In addition to painting houses, paints are used to color cars, underground storage containers, road markings, boats, and many more items.
The element in paints that is responsible for giving color to various applications are pigments. Pigments occupy a place of great importance in the paint industry with large quantities of the various varieties being used for different purposes. Pigments in paints act as colorants in commercial, industrial and decorative applications. The different types of pigments for paints can be listed below:
Earth-colored pigments – Obtained from natural sources and classified as inorganic pigments. They are resistant to weathering, light and chemicals. Some examples in this category are Umber, Ocher, Swedish Red, Bolus, etc.
Mineral pigments: They are classified as synthetic inorganic pigments. Some of the pigments included in this category are green chromium oxide, titanium dioxide, ultramarine blue pigment variety, iron oxide yellow, titanium nickel yellow, etc.
Vegetable color pigments: they are obtained from natural organic pigments available in plants. Some examples that fall into this category are saffron, indigo, alizarin red, reseda, woad, etc.
Synthetic pigments: some synthetic pigments also find their way into the paint industry. Phthalocyanine, Azo, Dioxazine are just to name a few of them.
The pigment in paints not only acts as a colorant, but also provides protection of the underside against weathering and corrosion. In fact, you are responsible for holding the painting together. Specialty pigments are used in specific applications, such as providing metallic finishes to car bodies or offering a long-lasting characteristic for road markings. In addition to pigments, paints contain binders and solvents.
The binder helps hold the paint layer to the substrate. Solvents also called diluents act as a medium in which the binder, additives and pigments are dispersed as true solutions or as a colloidal dispersion. Pigment, binder, and solvent must be mixed in proper proportions so that the end result is a smooth, continuous, and attractive coat of paint. The paint technician and the paint technician work together to achieve the desired end product.
With industrial paint applications ranging from aerospace, coil, automotive to architectural and decorative, paint formulations must meet various technical criteria in addition to offering durability, opacity, and ease of application. It is the job of the paint technician to formulate the paint to predetermined standards and of the paint technician responsible for its manufacture to ensure the achievement of the characteristics established by the paint technician. Equipment commonly used in paint manufacturing includes pebble or ball mills, horizontal and vertical ball mills, and intensive full speed agitators. The paint manufacturer can make use of various other machines available for this purpose. However, everyone’s efforts are directed towards obtaining the highest quality paints.