressive & flexural strength | Self-leveling compounds/screeds | EN 13892-2 |
| Flow test | Self-leveling | EN 12706 |
| Slip resistance | Tile adhesives | EN 12004-2 |
| Deformability | Tile adhesives | EN 12004-2 |
| Open time | Tile adhesives | EN 12004-2 |
| Tensile adhesion strength | Tile adhesives | EN 12004-2 |
| Abrasion resistance | Tile grouts | EN 12008-2 |
| Compressive & flexural strength | Tile grouts | EN 12008-3 |
Additional tests
| Test Method | Application | EN DIN |
|---|---|---|
| Air content of fresh mortar | All mortars | EN 1015-7 |
| Compressive strength of mortar | All mortars | EN 1015-11 |
| Consistency and plasticity of fresh mortar | All mortars | EN 1015-3 |
| Density of mortar (cured) | All mortars | EN 1015-10 |
| Determination of bond strength of hardened mortars | All mortars | EN 18555-6 |
| Determination of water impermeability | All mortars | DIN 1048-5 |
| Flexural strength of mortar | All mortars | EN 1015-11 |
| Particle size distribution | All mortars | EN 1015-1 |
| Water retention of fresh mortar | All mortars | DIN 18555-7 |
| Water uptake of mortar | Masonry mortars | EN 1015-18 |
| Water vapor permeability | Masonry mortars | EN 1015-19 |
| Screed materials | Self-leveling | EN 13813 |
| Water absorption | Tile grouts | EN 12808-5 |
Architectural Coatings
Accredited tests for interior paints as per ISO 17025
| Test Method | Standard |
|---|---|
| Gloss development | ASTM D523 |
| Blocking resistance | ASTM D4946 |
| Wet-scrub resistance and cleanability of coatings | DIN EN ISO 11998 |
| Wet-scrub resistance after 7 days (23 °C/50% re. hum.) |
ASTM D2486 (180 µm wet film thickness) |
Accredited tests for interior paints as per ISO 17025
| Test Method | Standard |
|---|---|
| Liquid water transmission, rate w24-value [kg/m2h0,5] |
EN 1062-3 |
| Water vapor permeability, wet-cup, sd-value | EN ISO 7783-2 |
| Wet-scrub resitsance after 7 days (23 °C/50% re. hum.) |
ASTM D2486 (180 µm wet film thickness) |
| Quantifying dirt pick-up | WACKER method |
| Water beading effect | WACKER method |
| Determination of the water absorption of gypsum-based material | DIN EN 520 |
Bitumen applications
| Test Method | Standard |
|---|---|
| Elongation test | WACKER method |
| Elastic recovery | WACKER method |
| Tensile adhesion | EN 14891 |
| Hydrostatic pressure | EN 14891 |
Silicone Elastomers
| Test Method | Standard |
|---|---|
| Shore A hardness | ASTM D2240/type A |
| Shore OO hardness | ASTM D2240/type OO |
| Dynamic viscosity | DIN EN ISO 3219 |
| Baking tray coating with silicones | WACKER method |
| Heat-ageing for silicone elastomers | WACKER method |
| Mold-making for silicone elastomers | WACKER method |
| Skin-forming time | WACKER method |
| Spray applications RTV coatings | WACKER method |
Adhesives and Carpet
Tests with relevant test methods for adhesives
| Test Method | Standard |
|---|---|
| Delamination/peel strength | WACKER test method close to DIN EN 1372 |
| Open time | WACKER test method |
| Heat resistance | WACKER test method |
| D3/D4 test for wood glue | EN 204 |
| Adhesion and peel strength with various difficult-to-bond substrates | WACKER test method |
Tests with relevant test methods for adhesives
| Test Method | Standard |
|---|---|
| Tuft bind strength in wet and dry conditions |
ISO 4919 |
| Delamination in wet and dry conditions | ISO 11857 |
