5 Interesting Facts About Paints and Coatings

While paint manufacturers each have their own specially developed formulas for producing paint, in general paint has four main components: the binder, the solvent, the pigment/filler package, and an additive package. Our fillers, dispersion agents, and additives are used in paints and coatings around the world that are developed for industries including architectural, automotive, sporting goods, household appliances, and ink printing. Our additives are used in formulations alongside alkyds, acrylics, and urethanes.

Here are five interesting facts about paints and coatings:

1. Food-grade phosphoric acid makes high quality phosphates for paint

Phosphates are often used as binders and dispersion agents in paint, providing smooth flow, optimizing shelf life, and improving addition ratios. But the quality of phosphates can vary, which can cause frustrating variations in the end product. One benefit of using phosphates made from food-grade phosphoric acid is that the strict quality control required for food-grade ingredients guarantees a consistently dependable product. Budenheim’s Fabutit 734 (Modified STPP) and Budit 8H are just a couple of the phosphates we offer to the paint and coatings industry that are made from food-grade phosphoric acid.

2. Scrubbable matte paint is achievable by adjusting the filler package

Flat or matte finish paints might deliver a sought-after look, but that look usually comes at the expense of wearability and ease of cleaning. This is because matte paint has high pigment volume concentration (PVC), which increases its porosity. But with the right filler package, paint manufacturers are now able to develop matte paints with good wet scrub resistance. Dorfner Group’s Dorkafill refined and calcined kaolins are engineered paint fillers that provide matting and viscosity benefits beyond what is usually offered by a functional filler. When incorporated into the filler package, Dorkafill has been proven to increase PVC while maintaining or even improving the paint’s wet scrub resistance.

3. Additives provide corrosion resistance

Corrosion causes billions of dollars in economic losses every year, so it’s understandable why corrosion resistance is such an important property in paints and coatings developed for specific industries. For automotive coatings, we offer zinc phosphate and strontium chromate that are used as anti-corrosion additives. Galvanization of the underlying metal provides additional protection against corrosion. Because road salt can cause even galvanized car frames to rust prematurely, car owners in cold climates should still wash their cars frequently – including the undercarriage, which isn’t always included in a basic car wash – during snowy winter months to limit damage.

4. Blanc fixe isn’t just for making white pigment

Blanc fixe is a workhorse of the paints and coatings industry due to the numerous benefits it offers aside from its color. As part of the filler package or as an additive, blanc fixe can enhance corrosion resistance, improve adhesion properties, add whiteness and opacity, prevent flocculation of pigments, and function as an extender for titanium dioxide. Also, when blanc fixe is used in conjunction with Dorkafill, titanium dioxide can be extended even further than with blanc fixe alone.

5. A powder coating is essentially paint without a solvent

When manufacturers apply color to metal substrates and some other materials, powder coatings are often used instead of liquid paint. Washers and dryers, lockers, lawn mowers, toolboxes, snow shovels, and furnaces are usually powder coated. But if a powder coating is never in liquid form, how is it applied? Electrostatically. The powder is typically charged and applied using an electrostatic gun, such as a corona gun or a tribo gun, while the target object is grounded. After being coated, the object enters a curing oven, where the high heat causes the powder to undergo a chemical reaction that creates a uniform film. Then, the coated object is cooled, forming a hard coating.