grown too fastbecausenew rawmaterialsare indemand in themarketplace,until that
growtheventuallygot inthewayoftheirpayingtheattentionthatthe linerequires.“That
wasgreat,andwecanhaveunder thesameumbrella theability toprovideBYKwithan
alternative that reinforces attention. For Colormix’s business, on theother hand, BYK
representsadreambecause, inactuality, apigment reactorcannotbehandledwithout
dispersionandwettingandwithoutsaggingandviscosityadditives.Itissoperfectamatch
that it ishardforusto imagineusgoingourseparateways.”
Thefullversionofthis interview,available inPortugueseonly,describestheplans, invest-
mentsandexpectationsColormixhasforthisyear.
WettingAgentsandDispersants-ProductsComplementingEachOther
inFormulations
Playing theprimary roleof impartingoutstandingquality to the endproduct, wetting
agentsanddispersantsarekeyadditives,deliveringbetterhidingpower, improvedcolor
developmentandstrength,good levelingand looks,goodfilmformation,etc.Therefore,
thetwoofthemcombinedact inacomplementarymanner inpaintformulations.
Coveringimportantfunctionsintheproductionofpaints,wettingagentsenhancegrinding
efficiency,helpingpigmentagglomeratesbreakdown intosmallerparticles.Dispersants,
fortheirpart,helptodispersepigmentsduringgrindingandthentostabilizethem,prevent-
ingflocculationand increasingtheirtintingstrength.“Dispersantsandwettingagentsare
additives thatcontribute inseveralways to the formulationofpaintsandcoatings, such
aspromotingpigmentwetting, enhancinggrindingefficiency, reducingviscosity in the
system,allowingforhigherpigmentconcentrations,stabilizingpigmentstopreventfloc-
culation,and improvingtintingstrength,”remarksMarlonBraidott, technicalconsultant
onadditivestoBASF.
Innovations inthisfieldarealongthe linesofsustainableproductsfreeofsubstancesthat
aredetrimental to theenvironment.All suppliersof theseproductsaremakingmassive
investments insolutionsdesignedtoeitherreduceoreliminateVOCs.However,besides
thefeaturesandfunctionalityoftheseproducts,itisalsoreallyimportanttomaketheright
choices.“Choosingtherightwettingagentswillensureahomogeneousmixture,witha
betterabsorptionof the liquidportionby thefillersandpigmentsandwithout reducing
thestrengthoftheemulsion(resin).This iswhatthe idealwettingagentwilldo.Theright
dispersantwill act through theprocessandon thefinishedproductbyprovidingabal-
ance that streamlines theproductmanufacturingandapplicationprocess.Accordingly,
thesystemwillbe ideal inbothproductionandapplication,”explainsAiltonRibeiro,sales
manageratAlcolina’s industrialdivision.
Asamatteroffact, formulatingpaints isunfeasiblewithoutusingdispersants,according
toCélioAugustoValenga, ofBioFragane’s technical salesdepartment. “Without them,
wecannotachieveefficientgrindinganddispersion,andstability iscompromisedonthe
finishedproduct.Forgrindingorganicpigments,notonlydoesagooddispersantfacilitate
grindingandstabilizethem inthemedium, italsorealizesthepigment’sfulltintingpoten-
tial.Wettingagentsaredirectlyresponsibleforbreakingtheinterfacialtension,facilitating
theentryoffluid intopigmentsandmineralfillers.Also,byreducingsurfacetension,they
indirectlycontributeto levelingofthepaint,”he informs.
Advantagestousingtheseproductsinpaintformulationsincludeenhancedcolorstrength,
higherstabilityvalues,highergloss,clarity,etc.“Dispersantscanprovide improvedcolor
development, allowing higher pigment and filler concentrations in formulationswith
