The industrial coatings and finishes space is seeing incremental innovation from many corners. Due to the product-heavy lineups at large coatings manufacturers, innovation in coatings is typically less disruptive. Yet, there are still several areas where companies like Riteks are leading the way in coatings and finishes innovation.
We see serious advancements on a number of fronts, including multifunctional coatings, environmentally sustainable coatings, dryfall, nanotechnology, single-coat solutions, and oleophobic solutions.
Perhaps the biggest area of coatings innovation is in the development of technologies that lead to multifunctional coatings. While customers often face up to 50 product options, many jobs require as many as 12 different coatings and sealants. When manufacturers are able to address multiple performance needs in a single product, project managers are often able to get jobs done on a variety of substrates with half the material selection. We think of multifunctional coatings as value added, since they deliver great business results and achieving several project goals in a single product, without sacrificing performance.
When we say green coatings are an area of advancement, we’re talking about the environment and not the color. Many construction jobs require green building technologies, and coatings are just one way builders achieve their job’s environmental goals. They achieve this, typically, by limiting the use of applications featuring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), as well as using environmentally-friendly solvents.
Many applications, especially those in outdoor conditions, may fail due to overspray of a coating. The industry has developed what are known as dryfall coatings, which, as the name implies, means that any overspray–material that fails to hit the targeted substrate–dries in midair. Applicators then deal with dust, rather than misapplied material.
Many customers have demanded single-coat solutions that eliminate multistep applications, such as applying a primer coat a top coat, and then a sealant. An all-in-one solution drives cost reduction in terms of labor and material, as well as eliminates opportunities for applicator error. Furthermore, single-coat solutions drastically reduce downtime, the bane of any business.
Another great recent advancement, frequently used with applications on glass surfaces, are oleophobic coatings. Oleophobic coatings are oil-resistant, in that they make the substrate fail to attract oils. Whether you’re coating the side of a building or an industrial tank, oleophobic coatings make surfaces easier to clean and less labor-intensive to maintain.
Finally, many coatings advancements are coming from the world of nanotechnology. This field is developing precision-engineered nanoparticles that enhance product formulations. Nanotech has seen a surge in addressing needs for protective coatings as well as frequent use to produce higher performance in waterproofing materials.
At Riteks, we are able to stay at the forefront of advancements in industrial coatings. Our customers work in some of the most demanding environments and industries around the world, from deserts to marine settings. They bring us their challenges, and we deliver solutions that leverage many of the latest innovations in industrial coatings. Contact us today with your coatings needs.
