Expectations for the appearance and performance of the paint film
Recently in the past, investigations1 were made in Europe, Japan and USA via internet to identify the expectations of automotive users from their car paint. The most important criterion was found as the performance with 48%, followed by color with 33%, having a shiny and attractive color and being manufactured with environmental friendly technologies were the other criteria. It was concluded that the primary expectation of automotive users is an increased performance of the car paint film.
Increasing the scratch & mar resistance, stone chipping, dust slipping and chemical resistance performances of the paint film will satisfy the expectations of the final users. Improvement of these performances can be achieved by using more densely cross linked and nano particle controlled clear coats.
It was also concluded that the users have expectations about the color and esthetical appearance of the paint film. Pigment producers continuously work on producing pigments having new color effects. Though the expectations of the final users are satisfied, the cost of the paint increases by using newly developed pigments. Besides color, the combination of distinctness of image (DOI) and leveling properties should also be taken into account when the esthetic of a paint film is discussed. The appearance and the paint transfer efficiency can be improved by using high speed rotational bells having high spraying flow rate.
In order to be considered as a “sustainable product”, not only paint material, but all products in general must meet the following two conditions, among other conditions:
- Products must be obtained using renewable, i.e., non-consumable resources,
- As low energy as possible should be used in the production, distribution and consumption of products and less waste should be generated,
In other words, not only paint production, but also the painting process is critical for sustainability. As Kansai Altan, we try to design sustainable products and make them available to our customers. For this purpose, we draw our path by following scientific and technological developments and making Product Life Cycle Assessment. (LCA)