Interview: “The colourful world of coatings will become even more specific”

What are the current trends in industrial coatings?

Rolf Simon: The requirements imposed on coatings are becoming highly specific. Take the automotive industry, for example, where it’s standard practice to keep changing colours and a tailor-made solution is sought for every component. Functionalities such as anti-scratch, easy-to-clean, intrinsic flame resistance or self-healing will cross over into everyday life and the colourful world of coatings will become even more specific. Not only do the colours need to be changed, but also the quality of the coatings.

What develop ments are currently taking place in the field of hardeners?

Simon: Unfortunately, still far too few, you might say at first glance. A closer look, though, reveals that some manufacturers have made enormous efforts.

Rolf Simon

Synthopol

Some have sought alternatives to polyisocyanates while others have produced polyisocyanates that have a very high content of renewable raw materials. Although that does not make the products any healthier, it does conserve resources.

The monomer content of many polyisocyanates has also been reduced substantially – to below 0.1% – without any appreciable change in the technological properties of the applied coating. This means that paint shops can continue to work as usual despite the tightening of limit values.

Where do you see the main advantages of 2K coatings over 1K coatings?

Simon: They save on time, energy and VOCs while delivering the best of quality. Or to put it another way, 2K coatings are used when, in the case of 1K coatings,

• Drying is too slow
• The chemical resistance is inadequate
• The adhesion is not good enough
• Weathering resistance is inadequate
• The substrate for a stoving paint is not heat-stable enough (plastics, solder joints, dimensionally stable parts, wood and timber-derived materials, textiles…)
• The object to be coated is too large for a stoving oven, or
• Objects of continually varying geometry are painted

You are the guest speaker for the European Coatings “2K Industrial Coatings” seminar in September. What can participants expect?

Simon: Everything they need to know about 2K industrial coatings: from the basics to processing and related problems, from specific examples to dreams of the future. I will also be discussing the choice of binders, how the content of hardener is determined (taking the example of polyol/polyisocyanate) and other formulating factors that need to be taken into account.

Event tip

The European Coatings Seminar 2k Industrial coatings will take place on September 11 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.