Deformulation of varnish in the laboratory

Chemical analysis Problem solving R&D support
More than 140 people
More than 140 people at your service
5200 m² laboratory
5200 m² laboratory + 99% of services are provided in-house

Your need: carry out the reverse engineering of a varnish and determine its chemical composition

What is a varnish?

First of all, before discussing the reverse engineering of a varnish, what do we mean by varnish? A varnish is a more or less viscous liquid formulation used to protect, tint, or enhance the surface of an industrial product. It is mainly made up of a natural or synthetic resin in solution or dispersion in a vegetable or mineral medium.

In addition, varnish has several characteristics such as transparency, gloss, and resistance. These vary depending on the resin originally used.

In what context should a varnish be reverse engineered?

Varnishes are made up of complex mixtures. The reverse engineering of varnishes consists in determining, through various chemical analysis;

  • the nature of the components of this mixture
  • the quantities of materials present in the varnish formulation

The reverse engineering of a varnish can be linked to different industrial objectives, such as:

Industrial objectives

Compare the composition of your varnish with a competing product

Analyze and determine the composition of an unknown varnish

Check the composition of a varnish against an SDS

Le laboratoire FILAB vous accompagne dans la déformulation de vernis

Avec plus de 30 ans d’expérience, le laboratoire FILAB excelle dans la déformulation (reverse engineering), et notamment la déformulation de vernis, grâce à un parc analytique de pointe permettant d’identifier avec précision et rapidité chaque composant. Nos experts déploient des technologies avancées pour analyser et comprendre la composition des vernis, offrant ainsi des résultats fiables et des solutions personnalisées.

Prestations

Découvrir nos prestations de déformulation polymères

Pack « signature » : identification / empreinte rapide

Identifier rapidement la nature du polymère principal (tri matière, contrôle simple).

Pack « signature + » : identification / empreinte rapide

Identifier rapidement la nature du polymère principal (tri matière, contrôle simple).

Pack « structure » : identification structurelle et formulation

Déterminer la composition de la matrice polymérique et comprendre sa structure moléculaire (copolymères, dégradations thermiques, stabilités).

Pack « insight » : identification structurelle, formulation et charges

Identifier le polymère et la présence/ nature des charges minérales.

Pack « ADDITIFS ORGANIQUES » : Recherche qualitative des additifs organiques en présence

Identifier l’ensemble des constituants organiques (polymère + additifs).

Pack « DEEP » : déformulation complète

Obtenir la composition totale, organique et minérale

Get a quote for polymer de-formulation studies:

Easily compare our offers using the table below, which details the techniques included in each package to help you choose the one best suited to your needs.

Have a question? We invite you to fill out the form on the right to speak with our expert directly.

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 FTIRPy-GCMSTGASEM-EDXNVRGC/MSLC-HRMS
PACK
“Signature”
      
PACK
“Signature +”
     
PACK
“Structure”
     
PACK
“Insight”
   
PACK
“ORGANIC ADDITIVES”
   
PACK
“DEEP”

Our technical capabilities for varnish de-formulation

Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry(GCMS)

The DSC

Liquid Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (LCMS)

ICP-MS

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

The XRD

Infrared Microscopy (IRTF)

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

Pyrolysis GC-MS

How to carry out varnish de-formulation

The success of a de-formulation lies in a thorough understanding of the intended application and the implementation of rigorous analytical methods. This makes it possible to characterize the chemical composition of the organic and mineral fractions.

De-formulation involves several key steps:

Component separation : Use techniques such as chromatography to separate the different components of the mixture.
Component identification : Use spectroscopic techniques (such as mass spectrometry or nuclear magnetic resonance) to identify the chemical structure of the separated components.
Component quantification : Measure the concentrations of the identified components in the mixture.
Reformulation : Once the components and their proportions are known, the product can be reformulated to test or produce a replica or an improved version.

Target industries for nail polish reformulation

FILAB’s expertise in coating de-formulation serves a wide range of advanced industries facing challenges related to surface protection, insulation, or aesthetics. Our services apply in particular to the following sectors:

  • Microelectronics and electronics: for the analysis, testing, or reverse engineering of conformal coatings (conformal coating) essential for protecting boards and components.

  • Theaerospace, space and defense : where compliance and the thermal or chemical resistance of coatings are critical.

  • Theautomotive and transportation sectors: to validate the durability and uniformity of protective coatings for bodywork or polymer parts.

  • The luxury and cosmetics : for the development, quality control, or regulatory compliance of finishing coatings or premium packaging.

The filab advantages
A highly qualified team
A highly qualified team
Responsiveness in responding to and processing requests
Responsiveness in responding to and processing requests
A COFRAC ISO 17025 accredited laboratory
A COFRAC ISO 17025 accredited laboratory
(Staves available on www.cofrac.com - Accreditation number: 1-1793)
A complete analytical facility of 5,200m²
A complete analytical facility of 5,200m²
Tailor-made support
Tailor-made support
Video debriefing available with the expert
Video debriefing available with the expert
Anaïs DECAUX Customer Support Manager
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