Peter Minko, Research Supervisor and Manager – Process and Application at Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings, presented the results of a comparison of methods for testing the stability of waterborne coatings at the 22nd DFO Automobile Conference – European Automotive Coating, in Nürtingen, Germany, on June 17, 2015. The DFO Automobile Conference is attended by technical and business experts in the coatings industry from European countries.

Reliable testing for the stability of water based coatings in original equipment manufacturing circulation lines and paint supply systems can be challenging. A number of methods and types of apparatus can be used for testing. However, reliability and data correlation are limited.

“We tested a battery of methods and types of equipment on a number of coating properties, such as circulation lines, Small-Sample-Shear-Stability (also known as “4S”) method, homogenizer, Ring Slit test, PolyShear test, Ultrasound test, and wet paint measurement,” Mr. Minko said. “Each of the procedures has pros and cons in terms of testing time, sample requirements, and data reproducibility and correlation. The wet paint measurement system pioneered by Axalta remains a leading methodology in the industry,” Mr. Minko added.