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Can powder coatings growth continue?
POWApr03 14/4/03 10:47 am Page 1
(Black plate) Production3 Macintosh HD:Focus 2003:Powder Coatings:
P O W D E R C O AT I N G S A MONTHLY REPORT FROM SID HARRIS
CAN POWDER COATINGS GROWTH CONTINUE?
APRIL 2003 In this issue
TECHNICAL
2-3
The science of coatings? Powder coatings material development
INDUSTRY NEWS
4-5
Building paints in Western Europe: mediocre concentration Powder coatings: IGP completes factory expansion
MARKETS
6-7
Where will China’s coatings market go in 2003? Features of the current coatings market Increasing strategic importance of China
LEGISLATION
7-8
CEPE seeks revisions in EU Plan for decorative, refinish coatings VOC rule
PRETREATMENT
AN INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER MONITORING TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN POWDER COATINGS ISSN 1364–5439
8
New products and processes: pre-treatment for aluminium before powder coating
When I joined the coatings industry, some sixty years ago, it could hardly be described as a science, and it was difficult for me to understand what chemistry was involved in combining natural fossilized resins and natural oils. Fortunately, this aspect of the coatings industry was already in decline as natural resources became depleted. These early days saw the advent of alternative synthetic binder systems and I began to appreciate the potential for designing desirable coating qualities into synthetic resins. It was not an easy task during the war years when most of the common synthetic raw materials contained impurities that often promoted the least desirable end product. Over the years the coatings industry has matured and the development of modern binders, pigments and additives can truly be claimed as a science. However, while the industry has accepted the benefits of modern technology it has continued to hoard and even proliferate the use of earlier technologies to the extent that it is now encumbered with an awesome number of coating combinations. This accumulation of redundant coatings technologies is discussed in the first abstracted paper by Robert
Matheson of DuPont Performance Coatings and is a cautionary warning to the traditionalists in our industry. New tools and new approaches to formulating are essential to survival in this century. How many I wonder will heed this warning? The International Waterborne, High-Solids and Powder Coatings Symposium seems to be conscious of the need for change although there is a strong commercial pressure from suppliers to continue to improve products that are past their sell-by date. This year there is a session devoted to powder coatings topics, and the keynote address in this session is also a review of development history although it stresses the importance of new and novel innovation if growth in the industry is to be sustained. There is no doubt that the major groups of international players will adopt the need to innovate and they will certainly prosper. I fear for the safety of the remainder. In the industry news section, a report from a French banking survey points out that 2003 is a year that will see continued expansion by the large companies who already employ 75% of the industry labour, have 80% of the turnover and ship 90% of French coating exports. The usual dismal reports continue to emanate from
POWApr03 14/4/03 10:47 am Page 2
(Black plate) Production3 Macintosh HD:Focus 2003:Powder Coatings:
F O C US the major international players, though this is a good time for them to rationalize since their other in-house activities allow them to weather the current industrial decline in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in North America. Asian companies, apart from those in Japan, are still showing strong growth in the coatings industry and this is strengthened by investments on the part of the international groups who, while suffering the downturn in their main markets, are sensibly planning for the future. Sid Harris
TECHNICAL The science of coatings? An erudite Plenary lecture at the 30 International Waterborne, High-solids & Powder Coatings Symposium addressed the subject of the technology of coatings in 2003, and the anticipated changes. Dr Robert Matheson of DuPont Performance Coatings introduced his topic by questioning the term “Science of Coatings” which has often been used to describe the dynamic, but invariably chaotic, diversity of coating forms that co-exist at the beginning of the 21st century. This wide and ever increasing range of coating types and application methods seem to lack the systematic or common coating techniques that would confirm its development over many generations as a “Science”. The pressures for change are motivated mainly by environmental considerations, but other aspects include the universal need for greater durability, particularly the demands for increased resistance to scratch and mechanical abrasion, and many other instances for improved performance in specialized 2
O N
POWDER
applications. Improved lifetimes for coatings, a wider range of appearances, more practical application methods and lower costs, all add to the pressures for change in coatings technology. There are, of course, constraints on the acceptance of change in coatings technologies. A major factor is the use of materials that are cost effective, and since the coatings industry is not a prime user of the basic raw materials it is dependent upon other industrial processes to offer the large volume outlets that lower the expense of the material in comparison to materials used in smaller quantities. This is a major constraint on change since the coatings scientist is restricted in the desire to focus only on the most desirable attributes by considerations of cost and availability. A second significant constraint, responsible for much of the diversity in modern coatings technology, is the difficulty of predicting long term performance. Coatings are used to decorate and protect the objects coated, and protection against weathering, aging, durability and its service life, is most important. This aspect is receiving much attention and progress is being made in evaluating the performance of additives. However, the need for absolute predictability does necessitate slow real time durability testing in real application environments, and this proliferates a diversity of alternatives. A decision to choose a particular coating option is often based on considerations of capital investment costs, with the element of risk attached to changes in the infrastructure of the application process, this produces a measure of caution to accept only minor changes in familiar coating compositions. Today’s coating technology offers a bewildering array of choices and this is apparent in the automotive industry. Steel substrates have an initial layer of cathodic electrocoat, followed by
C OAT I N G S either solvent or waterborne basecoats, solvent, waterborne or powder primers, one pack and two pack solventborne clear coats, or one pack waterborne and powder clear coats. The composition and curing chemistry is also diverse, comprising acrylic, polyester, polyurethane or vinyl chemistry cured by carbamate, epoxy, isocyanate, melamine, or silane, either singly or in combination. There are, however, a number of technical developments that may be capable of bringing order and method to the current diversity of coatings technologies. Controlled free radical polymerization may provide the benefits of narrowing molar mass distribution in constructing block, graft and hyperbranched molecules with controlled end grouping and the monomer patterns in the polymer chain. Tailored polymers can be produced at modest cost using techniques such as reversible addition-fragmentation technology (RAFT), or a number of similar techniques. The benefits of narrow molar mass distributions are the improvement in flow and leveling and other application characteristics. The method will be capable of designing new coating polymers from existing monomers using commercially available equipment and techniques, without contravening new regulatory restrictions. A second approach is the use of structured oligomers as film forming agents. Structured oligomers in crystalline form may have relevance in powder coatings although it will clearly be necessary to design versions within a narrow range of melting points. Nanoparticles of inorganic or crosslinked organic materials have been used in many coatings technologies and they are capable of improving fracture toughness, surface hardness and other properties. Another tool available to the formulator is the capability of modern analytical equipment for studying molecular APRIL 2003
(Black plate) Production3 Macintosh HD:Focus 2003:Powder Coatings:
P O W D E R C O AT I N G S A MONTHLY REPORT FROM SID HARRIS
CAN POWDER COATINGS GROWTH CONTINUE?
APRIL 2003 In this issue
TECHNICAL
2-3
The science of coatings? Powder coatings material development
INDUSTRY NEWS
4-5
Building paints in Western Europe: mediocre concentration Powder coatings: IGP completes factory expansion
MARKETS
6-7
Where will China’s coatings market go in 2003? Features of the current coatings market Increasing strategic importance of China
LEGISLATION
7-8
CEPE seeks revisions in EU Plan for decorative, refinish coatings VOC rule
PRETREATMENT
AN INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER MONITORING TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN POWDER COATINGS ISSN 1364–5439
8
New products and processes: pre-treatment for aluminium before powder coating
When I joined the coatings industry, some sixty years ago, it could hardly be described as a science, and it was difficult for me to understand what chemistry was involved in combining natural fossilized resins and natural oils. Fortunately, this aspect of the coatings industry was already in decline as natural resources became depleted. These early days saw the advent of alternative synthetic binder systems and I began to appreciate the potential for designing desirable coating qualities into synthetic resins. It was not an easy task during the war years when most of the common synthetic raw materials contained impurities that often promoted the least desirable end product. Over the years the coatings industry has matured and the development of modern binders, pigments and additives can truly be claimed as a science. However, while the industry has accepted the benefits of modern technology it has continued to hoard and even proliferate the use of earlier technologies to the extent that it is now encumbered with an awesome number of coating combinations. This accumulation of redundant coatings technologies is discussed in the first abstracted paper by Robert
Matheson of DuPont Performance Coatings and is a cautionary warning to the traditionalists in our industry. New tools and new approaches to formulating are essential to survival in this century. How many I wonder will heed this warning? The International Waterborne, High-Solids and Powder Coatings Symposium seems to be conscious of the need for change although there is a strong commercial pressure from suppliers to continue to improve products that are past their sell-by date. This year there is a session devoted to powder coatings topics, and the keynote address in this session is also a review of development history although it stresses the importance of new and novel innovation if growth in the industry is to be sustained. There is no doubt that the major groups of international players will adopt the need to innovate and they will certainly prosper. I fear for the safety of the remainder. In the industry news section, a report from a French banking survey points out that 2003 is a year that will see continued expansion by the large companies who already employ 75% of the industry labour, have 80% of the turnover and ship 90% of French coating exports. The usual dismal reports continue to emanate from
POWApr03 14/4/03 10:47 am Page 2
(Black plate) Production3 Macintosh HD:Focus 2003:Powder Coatings:
F O C US the major international players, though this is a good time for them to rationalize since their other in-house activities allow them to weather the current industrial decline in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in North America. Asian companies, apart from those in Japan, are still showing strong growth in the coatings industry and this is strengthened by investments on the part of the international groups who, while suffering the downturn in their main markets, are sensibly planning for the future. Sid Harris
TECHNICAL The science of coatings? An erudite Plenary lecture at the 30 International Waterborne, High-solids & Powder Coatings Symposium addressed the subject of the technology of coatings in 2003, and the anticipated changes. Dr Robert Matheson of DuPont Performance Coatings introduced his topic by questioning the term “Science of Coatings” which has often been used to describe the dynamic, but invariably chaotic, diversity of coating forms that co-exist at the beginning of the 21st century. This wide and ever increasing range of coating types and application methods seem to lack the systematic or common coating techniques that would confirm its development over many generations as a “Science”. The pressures for change are motivated mainly by environmental considerations, but other aspects include the universal need for greater durability, particularly the demands for increased resistance to scratch and mechanical abrasion, and many other instances for improved performance in specialized 2
O N
POWDER
applications. Improved lifetimes for coatings, a wider range of appearances, more practical application methods and lower costs, all add to the pressures for change in coatings technology. There are, of course, constraints on the acceptance of change in coatings technologies. A major factor is the use of materials that are cost effective, and since the coatings industry is not a prime user of the basic raw materials it is dependent upon other industrial processes to offer the large volume outlets that lower the expense of the material in comparison to materials used in smaller quantities. This is a major constraint on change since the coatings scientist is restricted in the desire to focus only on the most desirable attributes by considerations of cost and availability. A second significant constraint, responsible for much of the diversity in modern coatings technology, is the difficulty of predicting long term performance. Coatings are used to decorate and protect the objects coated, and protection against weathering, aging, durability and its service life, is most important. This aspect is receiving much attention and progress is being made in evaluating the performance of additives. However, the need for absolute predictability does necessitate slow real time durability testing in real application environments, and this proliferates a diversity of alternatives. A decision to choose a particular coating option is often based on considerations of capital investment costs, with the element of risk attached to changes in the infrastructure of the application process, this produces a measure of caution to accept only minor changes in familiar coating compositions. Today’s coating technology offers a bewildering array of choices and this is apparent in the automotive industry. Steel substrates have an initial layer of cathodic electrocoat, followed by
C OAT I N G S either solvent or waterborne basecoats, solvent, waterborne or powder primers, one pack and two pack solventborne clear coats, or one pack waterborne and powder clear coats. The composition and curing chemistry is also diverse, comprising acrylic, polyester, polyurethane or vinyl chemistry cured by carbamate, epoxy, isocyanate, melamine, or silane, either singly or in combination. There are, however, a number of technical developments that may be capable of bringing order and method to the current diversity of coatings technologies. Controlled free radical polymerization may provide the benefits of narrowing molar mass distribution in constructing block, graft and hyperbranched molecules with controlled end grouping and the monomer patterns in the polymer chain. Tailored polymers can be produced at modest cost using techniques such as reversible addition-fragmentation technology (RAFT), or a number of similar techniques. The benefits of narrow molar mass distributions are the improvement in flow and leveling and other application characteristics. The method will be capable of designing new coating polymers from existing monomers using commercially available equipment and techniques, without contravening new regulatory restrictions. A second approach is the use of structured oligomers as film forming agents. Structured oligomers in crystalline form may have relevance in powder coatings although it will clearly be necessary to design versions within a narrow range of melting points. Nanoparticles of inorganic or crosslinked organic materials have been used in many coatings technologies and they are capable of improving fracture toughness, surface hardness and other properties. Another tool available to the formulator is the capability of modern analytical equipment for studying molecular APRIL 2003