Case Studies Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Chemical Dynamics, LLC: Paint & Coatings Consultants

Certified Green Claims Increase Value & Brand Recognition in Coatings

Article written by Chemical Dynamics President, Ronald Lewarchik, originally published in UL Prospector.

Whether coatings are sold directly to consumers or business to business, UL’s study: Under the Lens: Claiming Green – The influence of green product claims on purchase intent and brand perception reveals that legitimate third-party, certified green claims contribute to the attractiveness of a product and command a higher price because of enhanced brand perception. The survey results are noteworthy, as 70% of Americans say they’re searching for greener products, and 67% of business decision makers indicate sustainability is an important factor when making decisions for their organizations.

Avoiding Misleading Claims

However, many manufacturers misrepresent their products by claiming they are green for the purposes of enhancing sales. In 2012, the Federal Trade Commission revised its Green Guides, the agency’s core set of guidelines to help marketers avoid making misleading environmental claims. The Guides are now more specific and prescriptive, making it easier for the FTC to prosecute “greenwashers.” Accordingly, if a green claim is considered to be deceptive in the eyes of the FTC, there is both a financial and a legal risk.

Read the full article here.

Roof Coating Analysis

Posted on by chemical dynamics

CHALLENGE:

A national distributor of painted metal roofs encountered peeling paint on several residential and public buildings. The roof coating had a 20 year warranty against peeling provided by the paint supplier, but the paint supplier failed to honor the warranty, citing a defect in the painting process rather than faulty paint. Consequently, this would have resulted in multiple law suits and multimillion dollar claims against our client.

ACTION:

As a paint consultant, Chemical Dynamics inspected multiple sites where peeling paint was evidenced, samples were taken and roof coating analysis and testing completed.

RESULT:

Chemical Dynamics was able to show that the failures were caused from faulty paint formulations that when exposed to the elements resulted in soft coatings that failed adhesion. Accordingly, our client was able shift the responsibility to the paint supplier to pay the claims.

Paint and Coating Failure Analysis

Posted on by chemical dynamics

CHALLENGE:

A century old government building, constructed of concrete, was in need of painting. Upon removal of the old paint, a reoccur-able, unpaintable powder continued to resurface on the building. The client had explored this issue with many paint companies and other paint consultants, but none of them could not explain the phenomena.

ACTION:

On short notice, Chemical Dynamics performed an onsite inspection and collected representative samples of the residue. The team performed a paint and coating failure analysis of the soluble components of the residue.

RESULT:

Chemical Dynamics was able to demonstrate that the powder residue is a result of secondary efflorescence of the concrete. Secondary efflorescence is the result of concrete degradation and the migration of water soluble salts to the surface of the concrete. With the proper diagnoses of the problem, Chemical Dynamics was able to recommend corrective action.

Understanding Corrosion Inhibitive Pigments

Posted on by chemical dynamics

The annual cost of steel corrosion is estimated to be over $400 billion in the United States and $2 trillion globally. Corrosion is a process where the metal can be degraded by electrochemical and/or chemical processes. This article will discuss the use of lead- and chrome-free corrosion inhibitive pigments in coatings where corrosion is primarily from electrochemical processes. Accordingly, the correct use of corrosion inhibitive pigments can be of enormous economic value.

Ron Lewarchik is a contributing author to UL Prospector and publishes articles monthly. Please read on for his expert findings on “Understanding Corrosion Inhibitive Pigments”:

Metals desire to be in their most thermodynamically stable state, which, in simplified terms, is the naturally occurring state of matter in its lowest energy state. Metals ordinarily exist naturally as oxides (e.g. iron oxide, aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, because oxides represent their lowest energy state. Corrosion is an electrochemical deterioration of a metal due to the reaction with its environment to transform the metal into its lowest energy state. Oxidation occurs at the anode (positive electrode) and reduction occurs at the cathode (negative electrode). Corrosion is normally accelerated by the presence of water, oxygen and salts (particularly of strong acids).

Click here to read on for the full article at UL Prospector

Flow, Leveling & Viscosity Control in Waterborne Coatings

Posted on by chemical dynamics

Ron Lewarchik is a contributing author to UL Prospector and publishes articles monthly. Please read on for his expert findings on “Flow, Leveling & Viscosity Control in Waterborne Coatings”:

Flow, leveling and viscosity stability can be very challenging and problematic in waterborne ambient cure and baked finishes. These issues can affect not only package stability, but also have a profound effect on appearance during and after application. As the vast majority of waterborne coatings are anionic in nature (amine (EU) neutralized), this article will focus on amine neutralized resin types, although if resin polarity, for example from acid functionality, is high enough, anionic resin types can be dispersible or even water soluble without the use of neutralizing amine.

There are two major categories of waterborne paint technologies: water reducible (EU) and latex (EU). For the purpose of this article, water reducible resins are normally made in solvent and then reduced with water to form a resin dispersion in water. Latex resins are made by emulsion polymerization in water. The paints using emulsion resins most often utilize a small amount of organic cosolvent to improve coalescence of the latex particles, as well as substrate wetting.

Other types of waterborne paints utilize a growing number of resin types that include PUD (polyurethane dispersions (EU)) as well as microemulsions. Accordingly, multiple issues can influence the flow, leveling, and appearance of waterborne coatings. This article will primarily examine the impact of 1) resin type, 2) humidity and temperature variation, 3) wetting and 4) flow control. Appearance of the coating during and after application can be affected greatly by these issues.

Click here to read on for the full article at UL Prospector

Improving Performance in Ambient Cured Latex Paints

Posted on by chemical dynamics

Ron Lewarchik is a contributing author to UL Prospector and publishes articles monthly. Please read on for his findings on “Improving Performance in Ambient Cured Latex Paints”:

Many ambient cured latex paint systems offer deficient properties to those of their solvent born counterparts. Issues with water-born, latex-based paints (EU) may include poorer chemical resistance, moisture resistance, adhesion, surface hardness, abrasion and block resistance. Latex-based coatings systems where these characteristics are desired include architectural, automotive interior, business machine coatings, general industrial, implement finishes and wood coatings.

This article will summarize the causes of poorer performance in ambient cured water-born coatings (EU) and provide formulation guidance and the means to improve performance. We will concentrate on aspects involving the use of commercially available latex polymers (EU) and cross-linkers (EU), rather than on improving these properties by varying monomer selection, polymer architecture (e.g. core-shell, dispersion, solution, emulsion or microemulsion etc.) or Tg (the glass transition temperature is the temperature at which a polymer changes from a hard and brittle state to soft and pliable). Click here for the full article at UL Prospector

Expert Witness in Coating Failure Case

Posted on by chemical dynamics

Challenge:

A defendant in a law suit involving a coating failure on a multi-story executive apartment building required an expert witness in coating failures to investigate the claim, provide an expert report, and deliver trial testimony.

Action:

Chemical Dynamics was up to the challenge and provided the required expert witness support.

Result:

The defendant won the case and the judge cited the reason for his verdict in his ruling. He stated that it was the result of the compelling evidence and strong testimony provided by Chemical Dynamics.

New Wood Coating Reduces Cost

Posted on by chemical dynamics

Problem:

A leading manufacturer of coatings for forestry applications requested assistance to reduce cost and improve performance by reformulating two of their product lines to form a new wood coating.

Action:

Chemical Dynamics reformulated the product lines by replacing a portion of some pigments with lower cost substitutes that provided lower cost and improved performance.

Result:

Launching a new wood coating that reduces cost by 10% while providing equivalent opacity and improved depth of color

Flame Retardant Spray Developed with New Raw Materials

Posted on by chemical dynamics

Problem:

FlameOff, a global company with sales in excess of 50 billion dollars, sought to penetrate the coatings market with new raw materials. They did not know the full range of market applications for their technology, nor did they have a commercial synthesis process for their technology.

Action:

Chemical Dynamics refined the synthesis process to enable facile production, defined multiple applications for the technology that included corrosion inhibitive pigments including replacement of chrome containing pigments, flame retardant additives, flatteners and opacity enhancement. Next, Chemical Dynamics formulated these products in multiple formulations for markets including building products, coil coatings, and product finishing. The technology was then introduced to multiple clients including current clients of Chemical Dynamics.

Result:

Soon after the technology was introduced and tested by multiple potential customers, commercial orders quickly followed. Today, this business segment is enjoying rapid growth.

Martin Rea Fuel Filler Tube Repair

Posted on by chemical dynamics

Problem:

Martinrea International, a leading supplier of automotive fuel handling components and hoses to the automotive industry, was seeking a water born conductive, environmentally compliant paint finish for application on fuel filler tubes. At the time they contacted Chemical Dynamics, no such product existed.

Action:

Chemical Dynamics, in close cooperation with Martinrea, developed an innovative, patented product called Infinicoat.

Result:

Infinicoat meets rigorous automotive specifications and is currently used on several domestic and international automobiles. Infinicoat was also a PACE automotive new product finalist in 2011.