Coil coaters are searching for products that will allow them to gain efficiency and produce better finishes. Eastman CAB additives achieve both, increasing line speeds while ensuring a higher-quality finished product.
Eastman understands that high-quality specialty finishes are particularly important in today’s global marketplace. For example, Europe is experiencing increased consumer interest in brightly colored household appliances with metallic, pearlescent, and high-gloss finishes. With major consumer appliance companies supplying products globally, coil coatings manufacturers must quickly adapt their products to changing global consumer trends to remain competitive.
The building and construction market sees robust demand for decorative metallic façade and cladding applications, presenting its own challenges and opportunities for coil coatings manufacturers and coil production facilities worldwide.
Eastman CAB 531-1 and CAB 551-0.2 improve metallic flake alignment. The ability to control metal flake orientation is critical in producing high-quality finishes. Eastman CAB acts as a viscosity control agent that “locks” the metallic and pearlescent flakes in the proper orientation. And better flake alignment means formulators require fewer flakes to achieve the same or better desired aesthetic impact. The result? Beneficial cost savings for the coil coatings manufacturer.
Eastman CAB-551-0.01 reduces or eliminates common surface defects observed in coil coatings, leading to the higher gloss levels the market demands. It also ensures that the coating remains smooth over the substrate after application and during curing. Eastman CAB-551-0.01 can remedy defects such as orange peel, fish eyes, craters, flooding, floating, crawling, and reticulation.
Semigloss coil coatings for the building and construction market can be subject to gloss variation across the width of the 1.8-meter coil. Matting agents based on silica are one of the preferred choices in producing semigloss coil coatings. Eastman CAB-551-0.01 and Eastman CAB-381-0.5 improve silica matting consistency, and tighter gloss specifications can be achieved across a range of film thicknesses of 18–40 microns.