Polyurea is a type of hard coating that has gained popularity in recent years due to its numerous benefits compared to traditional hardcoat coatings systems such as epoxy, rubber-latex, and GRP (glass reinforced plastic). Here are some five benefits of using polyurea as a hard-coating for EPS (expanded polystyrene):
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One of the main advantages of polyurea is its fast curing time. It can cure in as little as 5 seconds, making it ideal for use in fast-paced environments where time is of the essence. In contrast, traditional coatings such as epoxy and rubber-latex can take hours or even days to cure completely.
Polyurea is known for its exceptional strength and durability. It can withstand harsh environments and extreme temperature fluctuations, making it ideal for use in a variety of applications. It is also resistant to abrasion, impact, and chemical corrosion, making it a long-lasting and reliable coating solution.
Polyurea has excellent adhesion properties, meaning it can bond strongly to a variety of surfaces including EPS. This makes it an ideal coating for use on foam products, as it can provide an added layer of protection and durability.
Polyurea can be applied to a wide range of surfaces and in a variety of thicknesses, making it a versatile coating solution. It can be applied to both horizontal and vertical surfaces and can be used in a variety of industries including construction, transportation, and manufacturing.
Polyurea is resistant to water and moisture, making it an excellent choice for use in damp or humid environments. It can also be used to seal and protect surfaces from water damage.
In conclusion, polyurea has numerous benefits as a hard-coating for EPS compared to traditional coatings such as epoxy, rubber-latex, and GRP. Its quick curing time, high strength and durability, excellent adhesion, versatility, and resistance to water make it an ideal choice for a wide range of applications.
EPS and Polystyrene can be hardened with polyurea through a process called spray coating. Here is a general outline of the process:
It is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions when hardening EPS and polystyrene structures with polyurea to ensure proper application and to achieve the best results.
Polyurea hard-coating for EPS and polystyrene is used in a variety of industries due to its versatility and numerous benefits. Some of the industries that commonly require polyurea hard-coating for EPS and polystyrene include:
Polyurea is often used as a protective coating for foam products in the construction industry. It can be used to coat foam insulation, foam crown molding, and foam trim to provide an added layer of protection and durability.
Polyurea is often used as a coating for automotive and transportation products due to its ability to withstand extreme temperature fluctuations and harsh environments. It can be used to coat foam products used in the automotive and aviation industries, such as aircraft seats and automotive dashboards.
Polyurea can be used to coat foam products used in packaging, such as foam coolers and foam inserts, to provide an added layer of protection and durability.
Polyurea is often used as a coating for foam products in the manufacturing industry, such as foam gaskets and foam seals. It can also be used to coat foam products used in the production of appliances, such as foam insulators and foam pads.
Polyurea is used as a coating for foam products in the military and defense industry due to its ability to withstand extreme conditions and its resistance to abrasion and impact. It can be used to coat foam products used in military vehicles, such as foam seats.
Polyurea hard-coatings are often used in the film industry to protect and preserve various types of equipment and props. Overall, polyurea hard-coatings are an essential component of the film industry, providing protection and preservation for a wide range of equipment, props, and special effects.
Polyurea hard-coatings are often used to protect and preserve themepark props and art sculptures created from EPS (expanded polystyrene). Polyurea is known for its exceptional strength and durability, making it an ideal coating for film props and sculptures. It can withstand harsh environments and extreme temperature fluctuations, helping to preserve and protect the foam products used in these applications. Polyurea hard-coatings are a valuable tool in the art world, providing durability, versatility, and customization for EPS sculptures.
Overall, polyurea hard-coating for EPS and polystyrene is used in a wide range of industries due to its strength, durability, versatility, and resistance to harsh environments.
If you're reading this article about polyurea hard-coating for EPS structures, you're probably considering using this advanced coating solution for your own project.
If you're interested in using polyurea hard-coating for your EPS structures, the next step is to research and compare different products and suppliers. Look for a reputable company that offers high-quality polyurea products and has a proven track record of success.
Consider the benefits
Remember all of the benefits of using polyurea hard-coating for EPS structures: durability, versatility, quick curing time, resistance to water, and customization options. These benefits can save you time, money, and hassle in the long run.
Seek professional assistance
If you're not sure where to start or have questions about the process, consider seeking the assistance of a professional. The team at PAXCON Industrial Coatings can help you choose the right product, prepare the surface, and apply the coating correctly to achieve the best results.
Hard coatings are a specially formulated treatment which are applied to plastic substrates in liquid form and cured, usually using heat or UV energy. They can be applied using many different methods such as spray, flow, roll or dip coating.
Hard coatings improve the surface performance of plastic materials, offering greater abrasion resistance (amongst many other benefits), giving very strong and versatile materials such as Polycarbonate a harder surface, enabling the material to be used in a wider variety of applications. This also means that the coated material(s) can last considerably longer, needing to be replaced less, therefore helping to cut down on a project's carbon footprint.
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Contents
1 Introduction
2 Main benefits of hard coating plastic
3 Applications
4 Thermally Cured Coatings and UV Cured Coatings
5 Environment
1. Introduction
Almost all hard coatings also offer increased chemical resistance to plastic materials, which are generally easily damaged by harsh chemicals.
Other properties can be included within hard coatings such as UV resistance, Anti-Microbial properties, Anti-Glare, Anti-Fog/Misting, Anti-Fouling/Graffiti, Anti-Static and even Electrical Shielding properties, as well as matte and textured finishes, etc.
The level of abrasion and chemical resistance can vary depending on the hard coating's formulation. Some coatings offer a lower abrasion resistance but in doing so offer an extended life under external weathering conditions.
Hard coatings can be applied to many substrates such as Polycarbonate, PMMA, PET, PVC and PETg in sheet form or mouldings. They can also be applied to some printed (digital and screen) or painted surfaces.
Hard coatings provide multiple benefits, such as significantly better scratch resistance, weather resistance, and improved resistance to chemicals and solvents. In addition, coating helps to maintain colour, gloss, light transmission, and other physical properties of transparent plastic sheets.
2. Main Benefits Of Hard Coating Plastic
3. Applications
Hard coatings are used on many different products in a wide variety of industries. Most common applications for hard coatings are:
The above applications are very much functional and allow plastics to perform better and last longer in everyday/harsh conditions.
There are many more instances where coatings allow for decorative finishes to be protected and therefore significantly extend the life of such products. These include, reverse printed splash backs, signage, point of sale, wall coverings, etc.
There are so many more products that benefit from hard coatings, the list is too long to cover everything.
4. Thermally Cured Coatings and UV Cured Coatings
Thermally cured coatings and UV cured coatings are commonly used in many industries, with most car headlamps in the world having one form of hard coating applied to them. Both technologies offer very similar end results ' hard coatings with abrasion and chemical resistance. However, the chemistry behind both is very different.
Thermally cured coatings are applied to the substrate and then exposed to high temperatures for a period of time. This can be problematic with certain materials or thicknesses, where the heat required to cure the coating can warp the substrate.
UV cured coatings are applied to the substrate and then exposed to high levels of UV energy which cures the coating immediately. This process requires much lower temperatures offering greater versatility. UV curing is quicker, requires significantly lower levels of energy and a smaller footprint for machinery. Of the two methods, UV cured coatings are better for the environment.
Many sheet companies apply thermally cured coatings using the flow-coat method. Sheets are fixed into holders so that the material can be held in place whilst the coating is applied. For this reason, plastic sheets are produced over-sized and the edges are cut off. Whilst flow-coating offers a very good finish with low levels of inclusions, there is a high level of material waste during this process.
UV cured coating technology offers the option of a spray coating to sheet materials meaning that the sheet can be coated edge to edge, resulting in less waste.
There will always be applications where one technology or coating method is more beneficial than the other, however, UV cured coatings should be the favoured option for environmental reasons.
5. Environment
Plastic materials have an infinite amount of uses and benefit many people which is why they will continue to be used for many applications. Over time, untreated plastics degrade, especially outside due to UV exposure and weather conditions. Therefore, hard coatings that extend the life of plastic products are a great benefit.
One of the major benefits of plastics such as Polycarbonate or PMMA is that they are transparent, however, they scratch VERY easily, especially Polycarbonate. Displays, machine guards, screens, roofing, windows and lenses all very quickly become un-useable. But due to the abrasion resistance of hard coatings, such products have significantly harder surfaces and are therefore able to survive regular use over a much longer period of time.
Regularly, external displays, signs, bus shelters etc. are vandalised with graffiti. The excellent chemical resistance of hard coatings stops the spray paints from adhering to the plastic substrate permanently and allow for chemicals to be used in removal of the spray paint.
There are many instances where hard coatings are not used, meaning that plastic products must be regularly replaced. Some industries/manufacturers rely on such replacement business or after sales. For example, uncoated materials are used for many bus shelters or supermarket trolley parks, quickly becoming unsightly from vandalism or UV degradation and are therefore replaced often. This is clearly bad for the environment.
Hard coatings add a small additional cost to such products but extend their useful lives by many years, needing to be replaced much less often, ultimately reducing plastics use and cost. When hard coated material does need to be replaced it can be recycled just as easily as uncoated material.
Author
Mark Scott - Marketing Manager
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