New water-borne urethane-acrylic technology for automotive basecoats

 
Water-borne technology for automotive coatings was first introduced back in the 1980s, and water-borne basecoat refinish systems have been used in Europe since the early 1990s. The first water-borne basecoats that were introduced onto the market were based on thermoplastic acrylic or polyurethane dispersions, quite often with external thickeners to provide the right combination between high and low shear rheology. A further development brought acrylic dispersions with ´built-in rheology´ onto the market. Recent developments in emulsion polymerization technology have led to the development of new surfactant-free, self-crosslinking urethane acrylic hybrid dispersions that can be used in automotive coating applications. This paper will provide insights in the synthetic routes to produce these binders and will demonstrate some of the advantages in coatings.