Powder Coating Resins

DSM Coating Resins has played a trend-setting role in the powder coating industry for several decades. The company operates five dedicated production plants for powder coating resins in the Americas, Europe and Asia with a total capacity of more than 120 kt/yr.

Powder coating is a relatively new technology. The first powder coatings, which were epoxy-based, were developed in the early 1960s. Since then powder coating technology has advanced tremendously - thanks in part to DSM Resins' pioneering contribution to product development.

The success of powder coatings originates from the attractive combination of features they offer: ecological soundness, cost effectiveness, energy savings and excellent product performance.

Today, the world of powder coatings continues to expand as new R&D projects lead to improved product performance, new applications and innovations in application technology. Therefore the future of powder coatings looks promising and attractive.

As a global supplier of powder coating resins, DSM Coating Resins is taking the lead in current and new developments. Utilizing new chemistries and innovative application and production techniques, DSM Coating Resins is continuously exploring new markets for powder coatings. To us at DSM Coating Resins, 'quality' essentially means: excellent product performance, batch-to-batch product consistency, market oriented product development, customer support and innovation.

A major focus of DSM Coating Resins' innovative research now is the development of UV curing technology for powder coating resin systems. Powder coatings and UV curing form an attractive combination: fast, clean and hazard-free. The drive to expand application areas also brings us to explore the possibilities of powder coating systems for automotive coatings and can & coil applications.

DSM Coating Resins offers an extensive portfolio of powder coating resins. For high-performance outdoor applications we have a choice of polyester resins for the exterior durable cross linkers TGIC, Primid, PT 910 and isocyanates. For indoor applications we offer a wide range of polyester resins for epoxy cure, the so-called hybrid systems.

Powder coating resins are used for the production of solvent free powder coatings. These coatings have proven to be strong, economically attractive and environmentally friendly. With the current application methods powder coatings are mainly used in the metal appliance industry. Applications include:

• White goods such as washing machines, refrigerators and dishwashers.
• Electrical equipment such as computer housings, audio equipment and vacuum cleaners.
• Metal furniture: office furniture, chairs, desks.
• Facades: aluminium and steel window and door frames.
• Automotive parts such as wipers, radiators and wheel suspensions.
• Machinery for industrial and agricultural equipment.

New developments such as UV curable powder coatings will open up applications in the non-metal industries.

Outdoor applications
Outdoor applications require an exterior durable combination of resin and crosslinker.

Under the trade name Uralac DSM Coating Resins offers a well-balanced product portfolio of polyester resins for all commercially available exterior durable cross linkers:

• TGIC
• Primid XL 552 / QM 1260 (EMS-Primid)
• Araldite PT 910 / PT 912 (Vantico.)
• Isocyanate

Indoor applications
Where exterior durability is not an issue, hybrid powder coatings are used. These powders are based on a mixture of polyester and epoxy resin in polyester/epoxy ratios of between 80/20 and 50/50 polyester/epoxy. Also for these hybrid powders, too, DSM Coating Resins offers a well-balanced range of polyester resins within the Uralac group.

When combined with suitable crosslinkers, our polyester resins can be used to manufacture several specialties, such as super durable, low gloss and clear coatings.

To stay ahead in the market, continuous development and improvement of the product portfolio is essential. We constantly explore new chemistries and production processes. Further penetration of powder coatings into the industrial wet coating market requires new innovative developments.

UV curable powder coatings make it possible to powder-coat heat sensitive substrates such as plastic and MDF. The application of UV-curable powder on metal also offers benefits, such as low curing temperature and a high curing speed. DSM Coating Resins now has a product line named Uracross commercially available for the production of UV curable powder coatings. These products make curing temperatures of 100-120°C possible with a total curing time of less than two minutes.