When It’s Finished, It’s Finished
The terms coating, finish, paint, and stain cover a wide spectrum of conversations, applications and technological parameters. It can be challenging to contemplate everything the application must provide in its end use. Hard to believe I am now saying this but, “in the old days”, solvent borne coatings and finishes were the answer to everything and their performance was tough to beat. Through decades of research and development, water borne technologies have come a very long way. Many performance aspects of solvent borne can now be achieved with water-based products, and I can still remember when everyone said it couldn’t be done. Today, the innovation in water-based technology is progressing at a record setting pace as concerns about pollution, VOC compliance, increased levels of performance, sustainability & environmental awareness has placed increased pressure on the industry. One of the more interesting chemistries is WEAH technology- also available in WUAH urethane chemistry.
While many chemistries can be, or are closely related across multiple industries, they often still maintain their own uniqueness in how they are formulated, applied, cured and colorized. The approach that yields the greatest success is for the raw material manufacturer to have a deep understanding of what parameters the formulator will be looking for such as:
- Need for a VOC compliant coalescing agent with appropriate evaporation rates within the coating or finish
- Minimal Film Formation Temperature (MFFT)
- Glass transition temperature of a binder or resin and its ability to adhere, flex yet be durable
- Elongation and tensile strength-film stretch recovery
- Curing and drying conditions
- Quick dry road marking capability
- Chemical, water, solvent, salt, ultra violet, gasoline & oil resistance and many other repellent & flame retardant capabilities
- Weatherability of a coating or finish for outdoor applications ie UV degradation, chalking, shrinkage, ability to hold pigment or dye color within a film
- Penetration, adhesion, abrasion & uniform crosslinking of a cured coating or finish
- FDA or food contact compliance
- Scrub resistance, early water resistance
- Formaldehyde free
- Stain blocking
First Source Worldwide stands ready to evaluate & understand your water-based coating and finishing needs and provide laboratory trials, startup formulations or technical guidance for the following markets:
- Textile
- Filter Media
- Architectural Coatings
- Elastomeric Roof Coatings
- Interior Wall Paint
- Coatings for Concrete
- Moisture/Water Barrier Coatings
- Road & Zone Markings
- DTM (Direct to Metal)
- Exterior Wood Coatings
- Water Repellent Coatings for Wood
- 1K WEAH Epoxy & WUAH Urethane Technology
- Fluorochemical Surfactants and Polymers
- Pigment Dispersions
- Liquid Dyes for Staining
First Source Worldwide has exhibited at SPE-CAD Retec, Coating Trends & Technologies, ANPIC Mexico & The American Coatings Show. We also attend the AWFS & IWF Wood Technology & World of Concrete shows. First Source Worldwide looks forward to continued expansion of our presence in the future.
Providing the perfect coating or finish is a very in depth and challenging task as the applied chemistry is expected to perform well with dozens of requirements or parameters in mind. There is an old saying amongst coatings and finishing technicians & formulators, “When it’s finished, it’s finished “, thus communication between the raw material manufacturer and the formulator is key to fully understand their goals and achieve the very best end result.
First Source welcomes the opportunity to evaluate and help construct your water based coating, paint and stain products, we want to help you to the finish line. Click the picture below to visit our Contact page if you have any further questions about products or shows we will be attending.
About the Author: Jerry Fitzpatrick
