Quelle/Publication: European Coatings Journal
Ausgabe/Issue: 12/2009
Seite/Page: 1
Matting without mixing
The production of matte finish powder coatings
currently requires dry blending of two incompatible
resins, or expensive GMA or PUR chemistries for
exterior coatings. A new ‘single shot’ HAA-cured
system allows low and reproducible gloss levels to
be obtained by mixing two specific polyester resins
together before extrusion. Gloss is controlled by
selection of the polyesters and their mixing ratio.
One-shot resin system creates reproducible low-gloss
exterior finishes
Benoit De Becker
John Jacquin
Alessandro Minesso
Dietmar Fink*
Powder coating has been developing for a number of
years as an environmentally-friendly option for surface
finishing applications. It has penetrated many segments
in the coatings industry and powder-coated items can be
found almost everywhere in our daily life.
In many coating applications there is a preference in
the market for matte finishes. Different methods and
matting agents exist for indoor and outdoor durable powder
coatings. The matting effect will in each case depend on
the combination of the resin, hardener, matting agent and
paint formulation. One area in which there are limitations in
terms of reliability and adaptability of the matte level is that
of powder coatings formulated for outdoor applications.
A new technology is presented here that will make it
possible to formulate outdoor hydroxyalkylamide (HAA)-
based coatings to obtain a reproducible high quality matte
finish with gloss level between 5 and 40 units with good
overall properties. The new one-shot matte technology is
based on patent-pending polyester chemistries used in
combination with HAA for exterior grade powder coatings.
Matte finishes serve many different purposes
Matting effects in coatings can be desired for many different
reasons. In some applications strong light reflection has to
be minimised with the help of matte coatings. Matte finishes
can also be used to conceal substrate defects, surface
irregularities, or even dirt and dust particles on the coating
surface. In most cases, however, matte powder coatings are
used to achieve specific aesthetic and design aims.
Matte finish paints are in high demand both in growth
segments such as architectural applications and in high
value speciality application such as sporting goods, glass
coating and military applications. Some examples of critical
applications include:
Dull matte paints are used to give an elegant finish on glass
bottles.
High-end office furniture is typically painted with a matte to
semi-matte finish that complements novel designs.
Architectural elements such as window frames can now
be powder coated with wood-effect designs that typically
perform best at low gloss levels.
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Inside buildings, decorative and functional elements
exposed to artificial light, such as ceiling panels or
lamp holders, are often coated with matte or semi-matte
UV-resistant powders to avoid excessive disturbing light
reflections.
Automotive trim parts are painted with matte to semi-matte
powder coatings to offer an attractive contrast to the high
gloss car body finish. Those applications typically require
extended weather-resistance which can only be achieved
with so-called super-durable polyester systems.
Another application in the field of sporting equipment is dull
matte powder coatings applied on bicycle frames.
Military applications traditionally require a dull matte surface
finish for functional reasons. Low gloss surfaces will be
rendered less visible by reflecting less sunlight.
These applications altogether represent about 20 % of the
outdoor decorative powder market, or an overall volume
of approximately 100,000 MT worldwide. Requirements
in these markets, in addition to the lower gloss levels,
will be those typical of high quality outdoor paints, which
include superior weather resistance, flow and mechanical
properties. Easy workability and reproducibility of results
are also of the utmost importance for both the paint maker
and applicator alike.
The resin technology presented in this article will offer these
performance levels in both standard and super-durable
quality together with gloss levels between 5 and 40 units as
measured at a 60 ° angle.
Current matte finish technologies have limitations
Most matte and semi-matte outdoor resistant powder
coatings are based on dry-blend technology, where two
powders with different reactivity levels have to be produced
and mixed together either directly after the extrusion
process as chips and then co-ground or mixed as previously
fine ground powders. The matting effect is then generated
during the curing process of the two different powders.
When the reactive powder is already cross-linked, the
slower reacting powder is still in the melting phase and
embeds the other cured one. This causes a so-called
incompatibility effect, which is visible as a lower gloss level
in the powder film. The matte dry-blend technology has,
however, some inherent limitations.
Due to inhomogeneities in the cured film, a so-called
sparkling effect is often visible. It varies with the particle size
distribution of the dry-blended powders. The coarser the
particle size, the stronger the sparkling effect. In addition,
the mechanical properties are limited, due to the relatively
weak bonding between the two phases of the powders.
During recycling of the dry-blend powder in an automatic
application booth, there is a danger of increasing the gloss
over time, as the two phases of the dry-blended powder
have different charging behaviour due to the different
physical-chemical characteristics of the binder system and
the slightly different particle size distribution, which leads to
selective powder recovery and application.
 Quelle/Publication: European Coatings Journal
Ausgabe/Issue: 12/2009
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There are additional costs associated with the production of
dry-blended powder since two powder materials have to be
produced to obtain a single matte dry-blend powder. Lack
of reproducibility also translates into yield losses, which in
turns also mean extra cost for the powder manufacturer
and/or the applicator.
Two main systems used for dull matte finishes
Dull matte finishes can be achieved either by use of
a glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) hardener or with a one-
shot polyester powder system based on hydroxy-functional
polyester blends cross-linked with blocked isocyanate, that
is, PUR or polyurethane technology. These systems both
provide superior dull-matte finishes that are typically used
in speciality applications. However, as in the case of the
matte dry-blend, those technologies suffer from some key
limitations.
Systems based on a GMA acrylic matting hardener show
limitations in mechanical properties and to a certain
extent, sensitivity to other binder systems in respect of
contamination. It is also a rather expensive chemistry which
has limited the penetration of the technology in niche
applications.
The one-shot PUR technology is the most expensive dull
matte binder system, as it requires a large quantity of
costly isocyanate hardener. The system is sensitive during
the extrusion process, as different or varying dispersion
conditions have a significant influence on the matting level.
A new patent-pending "Crylcoat" technology is being
developed to address the needs for matte finishes in
the outdoor powder coating market. The target of the
development is a binder system that allows premixing of all
the ingredients necessary to produce in a single formulation
a powder coating with the desired reproducible gloss level
that uses standard production processing equipment.
By selecting the right product pair in the new range of one-
shot carboxylic polyesters it is possible to adjust the gloss
to the desired level in a reproducible way. The products are
available in standard and super-durable grades, and are
designed to be used in combination with HAA.
Dull-matte to matte finishes are readily achieved
The new matte technology is very robust in relation to
the production process. Either the twin-screw or mono-
screw extruder technology used under standard conditions
results in comparable matte gloss levels. The smoothness
of the film surface will be dependent on the binder content.
For speciality applications that require superior flow it is
recommended, depending on the colour shade, to work with
a relatively high concentration of resin.
As regards the curing agent, a number of hydroxyalkylamide
(HAA) hardeners are available on the market.
"SF 45-10" is an HAA grade with lower functionality that
yields gloss levels of about 10 units higher than the basic
HAA grades when used as hardener for the new one-shot
technology. Powders formulated with HAA modifications
such as "QM 1260" and used in directly fired gas-
ovens result, however, in significantly higher gloss levels,
according to our experiments, and are not recommended.
In order to formulate a robust, batch-to-batch reproducible
matte powder coating, only ratios of polyester pairs that do
not exceed the range 55/45 to 45/55 are recommended.
More extreme ratios result in higher gloss levels, which
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might be useful for specific applications, but are not always
reproducible see Figure 1.
With the standard one-shot matte polyester resins one
can obtain powder coatings with very good mechanical
properties, better than any equivalents made by dry-blend
technology. The system also shows good storage stability
properties: powders do not change their reactivity, flow and
flexibility. Physical stability is also good full properties are
retained after 28 days at 40 °C.
Curing the one-shot matte HAA powders at different
temperatures produces very consistent gloss levels.
The weathering properties of the dull-matte combination
polyester 1 (Ac-Nr. 90) and polyester 2 (Ac-Nr. 25) resins
with HAA are good for GSB and Qualicoat approvals with
gloss retention after 12 months in Florida (5 ° South) well
above 50 %. As an alternative resin to polyester 2, one can
use the super-durable polyester 3 (Ac-Nr. 30), which offers
further improvements in weathering properties (see Figure
2).
Different resins provide matte to semi-matte effects
The two resins denoted as polyester 4 (Ac-Nr. 85) and
polyester 5 (Ac-Nr. 33) can be used in ratios from
45/55 to 55/45 to formulate powders of different gloss
levels from matte to semi-matte with good weathering
resistance and good overall paint properties. Compared
to dry-blend technology with polyester 6 (Ac-Nr. 48)
and polyester 7 (Ac-Nr. 20) the new resin combination
offers a homogeneous, non-sparkling matting effect, better
mechanical properties and good reproducibility within the
recommended formulation ratios (see Figures 3 and 4).
There are four so-called super-durable types, polyester 8
(Ac-Nr. 90) and polyester 9 (Ac-Nr. 21) available which
can be used to formulate powders with dull-matte gloss-
levels, and polyester 10 (Ac-Nr. 90) and polyester 11 (Ac-
Nr. 30) for different gloss-levels from matte to semi-matte
with excellent weathering properties and good overall paint
properties. The new resin combinations offer homogeneous
paint properties, non-sparkling matting effect and good
reproducibility within the recommended formulation ratios.
(Figure 5).
Further improvements are being studied
Ongoing developments in the area of one-shot technology
for matte finishes are targeted at specific market needs for
special applications.
A number of modifications to the binder system are being
investigated to achieve superior burnish resistance. The
latter is a typical issue when formulating ultra-low gloss paint
in dark shades.
Resin design optimisation is continuing, to broaden the
scope of pigments that can be used for producing one-
shot matte coatings with superior flow. Flow modifiers and
modifications to the resin are being investigated to further
reduce the impact of binder content on flow.
But already, a solution now exists that permits easy one-
shot production of matte powder coatings. The patent-
pending technology presented here provides an adjustable
gloss level in both standard and super-durable quality.
The new system offers easier handling, with significant
cost advantages to the production process, and better
mechanical film properties. These had been two major
limitations so far in the field of matte outdoor resistant
powder coatings.
 Quelle/Publication: European Coatings Journal
Ausgabe/Issue: 12/2009
Seite/Page: 3

The different polyesters allow the production of matte paints

in a wide range from 5 to 40 gloss units as measured at 60
° incidence.
In times when matte finishes are becoming more and more
popular, and when the market is looking for cost-effective
formulation options, this new technology is ideal to replace
current technology systems for matting outdoor resistant
powder coatings, and also to allow the penetration of near
dull-matte finish in application segments where the former
solutions were too expensive to be considered.

Results at a glance
There is a considerable demand for matte finishes to
meet specific functional or aesthetic requirements in many
different market sectors. However, this is one area of
weakness for powder coatings, as gloss reduction must
normally be achieved by mixing two incompatible powders.
This dry blending process can produce problems such as
‘sparkle’ and variation of gloss levels if powder is recycled
during spraying. Where high exterior durability is required
it is necessary to use expensive GMA or PUR chemistries.
A new system for producing reproducible low gloss levels
has been developed, in which two specific polyester resins
are mixed together along with an HAA curing agent and
extruded to produce a ‘single shot’ matte powder. By
selection of the right polyesters and altering the mixing ratio
of the resins, low and very reproducible gloss levels can be
obtained. Super-durable polyesters are available to provide
very good exterior performance.

* Corresponding Author:
Dietmar Fink
Cytec
Tel. +32 (0)2 560 46 56
dietmar.fink@cytec.com

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 Quelle/Publication: European Coatings Journal
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Figure 7: General comparison of properties between the new technology and

standard dry-blend systems

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 Quelle/Publication: European Coatings Journal
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Figure 1: Robustness of the new

technology: low gloss levels are
obtained and are highly reproducible
so long as the mixing ratio of the
resins is close to 50/50

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 Quelle/Publication: European Coatings Journal
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Figure 2: Selection of a resin pair

for dull matte finishes in relation to
durability requirements

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Figure 3: Gloss variations produced by

changing the ratio between polyester 4
and polyester 5

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Figure 4: Comparison of novel matte

one-shot technology to existing matte
HAA dry-blend powders

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 Quelle/Publication: European Coatings Journal
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Figure 5: Properties of super-durable

one-shot dull-matte to semi-matte
(6-20 units to 25-35 units 60 ° gloss)
HAA powders

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Figure 6: Gloss retention of super-

durable one-shot dull-matte and semi-
matte HAA powders

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