EVALUATION OF POLYMER RESINS AND FILMS FORMED BY LEATHER FINISHING

The final appearance and technical features of leather are determined by the finishing stages of leather processing, which comprise a range of operations and treatments. It is desirable to reduce or mitigate the existing defects in the original hide, to modify the surface properties of the leather and to improve leather properties under conditions of use. In the final stages of leather processing, many products are applied to form a protective coating. These coatings include resins such as polyacrylates, polyurethanes and casein. In this context, this work aims to describe aspects of the films formed with commercial polymeric resins used industrially in leather finishing. A methodology is proposed for characterizing the properties of polymeric film layers and their correlation with the material composition, through a parameter survey and physical tests.