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Innovation History

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Scott Bader was formed in 1920 in London (UK), then moved to Wollaston (UK) in 1940. The company has been instrumental in the development of polyester resins, designing the first room temperature cure polyester resin in 1941 and the first 'air drying' polyesters in 1949. Ernest Bader established Scott Bader Ltd as a Common Ownership Company in 1951 and three years later Scott Bader developed the first marine polyester resin. This was used to make the GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) hull for Halmatic's 'Perpetua' (the first large GRP boat in the world).

The company continued its close relationship with the marine industry and designed marine class Gelcoats in 1965. By 1980, an extensive range of Crystic® products had been built up and sold all over the world in markets such as building; transport; chemical containment and piping.

The development of today's Speciality Polymer business started in the 1960s with sales of Polidene, polyvinylidine chloride copolymers, for barrier coatings. Sobral alkyd resin production also commenced in this decade. By the early 1970s, Polidenes were in full scale production and in the late 1970s were also being used to offer fire retardant properties to the textile industry.

In 1975 Scott Bader received The Queen's Award for Technological Innovation for a full gloss Lightning emulsion paint based on Polidene.Here is a comprehensive overview of the development history of Scott Bader:

1922 First low-viscosity cellulose nitrate introduced to the UK lacquer industry.
1924 First oil-soluble synthetic resins introduced from Germany.
1928 American phebolic resins introduced to the UK.
1931 Tego film for the manufacture of high grade plywood introduced to the UK from Germany.
1933 First acrylic emulsions for leather introduced.
1934 First chlorinated rubbers introduced for the paint industry.
1936 First naphthenate driers for the paint industry introduced.
1938 Oxidised rubbers for the paint industry introduced.
1940 Production of phenolic resins started.
1941 Reclaimed rubber emulsions introduced to combat wartime rubber shortages.
1943 Production of alkyd resins started.
1946 First unsaturated polyester resins made in Europe.
1947 First cold curing polyester resins.
1949 First UK Technical Forum on UP resins held at Wollaston.
First UK manufacture of sulphonamide resins.
1950 First GRP boat made using SB UP resins.
1951 First manufacture in UK of translucent GRP roof sheeting.
"Tod 12" the first GRP production series boat made with SB resins.
First cold curing non-air inhibited resins introduced
1952 First complete car body made with SB resins.
1953 First thixotropic UP resins introduced.
1954 C189 introduced - first purpose designed marine laminating resin.
"Perpetua" - first large GRP boat, 15 metre, in the world made with Crystic resin.
1955 Alkali soluble PVA emulsion introduced.
Acrylic copolymer emulsion for paint applications introduced.
UP resins used in first transparant GRP roof sheeting.
1956 Polymeric and monomeric plasticisers introduced.
1957 First Gelcoats developed. The term "Gelcoat" has become the industry term for these materials.
1962 Polidene PVdC emulsions introduced
1964 First all GRP fishing fleet produced in South Africa using Crystic resins.
1967 First all GRP passenger carrying hovercraft built with Crystic resins.
1968 The "Sir Thomas Lipton" early advanced technology GRP sandwich construction 17 metre yacht. Winner if the 1968 singlehanded transatlantic race.
1969 Polidene copolymer emulsions for high-gloss paint introduced.
First intumescent UP resin, Crystic Fireguard, introduced.
1970 First 28 metre GRP trawlers built in Peru with Crystic resin.
Intumescent emulsion paint developed.
1971 Crystic SMC introduced.
1972 First 39 metre GRP yacht moulded in France with Crystic resin.
1973 Crystic 600 first Bisphenol modified UP resin for chemical containment.
1974 First alkali soluble acrylic emulsions introduced.
Water-dilutable alkali-soluble acrylics introduced.
1975 SB receive "Queen's Award for Technological Innovation".
Crystic resin used for first all GRP offshore RNLI lifeboat.

 

 First British Rail High speed trains using structural GRP made with Crystic resins.
1977 First environmentally safe marine antifouling coating, Crystic Copperclad.
First blister resistant marine matched laminating system.
1978 First ocean racing yacht injected using Crystic resins.
1979 "Eclipse" first lightweight Kevlar/GRP and PVC foam sandwich construction injected using VARI process. Joint "Yacht of the year" winner and highest individual points scorer in the Admirals Cup 1979 race.
Crystic low styrene emission resins intoduced for hand laminating application.
1980 Crystic 388 first clear Class 1/0 fire retarardant resin introduced.
1981 First resins to use visible light as the curing agent introduced.
1982 Crystic Impel moulding compounds introduced.
1983 First passenger carrying hovercraft bonded together using Crestomer structural adhesives.
1987 First "Sandown" class of minehunters made using Crestomer 1152PA structural fillets.
Crestomer 1174PA first Crestomer hybrid resin intoduced.
1988 "Flippin 'Eck" first high speed powerboat. First use of advanced Crystic resin hybrid technology with Crestomer and Kevlar reinforcements.

 

 First "purpose designed" low styrene emission resins for spray application introduced.
1989 "Flippin 'Eck" wins UKOBA national championships for Class 1 and Class 2 boats.
1990 "Flippin 'Eck" almost wins the world championships but defeated by an oil leak.
First "Fab 3" prototype RNLI lifeboat built with technology proven in "Flippin 'Eck.
1992 Aberfeldy bridge, worlds largest GRP bridge installed using the Crystic Plank system.
1993 First introduction of low styrene emission resins based on new wax free technology.
1994 New wax free styrene emission technology wins awards at BPF Conference.
1997 Crestomer Advantage cartridge based structural adhesive system introduced.
1998 Crystic Protec introduced setting new standards for exterior weathering performance.
1999 Crystic LS98PA, first low styrene emission gelcoat inroduced.
2006 Crestapol 1250, first purpose designed laminating resin with low fibre print through.
Crestapol 1230, introduced setting new standards for high temperature performance in a thermosetting resin.
2007 Crestapol laminating resins for use in high performance laminates using carbon fibre introduced.