www.american-coatings-show.com 15 ˜¨
¨
“Automotive Coatings are Designed for Ease of
Application and Long-Term Durability”
RESISTANCE TO SCRATCHES AND STONE CHIPS CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR ISSUE FOR EXTERIOR PAINTS
Christopher M. Seubert, research engineer for paint and research at Ford Research and Innovation Center, answers
questions on requirements, challenges
and demanded functionalities for automotive coatings. Without neglecting
high-quality standards, there are some
difficult challenges to overcome for automotive coating producers.
UU What are the latest trends in materials for automotive coatings?
Christopher M. Seubert: Lightweight
materials for fuel economy improvement
are of great interest to all automotive
OEMs. As fuel economy standards are
increased, the replacement of heavier,
traditional substrates with newer, lighter
substrates has become a focus. However,
quality expectations for the final, painted
substrates have not changed. All substrates, be they steel, aluminum, or composite, must have the ability to be painted
in mass quantities with a high degree of
quality, and be able to retain that quality
over the lifetime of the vehicle.
UU What functionalities are in demand
for automotive coatings?
Seubert: There is a significant push
for automotive coatings to provide additional functionality beyond decoration
and protection. A paint finish that can
heal minor scratches, resist or facilitate
the easy removal of dirt, and even harvest solar energy are possible functionalities of interest. Unfortunately, major
roadblocks exist between model, laboratory formulations that exhibit these abilities and commercial systems that can be
easily and consistently applied and also
meet quality requirements. Ultimately, a
new functionality cannot be implemented at the detriment of an existing functionality or performance requirement.
UU What are the most important requirements for automotive coatings today?
Seubert: Automotive coatings must be
designed for ease of application and long-
term durability. Coating systems that can
achieve a quality finish under a range of
processing conditions is of vital impor-
tance to automotive OEMs. Long-term du-
rability has always been, and will continue
to be, an important requirement for auto-
motive coatings. Coatings must last a mini-
mum of 10 years without any catastrophic
failures – delamination, cracking, signifi-
cant color change, etc. Long-term corro-
sion resistance is of particular concern,
Christopher M.
Seubert,
Ford Research
and Innovation
Center
as any pre-treatment or coating used on a
mix material body must provide corrosion
protection for all of the metallic body com-
ponents. The ability to resist scratches and
stone chips continues to be a major issue
for exterior coatings. This is a very difficult
challenge to overcome due to the underly-
ing physics involved in the interaction of a
hard metal or mineral with a soft polymeric
coating.
At Univar, we take a total-solutions approach for helping formulators create
today’s high-performance paints and coatings. Through our long-standing
relationships with the world’s leading producers, we deliver one-stop access to a
comprehensive portfolio of additives, resins, pigments, solvents, and fillers from
Dow, Dow Corning, Eastman, Honeywell, Huntsman, ExxonMobil, and many more.
Together with our deep industry and technical expertise, local market presence,
and value-added services, we are focused on safely providing tailored solutions
to help grow your business. Univar is Chemistry DeliveredSM.
The total
solution for
per formance
© 2015. Univar USA Inc. All rights reserved. AD-1042-1115
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For more information, visit www.univar.com, or contact
Univar at UnivarCA@univar.com or 855.888.8648.
Visit Univar at
ACS booth #2549
to learn more
AD-1042-1015_CASE_ACS pre show ad_v1.1.indd 1 11/20/2015 9:16: 44 AM
