Pigment Dispersion I, The Basics
A friend recently wanted to know about pigment grinding, which made me realize that I had better begin this article by saying that we do not grind pigments, we disperse...
Coatings and Radiation
In June/July of 2019, I was irradiated with Bremsstrahlung X-rays to knock out prostate cancer. The radiation did its job, and the cancer appears to be gone. Being fair-skinned, I...
Problem Solving—Again
I have published many of the thoughts and recommendations in this article previously in CoatingsTech. However, since paint problems continue to occur and there may be new readers facing them, I...
Weathering and Field Defects
The coating system almost always is blamed for field defects, but there are other possibilities: design of the painted object, poor substrate quality or surface preparation, and the process, including...
Sustainability and Pigment Dispersion
It may seem strange to link sustainability with pigment dispersion, but an important strategy for improving coatings sustainability is to make higher quality coatings that last longer and to make...
A Look at 40 Plus Years of R&D
This issue of CoatingsTech includes an interesting article by Cynthia Challener on the current state of R&D in our industry. Reading it made me think about my experiences in R&D...
A Personal History of Automotive Coatings Systems
I have been involved with automotive coatings for more than 40 years. When I started, car bodies were made of cold-rolled steel with little galvanized steel or plastic, primers mainly...
Solvent Replacement
Occasionally, one or more solvents in a paint formulation need to be replaced due to VOC or HAPs concerns, toxicity, cost, odor, or lack of availability. Although a single solvent may...
Coatings Clinic: Solvent Properties
My recent articles on Hansen Solubility Parameters (CoatingsTech, May, July, and September 2018) have raised questions about what other solvent properties are important and about how to choose solvents. The...
Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSP): 3—More Applications
Part 1 (CoatingsTech, May 2018, p.60) introduced Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSP) and their theoretical basis. Part 2 (CoatingsTech, July 2018, p.76) was concerned with sources for HSP data along with...