Huber Engineered Materials, a division of J.M. Huber Corporation, is introducing Hydral Coat 2 Ultrafine Alumina Trihydrate (ATH) for use in coil coatings and other high performance coating-related applications.

In coatings applications with low film thicknesses, extenders are not commonly used because they adversely affect the gloss and/or performance properties.  Huber conducted an analysis comparing high-gloss white and black coil coatings without extenders versus the same coatings extended with Hydral Coat 2 Ultrafine ATH.  The coatings delivered the same performance, including 2,000 Hours of QUV weathering.

In addition to a partial replacement of titanium dioxide (TiO2), Hydral Coat 2 Ultrafine ATH replaced a portion of resin content.  The result is a lower cost per gallon without any adverse impact on aesthetics, flexibility or durability.  In the black, high-gloss coil coating formulation, a ladder study ranged from 1.5% PVC to 10% PVC without a loss in jetness or gloss.

Hydral Coat 2 Ultrafine ATH has a relatively low specific gravity, so it is more economical than precipitated barium sulfate on a cost-per-gallon basis, and it has a reduced tendency to settle in low viscosity systems. These are important characteristics in coil coatings applications.

“We’re extremely pleased with the results we’ve seen from Hydral Coat 2, and we’ve had a very enthusiastic response thus far in our sampling efforts,” says Mitch Halpert, Coatings Lead for Huber’s Fire Retardant Additives business.  “The product’s combination of high brightness, small particle size and low density makes it a valuable tool for specialty industrial coating formulators.”