CLIPPING
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| PAINT&PINTURA |Outubro2016
acetates, acetonederivatives, ethylene andpropylene
glycol ethers, and specialty solvents. To top itoff, Dow
provides a technical service that specializes in the ap-
plications of those products in the coatings industry,
supportingcustomers inall stagesoftheirdevelopment
of new solutions.”
WETTING AND DISPERSING AGENTS - MORE
EFFICIENT PRODUCTS
Development is full swing in the market for wetting
and dispersing agents on the back of environmentally
friendly,performance-enhancingtechnologiesfeaturing
multi-functionalityand improved cost-benefit ratios.
Contributing to the formulation in several ways, dis-
persing andwetting agents primarily help to enhance
the performance of paints and coatings for various
segments, whether by increasing the tinting strength
ofaconcentrateorby reducingcoststhrough formulae
optimizedtorequire lesspigment,orevenby improving
paint performance in salt-spray andwashability tests,
for example, according toMarlon Braidott, technical
consultant on additives at BASF’s Pigments & Disper-
sions business for SouthAmerica. “Everyoneof those
properties can be and is improved by using the right
dispersing agent. For these andother reasons, disper-
santsplayakey role inthe formulationofvariouspaints
and coatings.”
Braidottexplainsthatcurrently,however,givenBrazil’s
macroeconomic situation, the toughest challenge is to
keepupand improvebothperformanceanddurability
inpaints and coatings at competitiveprices. “In a few
cases, evenaproduct featuringsuperior,premiumper-
formancecanhave itsuse limitedbypriceconstraints.”
Dispersing and wetting agents continue to be a fun-
damental ingredient in paint formulations. “They are
responsible for imparting to the pigments all possible
physicalandchemicalpropertiesthatthepaint inwhich
theyareusedproposes todeliver.Otherways inwhich
theyactonpigments includeensuringthecorrectdeve-
lopmentof theircolorandenhancingallopticalproper-
ties, suchasgloss, light reflection, foggingprevention,
andespecially the color itself. Inaddition,wettingand
dispersing additives play a secondary role of primary
importance, which is that of ensuring stability in the
pigment dispersion. For BYK, the fact that a pigment
dispersionmay seem perfect off the bat means nothing if,
afterbutashortamount time, theoptical propertiesof that
dispersionorpigmentgobacktowhattheywereatthestart.
That’s often the casewhen you a see a paint or dispersion
loseorchange itscolor, losegloss,etc.,”saysAurélioRocha,
generalmanager for LatinAmericaat BYK.
As for themost commonly used types for dispersants and
wetting agents, that depends, of course, on the pigment
to be used, as well as the type of paint to be formulated,
according toRocha. “For example, a certainadditive family
may be better suited for organic pigments inwater-based
decorativepaints,whileanother for solvent-based systems.
Another range of wetting and dispersing agents are well
suited forautomotivecoatings,whichposeextremelymore
demandingtechnical requirements,andsoon,andso forth.”
The challenges facing all companies get bigger each year
due to the increaseddemand formoreefficient, lower-cost
products in an increasinglymore competitiveenvironment,
according toAdrianoPetrone, technical salesdirectoratPe-
trowan,aWanaQuímicabranch inFortaleza,Ceará.“That lea-
dsbusinessestoconstantly innovate,usheringnewproducts
into themarket whichmeet the requirements we’vemen-
tioned,while complyingwithenvironmental regulations.”
COLORANTS FOR TINTING SYSTEMS - MORE COLOR,
MORE LIFE
Thetitlesuggestsapossiblemeaningofcolors.Corroborating
it isthe factthat inspiteof thedifficulties facingthecountry,
manufacturers of colorants for tinting systems have been
experiencingprogressivegrowth.
Tintingsystemsarenowarelevantsaleschannel intheBrazi-
lianmarket.Peoplecreate identitiesandexpressthemselves
throughcolors.“Forthatreason, tintingsystemsareessential
forustoofferanenormousrangeofcolorstoourconsumers,
who, by the way, are getting increasingly demanding. The
market grows as a functionof consumer demand, and con-
sumers always look formore colors seeking the ideal shade
for their homes. Themain challenge we face is constantly
providing refresher training for our personnel,” saysSuvinil
marketingmanagerMauroPorto.
The tinting system colorants business has been growing
rapidly inBrazil, according toGiseleFerreira, salesmanager
for Brazil at Chromaflo. “Whereas a while ago only a few
companies would invest in this industry segment, today
