Coating Engineers formulate, analyze, produce, and test coatings. They then repeat these steps to provide for continuous improvement.
Chemical Coatings & Engineering Company was our name when we were founded in 1951. This name clearly stated the products we offered and our engineering philosophy. Our approach is to listen to our customers and when necessary, provide engineered customized coatings to meet their needs. We changed our name to Acrymax Technologies Inc. in 1994 but continued with the same engineering philosophy.
An Engineering Approach
An engineering approach for high-performance coatings requires the intricate process of evaluating polymers, functional pigments, and additives to engineer coatings that excel in performance and durability.
Another aspect of an engineered coating is the manufacturing process. Step-by-step procedures, including the order of addition of the ingredients of the coating formulation, are necessary to ensure that the desired coating properties are achieved. Efficient dispersion techniques are engineered to provide for complete dispersion of pigments and complete mixing of the coating.
A Word About Value Engineering Coatings
Value engineering intends to improve efficiency and reduce costs, however, there is a risk of compromising product quality when pursuing savings. Without thorough evaluation, there can be unintended consequences such as decreased durability, reliability, or performance. It is easy to formulate to make a coating less expensive, however, reducing costs will require sacrifices in certain properties. If that affects the performance of the coating for its intended use, it may not be a wise choice. The philosophy at Acrymax has always been, and will always be, to formulate with performance being the paramount concern.
Polymers
The choice of resin is fundamental to engineering a quality coating. The resin provides the backbone of the coating and must be carefully selected to deliver the desired properties for the particular application. Advances in polymer technology are leading to improvements in performance. This is especially true with waterborne resins that offer environmental benefits. A good example of this is the introduction of Kynar Aquatec®. This family of resins offers the possibility of producing waterborne fluoropolymer coatings that meet or exceed the performance of solvent-based coatings. These resins also allow the production of flexible fluoropolymer coatings for substrates other than metal. For roofing applications, a new acrylic polymer is soon to be introduced to the market that will improve the performance of these types of roof coatings.
Functional Pigments
The choice of pigments will significantly impact the performance, durability, and aesthetic appeal of the final product. Various functional pigments can be used to bring specific properties to a coating such as corrosion resistance, energy-saving infrared reflective properties, UV resistance, special effects such as a metallic look, and colors to meet aesthetic requirements.
Additives
Performance additives for coatings offer a myriad of unique functionalities. From improving flow and leveling, corrosion resistance, microbial resistance, enhanced substrate adhesion, and UV stabilization, among others. With the proper selection of additives specific functional properties and performance characteristics can be improved,
Engineered Coating Systems
In addition to engineering a particular coating to meet performance requirements, it is also critical to engineer the proper “coating system”. Multicoat systems can consist of primer, intermediate coats, and finish coats. Each coat will provide specific properties and functionalities to the overall coating system. A primer may provide adhesion, a mid-coat may provide film build and the finish coats may provide UV resistance and aesthetic appeal. Whatever the case, these parts of the coating system must be engineered to work together and complement one another so they provide the best performance possible.
Summary
When choosing a coating system, it is wise to select a coating and system that has been engineered to meet the requirements of its intended use. Collaboration between the end user and coating manufacturer goes a long way to ensuring success.
