ance, adhesion and corrosion resistance are important. “Each of
our industrial customers has a different need,” said Steve Reiser,
vice president sales and marketing at Specialty Polymers, Inc.
“They are looking for products which meet their specific appli-
cation, and the performance goals they’ve established for their
coating. They want them quickly and they want technical sup-
port through the development process.”
Industrial coatings manufacturers have to deal with in-
creasingly stringent environmental regulation. In order to suc-
ceed, they need their suppliers to develop products that are up
to the challenge.
“We can only expect more environmental legislation and self-
regulation as we move down the value chain,” said Marie-Josée
Déry-Chauvetter, global strategic marketing manager, industrial
coatings, Dow Coating Materials. “This is a growing opportunity
for upstream suppliers who can provide innovative technologies.
It’s an opportunity that will grow at a significantly faster rate
than the overall industrial coatings market. It’s already starting
with the trend toward water-based coatings. Water-based tech-
nologies offer a viable alternative to solvent-based technologies
in targeted applications and conditions. However, the route to
attaining low volatile organics (VOCs) can be achieved by more
than one technology or concept. Coatings manufacturers that
partner with technology providers that offer multiple solutions
will be in the best position to grow.”
“Legislation has started to influence the way end users
view sustainability of their products,” added Natalia
Kasyanova, global business and market manager, finishes and
release coatings, DuPont Fluoropolymer Solutions. “Many
customers are asking for regulatory documentation to show
coating materials comply with requirements. We believe there
is a trend toward more sustainable offerings. DuPont cur-
rently offers a range of water- and powder-based products.
Coaters are asking about water-based and powder coatings,
and the move to these coatings is just starting. The transition
will take time since there are many variables involved for
coaters to move from solvent-based coatings to water- or
powder-based coatings.”
New raw materials
Raw material suppliers to the industrial coatings market are
called upon to meet coatings manufacturers’ demands for
durable, compliant products.
DuPont is launching a new generation of industrial nonstick
coating systems. They are made with patented DuPont GenX
technology, which enables DuPont to make high performance
fluoropolymers without the use of perfluorooctanoic acid
(PFOA), and to offer coatings with the same nonstick and chem-ical-resistant properties associated with DuPont coating technology. GenX technology includes a processing aid with a
favorable toxicological profile.
Dow recently launched Fastrack HE-2706 Acrylic Binder
for traffic paint. This is an emulsion polymer for waterborne
systems that matches the drying speed, durability, hiding and
visibility performance of solventborne systems while releasing
less VOC and using less latex and TiO2. Traffic paints formu-
lated with Fastrack HE-2706 Acrylic Binder allow for VOC
levels as low as 0.8 pounds/gallon. According to Dow, the big-
ger picture benefit, which will be very significant in rapidly ur-
banizing areas, is the ability to mark new roadways faster and
with less traffic interruption.
www.coatingsworld.com
Coatings World | 31
