Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing September/October Issue - 30

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: TI02
Understanding the TiO2
your formulation to achieve your business results. Ultimately,
you control your formulation, but a second set of eyes can help
identify issues with your process or formulation that could be
improved.
Understanding the TiO2
pigment, how and under what
conditions it performs optimally (in terms of scattering
efficiency) and choosing the right pigment grade for the target
application will go a long way in finding the optimal use of TiO2
Relatively well dispersed TiO2
.
particles will provide optimal
hide performance to the coating. Coating formulators must also
understand the dispersant demand for the pigment and extenders
and how well these are dispersed in the grind phase. Too much or
too little dispersant could result in TiO2
agglomeration and lead
to poor hide performance. Other factors that could impact the
optimal use of TiO2
paint formula conditions, such as ingredient compatibility.
Each situation is unique and ensuring the optimal TiO2
can be a complex challenge.
What are some formulation alternatives that
coatings companies should be aware of?
Kurz: The required performance properties of the applied
coating and the impact various raw ingredients have on the
end performance need to be well understood. When high hide,
brightness, and white opacity are required there isn't a practical
alternative to TiO2
. In these instances, it becomes important
to ensure the coatings producer is using the right grade of TiO2
effectively. For instance, in North America we continue to see
consumer demand for flat interior paints that offer superior
coverage. In such applications, substituting for a universal grade
of TiO2
Pigment Volume Concentration) formulation, with a flat grade
(heavy surface treatment) TiO2
could result in an improvement in
applied hide. For the coatings producer, this could also result in
a reduction of TiO2
hide and performance.
There are additives such as zinc oxide, barium sulfate, and resin
options with light scattering centers that provide white opacity.
However, these alternatives do not have the high refractive index
of TiO2
higher PVC and affect other properties of the coating.
Reliable suppliers will have a contingency plan for natural
disasters and other disruptions. Should the companies also have
a proactive plan?
Fitzgerald: Whenever possible, a proactive plan is preferred.
The past few years have taught the chemical industry that
there's always another surprise or lesson to be learned in terms
of what we can encounter. So the question is, have suppliers
and distributors learned from these recent issues and found
ways to be ready for the next event or disruption? Suppliers and
distributors can become prepared and ready to tackle what lies
ahead by expanding portfolios and having redundant offerings,
which many are now doing. We also need customers to be open
to expanding their playbook as, historically, much of the coatings
market has relied on being " spec'ed in " and this has led many
customers to be painted into a corner, if you'll forgive the pun.
30
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and achieving the same level of opacity would require a
Hitting the Road
Four key questions to ask suppliers to better
understand their shipping and logistics capacity
1. Do you have access to a diverse set of major
ports, rail, and trucking hubs?
2. What are your packaging quantity options and are
you able to meet my specific needs?
3. What partnerships do you have with global freight
companies that allow you to overcome potential
shipping/logistics challenges?
4. What are your lead times to my location?
(producing a cost savings) to achieve similar
could be the grind environment and/or overall
usage
Our technical team and solutions centres have worked hard
with our supplier partners to come up with multiple ways to
extend the amount of TiO2
available to our customers. It may be
optimising your dispersing aids or utilising extender pigments
like clays and silica that can reduce the TiO2
formulation from 10 to 15 per cent, thus making your available
product go farther.
in a crowded paint system, or an above CPVC (Critical
Kurz: Flexibility of production is a crucial element of reliability.
Coatings producers should ask for a production footprint of plant
locations and for specifics on the duplicability of grade production
at various plants. When disaster does strike, companies should
contact their suppliers early and often to discuss options to keep
production up and running. The most reliable suppliers will
act as a true partner and work closely with coatings producers'
teams when supply chain disruptions occur to provide the
entire organization with the peace of mind that production will
continue seamlessly. Ultimately, mitigation should remain a core
component of suppliers' preparation activities.
Additionally, resilience should be designed into these
companies' " normal " operations. This can be accomplished in
many ways, including cross-training personnel, implementing
safety and maintenance programs, activating production and
supply chain strategies, and establishing redundancies for
critical equipment and technology infrastructure.
demand in a
pigment, how and
under what conditions it performs optimally
(in terms of scattering efficiency) and
choosing the right pigment grade for the
target application will go a long way in finding
the optimal use of TiO2
. - Andrew Kurz
http://www.cfcm.ca
Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing September/October Issue

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