The new laboratory brings together BASF’s technical capabilities for epoxy systems (Baxxodur® brand) to support the development of new epoxy composite applications.

The laboratory offers facilities for simulating a customer’s production processes with Baxxodur resin systems and the ability to develop tailored solutions for customer’s specific process conditions. BASF also has increased its technical support team with experts who provide on-site customer support.

“This investment reinforces BASF’s commitment to the wind energy market and will help us serve our customers better by providing fast and reliable technical support tailored to their needs,” explains Teressa Szelest, Senior Vice President of BASF’s Chemical Intermediates Division.

Composites based on thermosetting epoxy resin systems have become an established material for the production of modern wind turbine rotor blades, BASF reports. The company says its Baxxodur epoxy systems can be processed faster, and over a wider temperature range, than conventional systems, offering up to a 30% improvement in production efficiency.

This investment in North America is part of BASF's overall strategy to provide customers with a global network of technical support. BASF also has epoxy composite technical centres in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Shanghai, China.

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16 400 employees in North America, and had sales of $17.7 billion in 2010.