COLOGNE, Germany — Since announcing a more sustainable and less toxic tire-cord adhesive system earlier this year, Continental A.G. and Turkey's Kordsa Tecknik Tekstil A.S. are reporting "strong demand" from companies interested in licensing the technology.
The resorcinol- and formaldehyde-free adhesive system, dubbed Cokoon, was introduced by the two companies in March as a free "open innovation, open source" platform to serve the industry.
Burak Ilgun, market development manager, Kordsa, told those attending the recent Future Tire Conference in Cologne the partners have sent out 25 non-disclosure agreements to interested parties in the past few months.
Tire manufacturers, textile suppliers and converters as well as materials research groups are among the companies interested in Cokoon, he added.
Conti and Kordsa are offering the technology as part of a technology pool: in return for the free licensing, each pool member has to cross-license its own existing and future improvements on the technology for free.
The name Cokoon, Mr. Ilgun explained, has been chosen to represent a "transformation" within the industry towards a more collaborative environment.
The new tire cord adhesive offers a sustainable alternative to systems based on formaldehyde and resorcinol, said co-presenter Thomas Kramer, head of expertfield reinforcements and skim compounds, Continental Reifen Deutschland.
Both formaldehyde and resorcinol are under increasing regulatory scrutiny due to human toxicity issues, Mr. Kramer told Future Tire delegates.