Specialty Coatings
From cool optical effect coatings for automotives to energy
savings coatings for the home, these specialty coatings
are not your average can of paint.
BY KERRY PIANOFORTE
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
For the average consumer, paint
and coatings are thought to be
merely a decorative adornment over a functional object. They
often neglect to realize that the coating itself can have an important
function on its own. From scratch-resistant nano technology to so-called “cool” coatings technology that
may help reduce a homeowner’s
energy bills, these specialty coatings
do more than just please the eye.
REVVED UP
AUTOMOTIVE COATINGS
Gone are the days when Henry Ford
told his customers that they could
have their car in any color they wanted “so long as it is black.” Today’s
consumers have a staggering amount
of colors and special effects to choose
from when selecting a vehicle. These
specialty coatings allow companies to
differentiate their products in a
highly competitive market and offer
enhanced performance such as
improved scratch resistance.
“Customers look to PPG for technology and concepts more then anything else,” said Jane Harrington,
manger of color styling, automotive
coatings for PPG. “They are looking
for ways to differentiate their products and give them brand identity.”
Year after year, certain colors and
effects continue to be the most
sought after in the auto industry.
Metal and liquid effect coatings are
consistently popular choices for automotive coatings.
“Two of the most common requests
for effect finishes are liquid metal,
which features a very fine silky metallized appearance, and low gloss finishes,” said Jerry Koenigsmark,
manger of color design, automotive
coatings, PPG. “As silver continues to
hold its place as the number one
color in popularity, designers continue to look at how this evolves to the
next generation, which is why the
liquid metal look is so in demand.”
Balancing appearance while maintaining high performance physical
properties is key when it comes to
these specialty automotive coatings.
“Some unique coatings like tri-coats
or tinted clearcoats/candy colors give
added color travel, depth and perceived value,” said Harrington. “These
types of coatings are limited to an
assembly plant’s processability.”
Another area of particular interest
for automotive coatings manufacturers is nanotechnology. “Today we are
working on nano size pigment dispersions,” said Koenigsmark. “This
technology enables PPG to develop
even more chromatic colors than we
BASF’s Glasurit has expanded its Fantasy Color palette by adding three new shades. From left to right, the new Sunlight,
Asteroid and Nightlife are iridescent paint systems that impart a finish that shines with a range of shades, depending on the
angle from which it is viewed.
