Industrial Coatings

Industrial coatings are thin films deposited upon materials to add or enhance desired properties, such as color, conductivity, corrosion resistance, etc.  Most industrial coatings are enhanced by resins, which are the film-forming portion of the paint, coating, or sealant.  Some of the most commonly used resins in industrial coatings include acrylic-based paints, alkyd resins, aluminum, boron nitride, cement and mortar, ceramic-based industrial coatings, conversion coatings, epoxies, furan thermosetting resins, glass enamel, graphite, latex, metal-filled industrial coatings, nylon, oil-based paints, phenolic resins, plastisol, polyester, polyurethane and urethane, rubbers, silicates, silicone, PTFE, vinyl and wax (among many others).

Although industrial coatings are used to protect and enhance various surfaces and materials, their main function is to provide coloration.  In general, pigments are added to the industrial coatings to serve this purpose.  Primary pigment is commonly composed of titanium dioxide.  The amount of primary pigment impacts greatly on the hiding capabilities of the paint film and UV protection.  Secondary pigments are pigments such as talc, silics, calcium carbonate, mica, etc., which have little impact on hiding.  They are basically used as fillers to help control viscosity, leveling, sheen, etc.

Industrial coatings are available in many forms, which help to determine their manner of application and the types of properties they can impart to the coated surfaces.  These forms include aerosols, films and laminates, liquids, pastes, powders, solids, as well as diluted forms such as solvent-based industrial coatings, which contain primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as the carrier; and water-based industrial coatings, which contain mostly water as the carrier, but may also contain chemicals such as glycol ethers, alcohols, and other water soluble VOCs.

Industrial coatings may be dispensed, or applied, onto a surface using many tools and techniques.  While simple applicators such as brushes, rollers, screening, sponges and sprayers are most common, other widely used application forms include autophoretic application, electrocoating, and spinning.  Autophoretic application is a precipitation reaction of an organic resin that occurs by the action of an acid etching a metallic substrate. The ions of the oxidized metal codeposit with the vinyl emulsion resin in the autodeposition coating process. Electrocoating, or e-coating, is an electrochemical process where a voltage difference is applied across two electrodes immersed in an aqueous solution of organic material. The organic material migrates to one of the electrodes and forms a film on the electrode.  Spinning is a technique used to coat wafers with specific industrial coatings. The substance is first dispensed onto the wafer by way of flood dispense or spread dispense. The wafer can either be stationary or moving.  Once the substance has been dispensed, the wafer is spun up to high speed and the substance spreads evenly and dries. The higher the spin acceleration, the more uniform the industrial coating.

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Part Numbers for Coatings