Ashland Launches New Service for the Coatings Industry

Ashland Specialty Ingredients rolled out a new service to help coatings chemists objectively determine paint application “feel” according to key parameters.

Paint application feel refers to how it feels to roll paint onto a surface. Typically, a trained evaluator relies on experience to characterize subjective impressions of a paint rollout. Ashland has created a device that objectively measures the parameters that comprise paint application feel.

Created by Ashland researchers, the paint application feel device is called the Application Reader Technology, (ART).  The ART process includes a portable frame, a mounting panel and a force plate. To determine an objective measure of paint feel, technicians first roll paint in several directions on to the ART force plate. The ART captures the details of each paint stroke, speed of roller movement, the work of rolling and the normal and shear forces generated during the rollout process. The weight applied, painting time and distance are also recorded.

Using these measurements and in-house developed software, the ART calculates the total work of rolling, which is expressed in W, the general designation for work, expressed as J, for Joules; average speed of rolling; normalized work of rolling; and average painting force.

“These factors reflect how the paint feel affects how an individual paints,” said Abe Vaynberg, senior scientist, Ashland Specialty Ingredients. “We can see how one changes his or her style in response to paint choice and application feel.”
Vaynberg noted that the parameters of paint application feel can be used as a baseline to help coatings manufacturers maintain consistency in their formulations.

“We encourage the coatings community to bring us their formulations, whether in progress or completed coatings,” said Vaynberg. “Using the ART, we will quantify the parameters that determine the paint application feel. Then we will help select the appropriate rheology modifier to maintain that paint feel, or to adjust one of the parameters as necessary to meet or achieve our customers’ desired outcomes.”