exhibited by high performance pigments that distinguishes them
from other pigments is their durability in the applications. Some
examples of this include light fastness and resistance to chemical
attack and high temperatures.
Use of effect pigments allows customers to highlight their
products in terms of design and appearance, drawing the end
use customer to their lines and providing consumer appeal.
In addition, the metallic series of pigments provide functional
properties to end use applications such as improved anti-corro-
sion, thermal stability, and UV reflectance.”
The exterior paint of a vehicle has a considerable impact on
consumer impression of a vehicle.
“Higher chroma opaque, transparent and effect pigments
create new color spaces that help OEMs differentiate their
products and drive sales,” Crosby said. “An incremental cost
increase on a single pigment in the price of today’s vehicle is
relatively negligible from the consumer perspective. Often a
higher chroma effect pigment can be used to deliver reduced
loading or greater hiding which generates value in use for our
formulating customer.”
Some new products that have been released by
Sunchemical are Sunfast Elastomer Black. These low gloss
black pigments come with improved jetness for waterborne,
solventborne and powder coatings, which impart physical
toughness, chemical resistance, and water resistance onto
most applications. Made from 100 percent post-consum-
er recycled rubber, the newest addition to Sun Chemical
Performance Pigments’ diverse pigment line utilizes a fine
particle size black elastomer pigment that creates an attrac-
tive low sheen coating with excellent flow and leveling in
thin, smooth finishes. Ideal for coatings on plastic, wood,
coil and powder coatings, the new offering is well-suited
for use on consumer electronics, automotive interiors, floor-
ing, cabinets, furniture, direct to metal finishe and sound-
proofing coatings.
Sun Chemical’s new SunMica Exterior XC is a series of
13 pearlescent special effect pigments specially geared for
exterior coatings applications, especially powder coatings.
Available in all major colors, including six particle size distributions of pearlescent white, SunMica Exterior XC consists of thin natural mineral mica flakes coated with optical
layers of titanium dioxide and/or iron dioxide that have
been specially treated to have exceptional outdoor durability. SunMica Exterior XC pigments add depth, shimmer and
sparkle, providing unlimited styling possibilities.
Benda-Lutz MAXAL EC are encapsulated pastes for
industry-leading chemical resistance and offer state-of-the-art EC encapsulation technology, which add enhanced
gassing stability in waterborne paint and provide superior
resistance to alkali and acid staining without impacting the
optical properties of the base aluminum flake. These pigments can be used for a wide variety of applications including the coating of automotive parts and accessories
and outdoor architectural coatings in powder and liquid
paints. Sun recently added products to its perylene line.
These pigments allow customers to slim their portfolio and
retain their ability to color the extremes. This range offers
high transparent blue or yellow shade maroons and works
in both water and solvent systems. Palomar which is A red-dish-blue high performance effect pigment for coatings that
can maintain color properties for years under the impact of
sunlight and other harsh weather conditions. In addition to
strong weather-fastness capabilities, Palomar can be used in
both water and solvent systems for OEM, refinish automotive and industrial coatings.
Benda-Lutz SPLENDAL which is known for unsurpassed
brilliance, pronounced flop effect, gloss and opacity allows
coatings formulators to produce dynamic liquid metal and
chrome-like effects. These microscopically thin aluminum
platelet suspensions are produced with a unique vapor deposition technology providing smooth flake geometries for
the highest level of brilliance and coverage for solvent, water based and energy curable coatings.
BASF has launched several new products recently.
“Last year we launched several high saturation Irgazin or-
ganic orange and blue shade reds for extreme conditions for
automotive and industrial application,” Crosby said. “Our
Lumina Royal line of reduced particle size distribution mica
pigments helps automotive stylists in the Blue, Indigo and
Aqua shades. Our Glacier line of synthetic mica is also gain-
ing popularity in a range of cosmetic, industrial, and automo-
tive applications. Finally, our silver dollar aluminum flake
Paliocrom line is helping to define the next generation of au-
tomotive stylings.”
Although HPP and special effect pigment manufacturers re-
main focused on the automotive and industrial coatings markets
to grow their business, they also look to other industries as well.
“Automotive and industrial coatings will remain the foundation for growth of high performance pigments markets, however, growing requirements for stability and functionality will
position architectural and building materials for tremendous
potential growth,” Heitzman said.
It can be hard to predict specific market trends but BASF rec-
ognizes consumers are increasingly seeking customized product
features reflecting their unique styles.
“OEM designers recognize this and we will support them
with pigments to create unique esthetics, durable performance,
and consistent quality,” Crosby said. “The effect pigment tech-
nology is still evolving and that is where BASF feels we can help
deliver optimum value for our customers.”
Creating new and unique color spaces while meeting strin-
gent weatherability standards remains a core mission of Sun’s
development efforts.
“Heat management products including IR reflective and
transparent pigments help facilitate passenger comfort while
contributing to global sustainability,” Crosby explained. “We
confidentially collaborate with numerous and diverse customers
to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s coatings. Please contact
us on how we can advance your formulations with our passion
for chemistry.” CW
