It had not been long before people discovered the advantages and necessity of coatings in everyday living. The main goal of coatings is to provide protection on anything it covers, mostly raw materials that make up the machines, establishments, tools, and buildings of today. Coatings must act as a shield against the threatening elements present in the environment. Water, corrosion, infestation, etc. To successfully do the objective, they are to meet a number of high-performance requirements.
Developing studies have lit the way towards the discovery of more functional coatings. These are more convenient to use and antibacterial, possessing antifouling properties and the ability to clean itself. Polymer coatings create little or no impact at all on its other properties upon application. Safety or mechanical attributes are not affected when it is being administered.
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What is a Polymer Coating?
A polymer coating is generally a paint or coating composed of polymers. Polymers are substances that have a molecular structure, containing a population of the same elements. Resins and plastics are included – synthetic organic materials.
Primarily, polymeric coatings are formulated for corrosion protection; subsequently for appearance coatings. The former kind is more durable and tougher, applied on heftier films. Using varying techniques like dispersion or extrusion coating and application of a solution, polymeric coatings should adhere very well to a variety of substrates, not chip or degrade from environmental factors.
These paints are said to replace chrome and cadmium coatings partially because of heavy metal concerns. Special polymers that comprise the coatings give way to hydrophobic surfaces, as well as the gluing of adhesives, rubber and synthetic materials to the exterior.
The Use of Polymer Coating
Polymer coatings are ubiquitous. They can be found inside your homes, on your furniture, your cars, and on different types of edifices. They are fit for various applications and uses – for scratch, brittleness, elasticity or abrasion resistance. Polymers can be classified as synthetic or natural like rubber.
The use of polymer coating relies on three (3) factors: temperature, corrosion type, and the wear and tear of environment.
Polymer coatings are applicable to ceramics, plastics, metals, even to synthetic materials. Also, they are FDA-approved, so one of its central uses is for food production such as pans, containers, etc. If you apply them to a metallic surface, the ionic resistance increments.
Polymer Processing
Polymers have grown in diversified aspects due to the ease of production. On a per-pound basis, plastics are frequently more costly than steel, opposite to what the majority expects because they are much lighter than any other material such as glass, aluminum or steel. Polymers are known for their versatility – they are functional as films, fibers, surface protection, etc.
Below are some of the processing methods which are generally preferred by manufacturers:
1. Melt Processing
Among the three, melt processing is the most commonly used processing method. Polymers that become aqueous at high temperatures use this method in expelling them into molded linear or complex shapes as well as films, fibers, and tubes.
This process involves drastic phase morphology and molecular conformations apart from modification of the materials’ physical forms and attributes. Melt processing is stratified in several types: molding, extrusion, and solid-state forming.
2. Solution Processing
For some reason, the melt processing is not applicable and desirable to all polymers. Chemical degradation occurs when some polymers are heated at their required high temperatures; this is to break, melt and make them flow – polymers that have strong bonds.
Such unpliable polymers can only be fabricated by solution methods into films or fibers. Certain cellulosics and polyacrylonitrile materials are good examples of these. They are only soluble in strong solvents like sulfuric acid. Normally, high concentrations are set to dissolve the polymers as they are thrust out as films and fibers. Through dry spinning, wet spinning or coagulation, the polymer is solidified.
3. Dispersion Processing
Polymers in dry powder form, liquid or nonliquid dispersion often employ dispersion processing. Sometimes, a polymer’s melting point is too high that melt fabrication is not appropriate anymore. The amazing team up of heat and pressure has provided a solution to this concern. Solid forms are effectively processed in the way finer ones have been in powder metallurgy.
Ginhong manufactures homogenizers and inline mixers that make emulsions, dispersions, etc. for polymer coatings.
Emulsion polymerization is a process for the production of high-molecular-weight polymers. It uses fully functional mechanisms working at a high-speed rate as it manages the heat exuded by the reaction.
Conclusion
The growth in polymer processing has greatly been influenced via the implementation of a so-called “systems approach” which puts into consideration all the materials, their composition, and properties, as well as the process to be used. It arbitrates fast and effective identification of the complex materials, production parameters; it also helps with the manufacturing methodology.
