ATIPIC / NVVT Technical Symposium (24/04/2025)

Michelman is innovating a sustainable future. We offer a range of waterborne surface modifiers with a bio-content certified according to ASTM D6866. The performance of these additives was evaluated in several binder systems (acrylic and polyurethane binders) and compared to synthetic surface modifiers. The biobased products perform similar or even better than the synthetic based alternatives for matting, abrasion resistance and other key properties.
Biobased surface modifiers allow formulators to develop coatings with increased amount of bio-sourced raw materials, without jeopardizing the quality of the coatings.

For decades the market of heavy-duty, high-temperature resistant coatings was dominated by the solventbased alkyl- and alkylphenyl- silicone resin technologies. Typically, such systems are indispensable for the fabrication of protective coating systems with long-term temperature resistance. Examples of such industrial applications include: exhaust pipes, stoving and incinerating appliance, chimneys, cookware etc. Recent regulatory changes in combination with growing environmental awareness motivated coating companies to start searching for more sustainable, ecologically friendly technologies with less VOC emissions and improved carbon footprint. Herewith, transition of technology platforms towards development of waterbased coating systems is one of the possibilities to address the challenge. Water-based silicone technologies are commercially available since the late 70- 80th of the last century, finding numerous applications in construction, general industry and personal care markets. Traditionally, such systems are manufactured via state-ofthe-art emulsification processes or direct emulsion polymerization. Hence, utility of such systems as resin binders for the formulation of high-performance, heat-resistant coating systems is rather limited. Excellent film-forming properties, combined with long-term temperature resistance and enhanced durability are typical product characteristics required for such applications. CoatOSil™ P905 is a newly developed, low-VOC, waterbased methylphenyl silicone resin technology, which can help addressing most of such quality specifications. Experimental results covered in the paper will demonstrate how this novel technology can be used to formulate multiple protective coating finishes, including corrosion primers, HT-topcoats and clearcoat finishes. We will also discuss benefits of CoatOSil™ P905 technology in view of ever growing importance of sustainability and carbon footprint reduction.

MS POLYMER^TM, a silane-terminated polyether, is traditionally used as a base resin for sealants and adhesives. However, in recent years, its application in coatings has gained increasing interest. One of the most advanced developments is its use in liquid-applied membranes for waterproofing roofs, offering an efficient alternative to solid roof membranes and simplifying roof renovation. The high flexibility and excellent compatibility of MS POLYMER^TM make it an effective modifier for epoxies and acrylates, enhancing coating properties such as crack resistance. Additionally, its ability to cure rapidly at room temperature, combined with its flexibility, presents opportunities for the development of low-temperature-applied underbody coatings, contributing to energy savings.

Traditionally, all paint layers (with the exception of the e-coat) on a car body are applied using a spraying process. One of the drawbacks of spraying is the high fraction (20-30%) of paint droplets that do not reach the object. This is called overspray and it needs to be removed from the spray booth air. Recently, a new method was introduced in the automotive industry which enables paints to be applied with very high precision, without overspray and only at the intended positions. This technique is called OFLA (overspray-free lack application) and offers significant advantages especially if more than one colour needs to be applied on the object such as with two-tone cars. Spray application requires extensive masking for such multi-tone applications which is a costly, time-consuming process resulting in high amounts of waste (paint and masking materials). With OFLA masking is no longer needed and thus results in substantial reductions in waste. Next to that, it also offers significant energy savings among others by strongly reducing the required volume of conditioned air which is normally needed to collect overspray. The OFLA applicator consists of a plate with several small holes through which the paint is applied resulting in well defined, parallel jet streams. One of the important challenges of OFLA is the much higher sagging tendency of OFLA-applied paints which results from the required low viscosity of the paint and from the high applied layer thickness. In this presentation we will discuss ways to solve potential sagging defects in OFLA-applied paints. Furthermore, we will discuss some appearance issues that are typical for OFLA-applied paints, see picture below for some typical examples. These were studied using two different in-house developed optical techniques which enable the quantitative determination (of the development) of these appearance defects in the freshly OFLA-applied paint layer during the flash-off drying and curing stages.