Car parks and road tunnels are two environments where air pollution significantly affects the users of these infrastructures as well as the people working there.
Along with the challenges facing the coatings industry during the global economic downturn, coatings manufacturers have seen increased volatility in raw material prices, due in part to the rise in crude oil prices and geopolitical issues in some oil-producing countries.
Some of the most remarkable new coatings, like color-changing and smog-eating coatings, are applied to metal using the highly advanced continuous coil coating process.
New regulations, market needs and customer requirements demand new emulsion formulations that are low in VOC content. Many of these new formulations use hydrophobic monomers that present significant challenges regarding productivity and monomer conversion.
In architectural paint applications, the main challenge for suppliers and paint producers is to meet environmental regulations while producing products with acceptable quality.
Radiation-cured coatings offer great advantages; numerous applications in the wood, paper, overprint varnish, optics, electronics, plastics and inks markets realize benefits from the reduced energy consumption, environmental impact, waste generation, smaller footprint, and faster cure times offered by this technology.