Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine Jan/Feb 2023 - 42

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: POWDER RESINS - SUPER DURABLES
DURABILITY DEMAND
MEETING THE
Recent advancements have increased the
life of super durable architectural resins
BY NOELLE STAPINSKY
T
he demand for durability remains one of the biggest
challenges for the architectural and exterior façade
powder coating market. To add to that, coating
producers are also required to provide improved
product properties, product flexibility, improved flow and
appearance, scratch resistance, and improved adhesion for new
sustainable pre-treatments that are entering the market.
" In general, the coating market is looking for improved
durability (hyperdurable), appearance and flexibility. And they're
looking for more coating systems in general and that's why they
are looking to powder polyester systems as an alternative option, "
says Marten Houweling, global product manager for powder
coating resins at Covestro LLC, one of the world's largest polymer
companies.
" When you look at resin systems available for outdoor
durability you have standard polyesters, super durable polyesters
that give you a longer life for UV exposure-instead of a one year
south Florida performance, you get five years-and then when you
get into high rise applications, people talk about fluoropolymers
(FEVE) or fluorocarbon, which are products that will give you 10
years plus of south Florida exposure performance, " explains Bob
Cregg, business director for Covestro powder coatings in North
America. " We don't currently manufacture fluoropolymer type
of materials, although we are coming out with one. But as we are
historically a polyester producer, people are coming to us asking
for super durable polyesters and if we can extend the life from a
five-year to a 10-year performance window because polyesters
are a much more economical resin system. "
Indeed, the industry wants the economics of a polyester as
well as the performance of a longer life cycle. Cregg says that
some FEVE systems require a primer system or multi coating
processes. And when customers ask Covestro to extend a
polyester or super durable to a 10-year performance, in some
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instances the company might respond with a two-coat system as
well.
Multi-coat processes are also affected by new pre-treatments
that the industry is moving toward. For years, chromium pretreatments
have been used on aluminum extrusions. But as
chromium increasingly becomes unacceptable in the industry,
many have moved to zirconium-based pre-treatments and other
alternatives. But therein lies another challenge.
" With the move away from chrome-based treatments, there
are a variety of alternatives. But while some have good adhesion
properties for coatings, there are some out there that are a little
more difficult to adhere to, " says Cregg. " The move away from
chromium is about sustainability, but you must ensure that the
pretreatment system and the coating resin system are a good
match for one another. "
Recent Resin Developments
To meet industry demands, Covestro has developed a novel super
durable powder paint system, which is based on an optimised
amorphous super durable resin combined with a novel crystalline
resin, crosslinked with hydroxyalkyl amide (HAA).
" This development helps with another market niche that
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Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine Jan/Feb 2023

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