Module-1

Surface coatings
The various objectives of coating is given below
 Adhesive – adhesive tape, pressure-sensitive labels, iron-on fabric
o Changing adhesion properties
 Non-stick PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) coated- cooking pans
 Release coatings for example silicone-coated release liners for many self-adhesive products
 primers encourage subsequent coatings to adhere well (also sometimes have anti-corrosive
properties)
 Optical coatings
 Reflective coatings for mirrors
 Anti-reflective coatings example on spectacles
 UV- absorbent coatings for protection of eyes or increasing the life of the substrate
 Tinted as used in some coloured lighting, tinted glazing, or sunglasses
 Catalytic e.g. some self-cleaning glass
 Light-sensitive as previously used to make photographic film
 Protective coatings
o Most surface coatings or paints are to some extent protecting the substrate e.g.
 Sealing and waterproofing wood
 Sealing the surface of concrete
 Film-forming sealers and floor paint
 Seamless polymer/resin flooring
 Bund wall/containment lining
 Waterproofing and damp proofing of concrete walls ; Roof coating
 Concrete bridge deck membranes
 Sealing and waterproofing of masonry
 Preserving machinery, equipment and structures.
 Maintenance coatings/paints for metals, alloys and concrete
 Chemical resistant coatings
 Wear resistance
  Anti-Friction, Wear and Scuffing Resistance Coatings for Rolling-element bearings.
 Hard anti-scratch coating on plastics and other materials e.g. of titanium nitride to reduce
scratching and abrasion loss
 Barrier coatings on concrete, metals and alloys subject to erosion/abrasive attack
 Anti-corrosion ensure metal components have the longest possible lifespan.
 Underbody sealant for cars; Many plating products
 Preserving equipment and structural steel from degradation
 Under thermal insulation and under protective fireproofing for structural steel
 Adding glass flakes and zinc flakes to improve resistant of water and chemicals permeating.
 Passive fire protection
 Insulation
 Waterproof fabric and waterproof paper
 Anti-graffiti ; Antimicrobial surface, Foul release and anti-fouling
 Magnetic properties such as for magnetic media like cassette tapes and some mass transit tickets
 Electrical or electronic properties
 Conformal Antenna, e.g., metal coatings on plastic airframes
 Conductive coatings e.g. to manufacture some types of resistors
 Insulating coatings e.g. on magnet wires used in transformers
 Scent properties such as scratch and sniff stickers and labels
 Decorative- often to impart a specific colour, but also to create a particular reflective property
such as gloss.
Preliminary treatment of surface
The different process for preliminary treatment of surface is as follows. Aqueous cleaning, vapor
degreasing or ultrasonic cleaning are typical cleaning processes and of the three aqueous cleaning
makes up the majority.The surface pretreatment is required for the parts that will be finished with
organic coatings.
The iron phosphate systems can either be a cleaner coater where the cleaning and coating take place
in the same stage or have a separate cleaning stage. Separate cleaning steps are essential for zinc
phosphate systems and the new phosphate free and low phosphate conversion coatings. If the cleaner
does not fulfill its purpose of removing unwanted soils from the substrate then subsequent processing
steps will not proceed further.
Typical soils are either organic or inorganic. Rust preventative oils and lubricants, metal forming
blends and rolling oils are examples of organic soils. Inorganic soils include mill or heat scale,
metallic fines and laser scale.
Three types of cleaners are used in metal finishing: solvent cleaners, acid cleaners and alkaline
cleaners.
Solvent cleaners are usually used on small surface areas and offer limited ability to remove difficult
oils. Acid cleaners are chosen for removing inorganic soils such as surface oxides.Alkaline cleaners
deliver optimum results on organic soils.
 Rinsing
The water rinse process stops chemical reactions from taking place and removes unreacted chemicals
from a part’s surface. Effective water rinsing also minimizes the migration of chemicals from one
processing stage to the next.
 The Choices
o Iron Phosphate Pretreatment Systems.
Iron phosphate systems also known as alkali metal phosphates are used for parts that require a
durable finish but are not exposed to severely corrosive environments. These systems can involve two
to six stages with the shortest sequence being a cleaner-coater stage followed by a tap-water rinse.
Short sequence systems are employed if performance requirements are low.Iron phosphates produce
an amorphous conversion coating on steel that ranges in color from iridescent blue to gray depending
on operating conditions and product formulation. Iron phosphate processes are much easier to operate
and require fewer process stages than zinc phosphate. However, iron phosphates do not provide the
degree of corrosion protection imparted by zinc phosphates.
o Zinc Phosphate Pretreatment Systems.
A zinc phosphate system varies from an iron system in two critical areas. First, it requires the use of a
surface conditioner stage. Second, a zinc phosphate bath has additional metal ions in the solution
which are incorporated into the coating along with the metal ions from the substrate being processed.
 Surface Conditioning
Surface conditioning rinses are used in zinc phosphate to refine crystal morphology and control
coating weight. State of the art conditioners are liquid products that can be consistently applied using
metering pumps.
The surface conditioning rinse takes place just before the zinc phosphate stage and it is the only step
in the process that is followed by another chemical stage. This step is called as zinc phosphate bath.
Recently, zinc phosphate has been used to replace the titanium salt chemistry. This technology
improves the refinement of the zinc phosphate coating.
Zinc Phosphate
Zinc phosphate coatings provide exceptional painted part durability in corrosive environments and
have the ability to coat mixed metals (steel, zinc-coated steel and aluminum). New zinc phosphate
systems operate at lower temperatures and in some cases are free of nitrites and nickel and offer a
reduction in sludge and some products are internally accelerated.
Depending on the metal mix in the system, additives are used to assist in the formation of the
conversion coating on the substrate. Adding calcium ions to the zinc phosphate bath produces a
microcrystalline phosphate coating needed for rubber bonding. Depending on the final application
and performance requirements, various other metal ions, organic acids, chelating agents and other
chemicals can modify the overall characteristics of the zinc phosphate conversion coating.
 New-Generation Conversion Coatings
New conversion coating technologies are being introduced that have four significant processing
benefits. These coating processes are shorter, simpler and operate at lower temperatures than current
zinc or iron phosphate processes. They perform well on all standard substrates of steel, zinc and
aluminum. They significantly reduce the environmental impact, while their corrosion performance
meets metal finishing specifications for painted metal substrates.
The new-generation conversion coating process is based on zirconium and additional propriety
chemicals. When applied to a metal substrate, these chemicals react to form an amorphous zirconium
oxide coating 20-80 nm thick that is significantly different from the iron phosphate and zinc
phosphate coatings in use today. The new coating is thinner than traditional iron or zinc phosphate
conversion coatings.The new conversion coating process contains no zinc, nickel, manganese or
phosphates but it is based on zirconium containing chemicals. In its simplest form, the process
consists of five stages—two chemical stages and three water-rinse stages.
 Post-Treatment
After a metal surface receives a conversion coating, the surface is water rinsed to remove unreacted
chemicals and a post-treatment may be applied. The post-treatment can increase corrosion and
humidity resistance as compared with conversion coatings without final rinses. In the case of
electrocoat applications, final deionized (DI) or reverse osmosis (RO) water rinse is required to
minimize drag-in of high-conductivity water on the substrate surface from the post rinse.
 Phosphate Coating Evaluation
There are three characteristics that define a conversion coating: the coating weight, the crystal size or
morphology and the chemical composition.
o Coating Weight
Coating weight is defined as the amount of coating deposited within a specific surface area.
Typically, coating weight is expressed in either grams per square meter (g/sq m) or milligrams per
square foot (mg/sqft). Coating weight is an excellent indicator of whether the conversion coating bath
is in proper chemical balance.
o Crystal Structure/morphology
The crystal structure of the conversion coating is measured through the use of a microscope either an
optical or most commonly a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at magnifications ranging from 100
to 1,000 times. In the case of new-generation coatings, this magnification is not sufficient and other
instruments such as an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) or Field Emission SEM (FE-SEM) are
necessary to achieve visible images of the coatings at 30,000 times and greater.Regardless of the
instrument required, the conversion coating is a combination of crystalline and microstructures
chemically deposited on the metal surface. Instrumentation is used to determine the size, shape and
uniformity of the coating.
o Coating Composition
In addition to coating weight and crystal structure, the chemical composition of the coating plays a
significant role in corrosion performance. Chemical composition can be determined through a simple
analysis in the laboratory using more advanced equipment, such as scanning electron microscopes
with energy dispersive x-ray or x-ray diffraction.
Visual Inspection
Because the three coating characteristics take some time for evaluation, a simple visual inspection of
the coating at the manufacturing site can look for problems. Phosphate coatings should be uniform in
appearance whenever possible. Variations in color are normal on mixed metal sub-assemblies such as
automobiles using various zinc-galvanized steel alloys.
Classification of surface coating
There two classes of coatings: Organic and Inorganic. Organic coatings contain carbon and used to be
made from vegetable or animal oils. Nowadays most of them come from refined and modified
petroleum products. Organic coatings include paints, resins, lacquers and varnishes. Inorganic
coatings include porcelain enamels, glass linings and metallic coatings. Metallic coatings are
produced using a variety of techniques such as hot dipping, electroplating, cladding, thermal spray
and other methods.
Coating Types
Protective coatings are commonly referred to by their generic resin type, such as
1. Acrylics; 2. Alkyds; 3.Bituminous; 4.Chlorinated rubbers; 5. Epoxy amine; 6. Epoxy coal tar;
7. Epoxy ester; 8. Epoxy Phenolic; 9. Epoxy polyamide; 10. Inorganic and organic zincs;
11.Silicones ;12. Urethanes; 13.Vinyls.
1. Acrylics
Acrylics have excellent colour and gloss retention for outdoorapplications and are often combined
with other resins because of theseproperties. They are ideal for use in areas of mild chemical fumes
but arenot recommended for tank linings. They are somewhat inferior to vinyls orchlorinated rubbers
in chemicalresistance. They cure by solventevaporation. They are often used as a topcoat over other
chemicalresistance coatings are applied, because of their color and gloss retention.
2. Alkyds
Alkyds are usually natural oils that have been chemically modifiedto improve the rate of cure,
chemical resistance and hardness. They aregeneral-purpose coatings designed for applications to a
wide range ofsubstrates. They are easily applied and can be used as primers ortopcoats. They provide
good colour retention and gloss but exhibit poorchemical resistance. Since they are subject to
saponification, which ischemical interaction of fat with an alkali that forms a soap, they are
notsuitable for applications to alkaline surfaces.They cure by air oxidation.
3. Bituminous
Bituminous coatings are low-cost, heavy-bodied materials appliedeither hot or as aait back with
solvent. They provide good moisturebarriers, have good-to-fair resistance to chemical fumes and
spillage andexhibit good acid resistance and poor solvent resistance. They form veryheavy films but
have no corrosion inhibiting qualities. When they aredamaged, undercutting can be serious problem.
They are available inblack only. Materials such as clay, slate, mica, asbestos and otherpowders are
sometimes added to increase film thickness and toughness.They cure by solvent evaporation.
4. Chlorinated Rubber
Chlorinated Rubber coatings are similar to vinyls in that they formfairly rough, thin films that have
good abrasion resistance. They haveexcellent weathering properties and provide excellent resistance
to mostmineral acids and alkalis, salt and fresh water, and fungus growth. Theyare frequently
modified with alkyd resins to lower their cost and improvetheir application characteristics. Curing is
by solvent evaporation.
5. Epoxy Amine
Epoxy amine coatings are catalysed or hardened by an aminecuring agent. These materials form a
hard,abrasion resistant coating withgood-to-excellent alkali, acid, and solvent resistance. They must
beapplied to a thoroughly cleaned surface and are moisture-sensitive duringapplication. They have a
tendency to fade and chalk in direct sunlight andto embrittle on ageing.
6. Epoxy Polyamide
Epoxy Polyamide coatings are not as resistant to adds, alkalis, orsolvents as the amines. Polyamides
havegreater flexibility and providewater and salt solution resistance. They have a tendency to fade
and chalkindirect sunlight and do not embrittle as much as the amine epoxies do onageing.
7. Epoxy Coal Tar
Amine or polyamide epoxy resins are often modified with coal tarpitch to produce relatively high
film build-up for good chemical andmoisture resistance. Resistance to hydrogen sulfide and acids in
generalis dramatically improved over a straight epoxy. They have a tendency toembrittle on ageing
and delimitation between coats or beneath touch-uppatches is common unless special precautions for
taken duringapplications. They are normally black in colour.
8. Epoxy Phenolic
Epoxy Phenolic coatings combine a portion of Phenolic resin withepoxy resin. They are usually
employed as tank linings but have usedextensively in nuclear plants, as interior coatings for vessels.
They havegood resistance to the effects of radiation.
9. Epoxy Ester
Epoxy ester coatings are a combination of an epoxy resin and adrying oil. These coatings cure by a
combination of solvent evaporationand oxidation. They do not require the use of catalyst or
hardener.Chemical resistance is better than alkyds but still rather poor. However,they can be applied
by relatively inexperienced painter on surface havingonly marginal surface preparation. They do not
lift most old, sound paints.Their whether resistance is fairly good, but they will chalk and yellow
afterextended exposure to sun. They do no saponify over alkaline surfaces tothe same degree as an
alkyd.
10. Inorganic and Organic Zincs
Metallic Zinc is used as the pigmentation with the variety of vehiclefor inorganic and organic zinc
coatings. They may be one- two- or threepackage materials, post cured, moisture cured, solvent based
or waterbased. The end product in all cases is metallic zinc suspended inextremely hard, tough
silicate matrix. Acid or alkali resistance is poor butsolvent, moisture and salt resistance is excellent.
Their weatherresistances is extremely well and are often used as a single cost system for structural
steel or tanks. Abrasive blasting is required, and the dry filmthickness ofthe applied film thickness of
the applied film is critical.
11. Silicones:
Silicone coatings are semi-inorganic polymers which, whenformulated into coatings, have
outstanding heat resistance and excellentwater repellency. Properties depend on the amount of
silicone resin andthe type of modifying agents used (i.e. alkyd, acrylics, etc). In high heatapplications,
such as stakes, they are used to temperatures as high as 650°C.
12. Urethanes:
Sometimes called polyurethanes or isocyanets, these coatings are afairly new development but may
be obtained in a wide range offormulations. Normally, two-package, catalysed materials, the
aliphaticurethanes are hard, tough and abrasion resistant, with excellentweathering properties and
gloss retention. They exhibit excellent solventresistance, only slightly inferior to that of an epoxy, and
withstand mildacids and alkalis. Their adhesion properties are excellent; however, theyare usually
applied over an epoxy primer. Urethanes can be applied atlower than most other chemically cured
coatings. During applications,urethanes are moisture sensitive, but after they have cured, they
exhibitoutstanding resistance to high humidify.
13. Vinyls
Vinyls are thermostatic materials and cure solely by solventevaporation. As such, they can be applied
at much lower temperaturesthan any catalysed coating. Acid and alkali resistance is excellent,
butsolvent resistance is poor. Because they are soluble in their own solvents,repairs are easily made.
Water and weather resistance is outstanding characteristics. A clean, preferable abrasive blasted
surface is requiredfor proper adhesion. They usually employ special primers.