Paint Manufacturing – How is it Done?
There are many different reasons why paint is used every day, this includes decorative purposes, flame protection, water sealing and sanitation; depending on the properties and purpose of the paint being used. Paint is made from four key components. What is Paint made from? Pigments, control the colour and the finish of the paint when dry. There are different types of pigment:
The Prime Pigments: These include whites (made from Titanium Oxide) and colours including Green, Yellow and Red Chrome Oxides.
The Extender Pigments: This set of pigments includes compounds including Calcium Carbonate, Talc, Mica, and Barium Sulphates amongst others. Resin: The Resin is the binder that holds all the compounds used in the paint together due to the cohesive properties, as well as helping with adhesion to the surface that the paint is applied to. Acrylic Emulsion polymers are used in most paints. PVA is used generally to formulate paint with a lower base material cost. Protective coatings are provided by using different types of resins; including polysiloxane and Urethane. Solvent: Act as a carrier for the pigment and resin, this helps with the application and distribution of the paint. The solvent can be organic (mineral) or water based. Additives: Properties given by mixing additives to the paint help with effective such as resistance to mould and scuffing, quicker drying times and make the paint itself easier to handle during application. Manufacturing the Paint Making sure that the accurate amount of each ingredient is added is the first step in manufacturing the paint. This takes into account the amount of paint you need to produce, the colour that you want, and the finish. These measurements need to be extremely accurate so precise floor scales are used to measure very large quantities accurately. The pigments used in paint manufacture tend to stick together cohesively, which makes the colour patchy and uneven. The resin helps gve a smooth colour to the paint as it breaks down the clumps of colour. The additives added then prevent any further sitting throughout and after the paint manufacturing
process. As well as adding additives, high speed mixers are used to ensure complete mixing of the paint. For more stubborn mix clumps, other methods may need to be used: •
Ball Mills stop the clumping of pigments within smaller batches.
This done by the rolling and mixing motion of the porcelain balls. • Bead Mills are specialised for use in large batches and work a similar way to the ball mills. The beads are made out of 3mm diameter beads made of zirconium dioxide, this mixing occurs at a higher speed with a more rapid output. • Bar Mills are for highly viscous paint, which occurs by forcing the paint between metal bars and a roller through a tiny gap. http://www.paint-manufacturer.co.uk/our_services.html