Exhibitors Look Forward to a Productive American Coatings Show

By Kerry Pianoforte, Editor | 04.08.16

The American Coatings Show (ACS) will be held April 12-14 at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Held in partnership with the American Coatings Association (ACA) and Vincentz Network  – the organizer of the European Coatings Show and Conference – the American Coatings Show and Conference (ACS/ACC) is an exhibition and technical conference designed as a sister event to the European event. The ACS provides a marketplace for presentation of products and services for the production of high-grade and competitive paint and coatings.

There are many reasons for suppliers to the paint and coatings industry to exhibit at the ACS. Companies Coatings World interviewed cited the opportunity to meet with key customers in one setting as a major benefit.

“The greatest benefit of exhibiting at a show like ACS is the exposure you receive across the large platform of different market segments in the coatings arena,” said Craig Collins, North America sales manager at Shamrock Technologies. “This gives a company like Shamrock the opportunity to reach everyone from our long term partners to new emerging technology based companies that are just entering their partnering phase. 2016 is Shamrock Technologies’ 75th year anniversary.  This is a celebration of the past, plus the beginning of the road map for our next 75 years.”

“The ACS provides LANSCO COLORS a wonderful opportunity to connect with our customers in a different environment, and provides them with instant access to our key personnel,” said Christine Gehres, senior VP of sales, Lansco Colors. “It allows great face-to-face interaction of customers with our support staff who they may not have yet met in person.  As LANSCO COLORS have been growing as a company every year, so has our customer base and geographic reach; the ACS facilitates meeting international customers and provides an opportunity to be a host to them at our booth. LANSCO COLORS is a repeat exhibitor with a larger booth than in 2014. LANSCO COLORS’ technical experts, support staff and management will be meeting with a large variety of customers.”

"One of the key benefits of exhibiting at the American Coatings show is the ability address the entire coatings market in one event and deliver a unified message of one company to the diverse coatings market," said Liz Dunbar, marketing communications associate, dispersions and pigments, North America, BASF. "The show allows us to demonstrate that the combination of existing BASF capabilities with our people, products & technology can help coatings manufacturers and/or formulators make their products more robust, effective and efficient. We plan on having a very robust American Coatings Show. BASF is presenting nine papers, two posters and a tutorial session during the technical conference. With such a big presence in the technical space, it was important for us to have a large, eye-catching trade show booth to complement the technical aspect of the show. Our booth speaks to the science of what we do, and truly articulates where you see our chemistry in everyday life. We’ve built a house in our trade show space to show attendees that they live BASF every day.  As an added initiative to help our customers and attendees, BASF is offering 'Formulate on the Floor' sessions with our Formulations Service Institute team. This team is dedicated to solving common industry challenges as a part of a holistic, consultative approach to servicing customers. Wednesday afternoon from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m., BASF is hosting a cocktail reception for ACS attendees. All attendees are invited to come see our booth and start a conversation with one of our scientists."

According to Sylvia Insogna, North America marketing director, Dow Coating Materials, the American Coatings Show plays an important role in idea sharing. “It brings together a unique and diverse demographic of people across the entire paint and coatings supply chain, from research through customer marketing and everything in between. It is an exciting place to be and has so many opportunities, not only for networking, but for taking the pulse of the industry through a broader lens. We value ACS for the productive platform it provides to meet with many customers to discuss and drive our collaboration efforts.”

In addition to its experts ready to answer questions at booth #2230, Dow will be leading several educational sessions. From sharing best practices for biocide selection and discussing additives that improve the performance of contractor-quality paint, to educating attendees about efficient isocyanate-free automotive coatings, we’re eager to discuss new and innovative technologies. ACS attendees will learn how to create distinctive offerings that meet and exceed their needs across a variety of markets and applications.

These presentations include:

Monday, April 11
• 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Biocide Selection Process for Coatings
• 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Additives Level the Playing Field for Cost-Effective PVA Binders to Excel in Touch-up and Coverage Properties
• 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.: Role of Hydrophobicity on Chemical Resistance of Fast-Cure Elastomeric Coatings

Tuesday, April 12
• 9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Isocyanate-Free Polyurethane Technology for Automotive Refinish Applications
• 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Acrylic Epoxy Hybrid Coatings for Commercial and Institutional Wall Applications

Wednesday, April 13
• 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Ultra-Low VOC Waterborne Alkyd Coatings with Solvent-Borne Alkyd Performance
• 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Tuning Toughness and Flexibility in Liquid Applied High Solids Epoxy Coatings

As a global supplier to the industry, the key benefit for Arkema is the opportunity to meet and talk with people who represent all aspects of a customer’s business – from technical, to purchasing, to marketing and management titles.  “The exposure to all of these disciplines helps energize our thinking about the products and technologies we can provide to help our customers grow their business,” said Jim Bell, director communications, Arkema. “The exposure to all of these disciplines helps energize our thinking about the products and technologies we can provide to help our customers grow their business. Our plan for the show is to continue to focus on what makes Arkema unique among raw material suppliers to the industry – the breadth and depth of our technology and product lines.  From monomers and intermediates, to resins, additives, specialty chemicals and high performance coatings, our market offer is virtually unmatched in the industry.”

“The American Coatings Show brings together a wide range of coatings companies, formulators, suppliers, and industry thought leaders,” said Adam King, global marketing communications manager, performance chemicals, Cabot Corp. “As the biggest coatings-focused show in North America, Cabot is excited to exhibit and showcase our portfolio of carbon black, fumed silica, fumed alumina and aerogel performance additives. No other North American tradeshow gives us such access to this specific audience, and enables us to learn firsthand about the problems and challenges our customers are facing so that we can work to meet their unmet needs.”

“Our goal at the American Coatings Show is to engage with and listen to our customers to better understand their unmet needs,” King continued. “We have industry-leading particle engineering and surface modification expertise, and we are leveraging these capabilities to develop products for improved color, finish, dispersibility and thermal and electrical performance for our customers’ evolving coatings needs. We hope to be good listeners at the show.”

“ACS provides customers with a quick snapshot of new capabilities that Brookfield has added to our viscosity measurement instrumentation, such as the recently announced low-cost DVE Viscometer which is the most affordable digital rotational instrument of its kind in the market,” said Bob McGregor of Brookfield Engineering. “Simultaneously, customers discuss problems that they have with lab viscosity measurements, providing important input for future design improvements.  One example is how to measure smaller sample sizes when evaluating new formulations.”

“The ACS is an important show for connecting with our customers in the North American market,” said Darren Bianchi, CEO of Brilliant Group. “Our team has been expanding and we’ll be introducing one of our latest additions, our technical support manager, Shaun Mihalick, to our customers and the market.”

The American Coatings SHOW 2016 is a significant event for Sun Chemical as this will be the first show where both its Performance Pigments and Advance Materials product lines will be exhibited together. “The show allows Sun Chemical to demonstrate how we can provide a full range of resins and pigments that are tailor made for any coatings application,” said Michael T. Venturini, global marketing manager, coatings, Sun Chemical Performance Pigments. “We expect a strong turnout of formulators from regional coatings companies because of Indianapolis’s ideal location in the heart of the “paint belt” which ranges from Chicago to Pittsburgh. We also believe that formulators will be looking for products like our line of acrylic polymers designed for direct application to untreated polypropylene (PP).  Many specifiers wish to use PP because of its recyclability and light weight but without the right resin system it can be difficult to coat. We also expect a strong interest in our Benda-Lutz SPLENDAL metallic pigment as the trend for premium luxury coatings continues to gain momentum.”

For Netzsch the American Coatings Show offers opportunities to create new contacts and engage with some of the largest and most influential companies in the paints and coatings industry. “Our theme for the show is “changing the world… again!”. We plan to exhibit some of our newest machines to demonstrate how NETZSCH is leading the way in the modernization of grinding, mixing, dispersing, de-aerating and homogenizing,” said Kevin Kirkwood, marketing coordinator, Netzsch Premier Technologies. “We will be displaying the next generation of NETZSCH products at our exhibit.”

For Ashland, the show provides an opportunity to showcase its innovation. "It gives attendees the change to compare Ashland side-by-side with its competitors, and we welcome that type of scrutiny because we're confident that our products and serivces are unmatached in the industry," said Brian Courtney of Ashland. "We're excited to presenting our latest research findings using Ashland's patented Application Reader Technology (ART) device on the presentation stage on Wednesday at 10:20 am. The ART device is the only way to gather objective data on paint feel, and these finding are quite compelling. We're also excited to invite everyone to our booth #1832 to play Ashland's Rheology Rollout Challenge. It's an interactive video game and we're going to be giving prizes to the top scorer each day, and a grand prize to the one person with the top overall score. It's really a blast to play."

“We attend the ACS to spend valuable time with our customers, promote our unique value proposition and provide greater exposure to our latest innovations,” said Brad McPhee, Specialty Polymer’s VP of sales and marketing. “The ACS also provides the SPI team with an excellent opportunity to gain new technical and market knowledge to generate new leads. It’s a great opportunity to spend time together, share some new ideas and have fun! This year we plan to highlight the important factors that set us apart from our competitors, primarily our willingness and ability to give customers greater product and service options to meet their needs, faster and with less hassle! Look for our new slogan – ‘A different kind of polymer company!’”

Exhibiting at the American Coatings Show allows Chromaflo Technologies to feature its large portfolio of products for the architectural and industrial coatings markets, while connecting with customers and suppliers on a more personal level.  “It also allows Chromaflo to reach out to potential new customers, building new relationships to show our diversification, new technologies and industry leadership as one of the largest independent colorant suppliers to the global paint and coatings market,” said Shelly Carpenter, marketing communications manager at Chromaflo Technologies. “On top of the many customer and supplier meetings we have scheduled, Chromaflo will be hosting an in-booth reception on April 12th from 4:30 – 6:30 PM with cocktails, hors d’ouevres, and a DJ!”

For many exhibitors the ACS provides the perfect counterpoint to the European Coatings Show, allowing them to reach their North American customers directly. “The ACS provides an excellent platform to present and discuss latest product developments with our North American customer base,” said David Tierney, global marketing director, Lonza. “Lonza will use this opportunity to connect with our key customers and distribution partners to highlight our range of products and services.”

Keim Additec will be exhibiting at the ACS for the first time. “We are looking forward to this opportunity to do so,” said David Grabacki, president of Keim Additec. “We are a relatively unknown company here in the U.S. and exhibiting at the ACS will certainly change that. Our company and products will have a great deal of exposure by exhibiting at the ACS. In addition to our U.S, staff, five of our German colleagues will join us for the ACS - a true multi-national effort!”

As the premier coatings show in the U.S., ACS gives exhibitors an opportunity to reach a very large audience of both technical and purchasing staff.  “We use this opportunity to launch new products and meet with both customers and key representatives from around the world,” said Gary Strauss, president of Micro Powders. “In addition to exhibiting, we will be hosting a sales meeting for our agents and distributors where we’ll be providing training on our new products and technologies.”

Nagase America sees the ACS as a great way to connect with current and potential customers. “We also benefit from using the show as a way to explore where the industry is going and highlight our materials solutions,” said Michael Moses, marketing manager, Nagase America. “As the leading specialty chemical supplier in Japan, we are using ACS to re-launch Nagase’s brand in the United States and highlight our broad portfolio of unique technologies.  At our booth, #2770, we will have displays organized around the themes of light, color, and touch for attendees to interact with.  Our new paints and coatings catalog details our portfolio of all-around coatings solutions, including resins, waterborne crosslinkers, matting and tactile agents, adhesion promoters, pigments, and UV/EB curable materials.”

“The American Coatings Show is a leading coatings exhibition that attracts visitors from numerous countries who are involved in a wide variety of industries tied to coatings,” said Stefani Levine of Atlas Material Testing Technology, LLC. “This event provides Atlas the opportunity to showcase our extensive offerings and innovative technology in accelerated weathering testing instruments and services. Participating in the American Coatings Show allows us to interact face to face with visitors to our booth. It provides our sales staff the opportunity to have meaningful discussions with attendees about their testing needs and how we may work together to provide them with the test instruments and/or natural and accelerated laboratory test programs that will supply the data they need to make informed material performance decisions.”

For Reichhold one key benefit of exhibiting at the ACS is having its technical resources for all areas of its product line readily available and accessible to its customers in one location.  “Another key benefit is being able to interact with our customers and suppliers on multiple levels, including but not limited to technical, purchasing, marketing and executive,” said Julie Fuell, sales director at Reichhold. “Reichhold plans to showcase our premier resins to as many people as possible at the show, and to put the fun back in coatings! We want people to recognize that whatever path our customers decide to take to achieve regulatory compliance – be it higher solids, alternative solvents or green technologies – Reichhold has the innovative solutions to help get them there.  For those looking for green solutions, be sure to attend our presentation “High-Performance Polymers Derived From Bio-Renewable Resources” being given on Wednesday April 13th in Session 15.5 at 12:00 pm.”

For Elementis Specialties, the biggest benefit of exhibiting at the American Coatings Show is to be able to highlight its new products and explain to customers how the products can help them with their formulation challenges. “We always look forward to being able to talk about our strengths and how we can help our customers,” said David W. Brown, directory of Coatings NA for Elementis Specialties. “It’s a rare opportunity to have the whole industry in one place at the same time. This year, our booth is our largest to date, and we are once again a sponsor of the show. We also have a customer event taking place on Wednesday evening at the Indiana History Museum. Elementis is making a major investment of time, money, and effort in the show. I believe that our investment underscores our commitment to the show and to the industry.”

Croda sees the ACS as an opportunity to meet with customers, meet new potential customers, promote new and existing products and learn about the upcoming technologies from the industry players. “We will be exhibiting new and existing products and promoting our technical and commercial capabilities through product presentations, customer meetings and booth meetings,” said Torey Adams, business development and marketing – Coatings & Polymers, Croda, Inc.

“The American Coatings Show provides a great opportunity to interact with our existing customers and suppliers while reaching out to large number of prospective new customers,” said Ted Davlantes, ACES marketing director, Brenntag North America. “The show also provides insight to the latest technological and market trends in the industry. " We will have several technical experts available including Rob Sourwine, Brenntag’s Coatings Technical and Applications Laboratory Director, to offer formulation assistance and problem solving.  In addition, we will have a host of BRENNTAG Marketing, Sales, and Management personnel present at the booth to discuss all areas of chemical raw material handling including, inventory management, logistics, working capital reduction, risk mitigation, sustainability, and raw material EH&S.”

“The American Coatings Show is unique in that it attracts a very large and diverse cross-section of coatings professionals from across the North American coatings supply chain,” said Julie Vaughn Biege, VP – business development and marketing services, Emerald Performance Materials. “This gives us the opportunity to network with technical and sales personnel, potential and current customers, suppliers of other raw materials, distributors, job seekers, and others, all in one place. We learn about new industry trends and developments while also showcasing our own recent innovations that have been tailored to address specific formulation challenges for ‘A Flawless Finish,’ our booth theme this year."

Emerald will be featuring a number of new and expanded products lines at its booth, #2755. “We have focused on expanding our capabilities and offering an expanding range of tailored solutions that are precisely optimized to solve common challenges with formulations,” added Biege. “In addition, ACS represents a nerve center for N.A. coatings industry trends that helps us to keep a pulse point on where the industry is headed and how the needs of the industry will continue to evolve over the next several years. We strive to be a flexible manufacturer that can adapt quickly to those changes and continue to demonstrate our applications expertise, so this is an important aspect of the Show for us as well.”

“Exhibiting at the ACS provides for our company the perfect venue to meet with key decision makers in the coatings industry,” said Frank Magdits, VP sales and marketing, Pan Technology Inc. “In addition, it’s a great opportunity to introduce Pan Technology and our innovative products to prospective and existing customers. I plan to meet with many people and both on and off the show floor.  I will also walk to learn as much as I can about the latest innovations and spot trends.”

Pan Technology will be featuring its lineup of PanTINT 100% solids powder dispersions, which represent the latest advances in dispersion science.

New Products and Technologies on Display
Atlas will be demonstrating it xenon and fluorescent UV weathering instruments at the show – Ci4000 Weather-Ometer, SUNTEST XXL+ and UVTest device.  In addition, Atlas will be promoting various outdoor and accelerated laboratory testing services that it offers including its new Ultra-Accelerated and Low-Temperature EMMAQU devices for performing natural exposure testing on materials at ultra-high or significantly cooler temperatures.

Lonza will be launching Proxel LS Preservative, an innovative in-can biocide blend, which enables robust product protection at low concentrations of the active ingredients.

Cabot will be showcasing its full portfolio of specialty carbon blacks including its EMPEROR high color blacks, as well as its CAB-O-SIL treated and untreated fumed silicas, its SpectrAl fumed aluminas, and CAB-O-SPERSE dispersions. Cabot will also be showcasing its Enova Aerogel products.

“Brilliant’s broad range of fluorescent pigments, dispersions, emulsions, printing ink concentrates and soluble toners allow for us to provide the appropriate fluorescent product for a broad range of applications,” said Bianchi.  “We find the audience at ACS to be quite diverse and it is important to have an commensurately diverse product offering backed by readily available inventory and technical support.”

Brookfield brings its complete line of viscosity measurement instrumentation to ACS because coatings customers vary significantly in what they have for lab equipment.  “There is a strong desire in this industry to verify that viscosity measurement is performed correctly and that productivity improvements are introduced into lab operations whenever possible,” said McGregor. “This is one of Brookfield’s primary objectives – to improve lab efficiency by increasing sample throughput while eliminating potential operator errors.”

Brookfield is highlighting its touch screen display for the highly popular DV2T Viscometer and live graphing display for all viscosity data on the impressively efficient DV3T Rheometer.  “Brookfield is also presenting the world’s most affordable shear cell for measuring flow behavior of powder coating materials in gravity discharge from bins/storage containers of all shapes and sizes,” said McGregor. “Our in-line AST-100 Process Viscometer is the ultimate solution for controlling viscosity in continuous coating processes.”

Formulators who visit Sun Chemical’s booth, #731, will be introduced to Sun Chemical’s Benda-Lutz COMPAL WS, a new range of highly concentrated, VOC-free aluminum preparations for inks and coatings. Designed for long term gassing stability in aqueous environments, COMPAL WS can be used in both water- or solvent-based systems, providing maximum formulation flexibility. Each grade of COMPAL WS preparations is delivered in an easily dispersible granular form for safe and easy handling, improved shelf stability, and numerous other advantages in transport.

“During the American Coatings SHOW 2016, Sun Chemical will build upon its recent announcement of a new Advanced Materials division by showcasing how some of DIC’s product lines, such as polymers and PPS, can be utilized with our pigment products for a variety of coatings applications in the automotive, architectural, industrial, and plastics markets,” said Venturini.

One such product that will be highlighted by Sun Chemical Advanced Materials is WATERSOL WQS-364, a novel UV-curable waterborne polymer. Based on DIC technology, the product will be the subject of a presentation titled “Water Reducible Coatings for Plastics” held on Tuesday, April 12th from 11-11:30 a.m. in the Radiation Curing session room. WATERSOL WQS-364 offers storage stability, chemical resistance, and exceptional film performance on plastic surfaces and offers a breakthrough for formulators who have struggled with short storage life and low film performance of other waterborne UV polymers.

Also on display for premium mirror-like coatings, Benda-Lutz SPLENDAL offers four unique, microscopically-thin aluminum platelet suspensions produced via physical vapor deposition. These vacuum metallized pigments range from a brilliant clean “white” to intense dark chrome reflections and are available in multiple solvents for almost every coating application. The SPLENDAL pigment range finds widespread application for premium consumer electronics, automotive interiors, and automotive wheels.

Booth visitors will learn how Benda-Lutz SPLENDAL vacuum metalized flakes can be formulated with DIC’s acrylic resins to produce luxurious finishes for plastics which meet the most demanding chemical resistance specifications for automotive interiors. A best-in-class solventborne acrylic polyol, DIC Acrylic WPU-349 exhibits outstanding adhesion to ABS and polycarbonate, and provides automotive interior coatings with superior DEET and sunscreen resistance.

Also on display will be DIC Acrylic WNL-379, a solventborne acrylic with exceptional metallic pigment orientation and brilliance for 1K plastic coatings in a variety of applications, including automotive interiors and consumer goods. Additionally, Sun Chemical will show how DIC’s WML-350 acrylic resins provide excellent adhesion on polypropylene, one of the most challenging substrates to coat.

Sun Chemical Performance Pigments will showcase a wide array of metallic pigments under the Benda-Lutz® brand name, including Benda-Lutz MAXAL grades for a bold metallic look. These aluminum pigments have maximum surface reflectivity, high brilliance, and strong color travel of polished silver dollar flakes.

When MAXAL EC is used together with DIC CERANATE polysiloxane-acrylic hybrid resins, coatings formulators produce an exceptionally durable, stain resistant, and self-cleaning coating.

CERANATE waterborne resins can be ambient cured with the DIC WATERSOL curing agent to produce clear or pigmented finishes with the same outstanding weatherstability of fluoropolymer chemistries. In addition, CERANATE coatings are self-cleaning and highly stain resistant, making them ideal for high volume, low maintenance applications ranging from outdoor living spaces to aluminum cladding and commercial buildings.

This year Chromaflo will feature its low-VOC colorant technologies. “Chromaflo has developed product lines that meet or even exceed challenging VOC regulations while maintaining superb color, quality, and performance,” said Carpenter. “Some of these product lines include the Colortrend 808 and 871 lines for architectural applications, and the Chromachem 897 line, UCD E, UCD VXS and also our new IR-reflective industrial colorants.”

Keim Additec’s flagship ULTRALUBE line of wax dispersions and emulsions will have prominent exposure. “Also our SILCONA line of dispersants and defoamers, our CERONAS micronized mju:waxes and EUROCERAS CERALENE LDPE, HDPE, PP and copolymer waxes will also be on display.” Grabracki said.

Micro Powders, Inc. (MPI) is a worldwide leader in wax technology, manufacturing specialized micronized waxes, wax dispersions and emulsions for the paint, ink and coatings industries. “We will introduce PropylMatte 500, our finest grade of high melting micronized polypropylene for uniform gloss reduction with clarity, in-can stability, and a smooth surface feel,” said Strauss.  “PropylMatte 500 is suitable for use in all types of coatings, including water-based, solvent, and UV, and is especially useful for thin film coatings.  PropylMatte 500 is also an ideal modifying additive for powder coatings, providing gloss reduction, reduced slip, efficient degassing, a pinhole-free surface, and improved surface adhesion to silicone sealants.”

“In addition, we are launching Polyfluo 900, our new benchmark in engineered high performance surface additive technology.  This complex polymeric mixture is fortified with a hard, inert ceramic component which provides a nearly 20% improvement in Taber abrasion verses other PTFE-modified polyethylene additives. The PropylMatte family of polypropylene-based matting additives is being expanded with the addition of PropylMatte 31SA.  This innovative fine powder combines the toughness and gloss reduction properties of polypropylene with the slip, lubricity and abrasion resistance properties of PTFE.  PropylMatte 31SA is formulated to a density of 1.02, ensuring optimum stability in water-based, solvent, and UV coatings.

Also being relaunched is its successful PropylMatte 31HD, a densified polypropylene additive that provides gloss reduction, improved burnish and mar resistance, viscosity stability, and a smooth surface feel in both water-based and UV systems.Visit MPI at Booth 1962 for samples of its new products and complete technical product information.

Reichhold will be promoting its high performance low VOC BECKOSOL AQ alkyd latex, UROTUF urethane and EPOTUF epoxy systems. “Among the numerous highlighted products is BECKOSOL AQ 210 for DTM applications which provides excellent humidity, salt spray and water resistance properties and can be formulated at a VOC <50 g/L,” said Scott Cooley, technology director at Reichhold. “Also included is UROTUF F100-W-36 solvent-free oil modified urethane designed for wood floor applications. Finally, EPOTUF 38-698 acrylic modified 1K epoxy ester dispersion designed for non-pigmented concrete bonding primers increases adhesion between the concrete and topcoat. These products are a good representation of Reichhold’s offerings, but there will be many more high performance low VOC products from these product lines on display at the booth along with supporting performance comparisons to higher VOC and alternative technologies.”

Elementis Specialties is introducing 11 new products at the ACS. “We are very excited about all of them,” said Brown. “We are introducing a new line of THIXATROL organic thixotropes that are easier to use and process. They offer great sag control in high-solid systems. We have a new line of DAPRO silicone-based defoamers that are very effective against microfoam while ensuring that film properties are maintained in zero-VOC waterborne coatings. For the architectural coatings market, we have several new RHEOLATE CVS and RHEOLATE HX series high-efficiency thickeners that provide superior application properties. Finally, NUOSPERSE APE-free wetting agents and highly efficient waterborne dispersants that offer excellent application and color properties for customers that want to move away from APE-containing additives.”

Shamrock Technologies are world leaders in PTFE micropowders. “We will always stay true to our core and focus on new innovative PTFE micro powders,” said Collins. “We have developed new water wettable PTFE micropowders that now have a greater affinity to water and solvent borne system.  Outside of the surface modification developments, we have developed New Nano based PTFE dispersions for thin film systems in water, solvent and oils.”

Croda will be exhibiting Maxemul Non-Migratory Surfactants (5000/6000 series) for emulsion polymerization, Maxemul 9107  - emulsifier for low to zero epoxy emulsions, Priplast XL – polyols for PU coatings, as well as a host of other Croda products for the coatings industry.

LANSCO COLORS will highlight the LANSCO range of organic High Performance Pigments at its booth. In addition, they have experts available to discuss iron oxide pigments, anti-corrosive pigments, Carlfors Bruk Aluminum Pigments and complex inorganic pigments.

BRENNTAG will be showcasing a broad portfolio of products to offer customers solutions for just about any application inside or out, including masonry, paints, caulks, sealants and other coating related industries.  “Specific technologies geared toward enhancing overall coating performance will be featured including the latest in resin technologies, rheology modifiers, solvents, additives and functional fillers,” said Davlantes. “We represent many world-class manufacturers including WACKER, Birla Carbon, PMC, Aquaspersions, Sun Chemical and many more!”

Nagase America is highlighting technologies that help formulators improve sustainability and functionality in coatings.  “Specifically, we are highlighting waterborne crosslinkers for low-VOC coatings. The DENACOL line of epoxy crosslinkers is available in grades with varying degrees of water solubility and hydroxyl functionality.  The line of oxazoline functional polymers reacts readily with carboxyl groups and leaves behind few reactive byproducts. We are highlighting self-healing oligomer for smart coatings. This UV-curable oligomer has scratch recovery properties and features low shrinkage after UV curing. Also on display will be a range of microparticles including acrylic/styrenic, polyurethane, silicone and colored microparticles for soft-feel coatings and scratch resistance.”

Technical experts from several Dow businesses – Dow Coating Materials, Dow Construction Chemicals, Dow Microbial Control and Dow Polyurethanes – will present how their technologies are helping customers expand the boundaries of coatings’ performance characteristics, application properties, and even the markets they can serve. Several new low-VOC rheology modifiers that are manufactured without solvents and surfactants will also launch at the show, including:

• ACRYSOL DR-180 Rheology Modifier, a high-efficiency hydrophobically modified alkali soluble emulsion (HASE) offering a partial or complete replacement for hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) technology and coupling excellent sag/flow balance with exceptional spray, roller and brush application properties for desired performance in contractor quality paints.

• ACRYSOL RM-1600 and ACRYSOL RM-3030 Rheology Modifiers, high-efficiency ICI builders that help to solve the challenge of retaining high shear thickness for improved film build and surface aesthetics while maintaining formulation versatility across a range of binder chemistries.

In addition, Dow will be showcasing innovations for paints and coatings industry that answer the dynamic needs of coatings formulators, manufacturers, regulators and applicators, including:

• ACRYSOL RM-725 Rheology Modifier, a 2015 R&D 100 Award-winning hydrophobically modified ethylene oxide urethane (HEUR) that optimizes hiding and touch-up performance in architectural coatings; when combined with recently introduced ROVACE 10 Vinyl Acrylic Emulsion, a low-VOC binder offering broad shear stability and formulation flexibility, ACRYSOL RM-725 Rheology Modifier can amplify binder performance to help meet the evolving needs of formulators, applicators and specifiers.

• BIOBAN 200 Antimicrobial and ROZONE 2000 Mildewcide, high-performance, cost-effective dry film preservatives based on ultra-low leaching dichlorooctylisothiazolinone (DCOIT) technology.

• CENTURION Acrylic Binder, a cross-linking technology offering world class performance for roof coatings under ponded water.
• MAINCOTE 4950 Resin and AVANSE 200 Acrylic Binders offering excellent performance with an improved sustainability profile for direct-to-metal (DTM) commercial and industrial applications.

• MAINCOTE AEH Resin for waterborne two-component (2K) concrete coatings that require high performance, excellent tire pickup resistance and ultra-low VOC capabilities.

• PARALOID Edge ISO-Free Technology, a first in solvent-borne 2K urethane technology for industrial wood applications; this high-performance, ambient crosslinking system is isocyanate4- and formaldehyde-free5.

• RHOPLEX 800h Binder for improved hardness, tack, block, print and scrape resistance in low-VOC, binder-rich, highly colored architectural paints.

• TERAFORCE Technology, a 2015 R&D 100 Award winner that transformed oil productivity in hydraulic fracturing as the first polyurethane resin-coated proppant.

• VORAPEL Polyols, an alternative solution to highly viscous hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene  (HTPB) resins. This family of products offers a moisture- and chemical- resistant option for formulators to protect a variety of substrates, including electronic equipment, concrete structures and chemical pipes and tanks.

• VORASPEC 58 Toughening Agent, a urethane acrylate that helps formulators to achieve flexible and tough high solids epoxy coatings without compromising viscosity, cure time, adhesion or the chemical resistance properties of the cured product.

Arkema Coating Resins will introduce CELOCOR AF opaque polymer, an ammonia-free addition to its very successful line of opacifiers. Coatex will be discussing the use of pseudo-plastic thickeners for rheology control.Kynar will showcase Kynar Aquatec CRX latex for highly durable waterborne air-dry paints and coatings with VOC levels below 100 g/l. The Arkema exhibit will also include representatives of Arkema acrylic monomers, Sartomer photocure resins, Orgasol and Rilsan fine powders, Luperox organic peroxides and CECA filtration products.

Emerald has been focused on ramping up its capabilities for development and operations over the past several years. “We will be featuring new capabilities and developments for many of our product lines that are used as key starting materials in high performance and environmentally friendly coatings formulations, such as K-FLEX low-VOC coalescents, ERISYS multi-functional modifiers, and OMICURE catalysts and accelerators,” said Biege. “We will also be featuring EPALLOY and HyPox specialty epoxies, Hypro RLP, FOAM BLAST defoamers, Hilton Davis dispersions and Masil silicones.”

“By increasing our development capabilities, we have also increased our flexibility and our ability to respond to specific needs within segmented end uses,” Bege said.  “For example, new Masil Ultra SL1000 was developed in response to a need for a highly efficient waterborne slip-mar additive for printing and food packaging that could meet many FDA clearances not typically met by other slip-mar additives, while also being easy to handle and incorporate. New Lucida Colors IJ self-dispersed pigment dispersions were tailored for stability, optical density, gloss, chroma, light-fastness and rub resistance in inkjet applications. Many Hypro reactive liquid polymers have been specially optimized to overcome brittleness typical with epoxies in applications such as fusion-bonded epoxy coatings used in pipeline and other industrial end uses. The Emerald Specialty Polymers group has utilized new pilot capabilities to develop products such as new Nychem1561X604 latex emulsion for strength, abrasion resistance, and other properties in paper and textile coating applications.”

Other Emerald featured products have been optimized as safer or more environmentally friendly alternatives for coatings, without sacrificing the formulations' economy or performance.  “A great example of this is our line of K-FLEX low-VOC benzoate coalescents,” said Biege. “We will highlight the excellent performance to withstand the elements after four years of weathering on the fence. In addition to the wide range of low- or zero-VOC products we offer, the CVC Thermoset Specialties group optimized ERISYS GA-240 epoxy-reactive modifier as a drop-in crosslinker replacement for polyfunctional aziridine in coatings and adhesives applications, which allows manufacturers to avoid concerns with mutagenicity and short pot life. CVC also offers an expanding range of ERISYS GE series modifiers featuring biorenewable content such as sorbitol, and some of these products, such as ERISYS GE-60, also serve as effective replacements for bisphenol-A."

BASF is showing a number of products at the ACS. Among the highlights are:

Attagel 50 is an ultrafine, premium grade, rheology modifier offering increased sag resistance. BASF recommends it for use in aqueous or solvent-borne coating systems such as primers and topcoats, maintenance and marine finishes, semi-gloss and gloss enamels, as well as asphalt coatings and plastisols. Dispex Ultra PX 4525 is a universal, wetting and dispersing agent. It improves gloss development, color intensity and acceptance. Hydropalat WE 3650 offers dynamic surface tension reduction in combination with low foam stabilization.  Efka PB 2744 is a new, ultra-low VOC de-aerator provides efficiency, long-term persistence and effectiveness against macro and micro-foam. Efka FA 4609 demonstrates increased performance in dispersing and stabilizing inorganic pigments in particular titanium dioxide. Mattex PRO is a specially engineered kaolin product for use in flat architectural coatings. In addition to providing high scrub and burnish resistance, Mattex PRO also simplifies paint formulations by eliminating the use of flatting agents. Rheovis PU 1235 is a non-ionic associative HEUR thickener designed to impart low shear viscosity with moderate contribution to high shear viscosity in latex based paints. Rheovis PE 1331 is an associative thickener designed for high shear build for one-coat coverage while offering superior sag resistance. Rheovis PE 1332 is a high-shear thickener that imparts excellent flow. Rheovis PU 1191 is a strong low-shear thickener with excellent performance and easy handling.
Performance Additives: Tinuvin 249 is a new non-basic, liquid HALS that is compatible with a broad range of resins. It offers migration resistance in polar epoxy-carboxy systems and is suitable for plastic and metal coatings. Low viscosity and good color stability round out the features, making it a good primary toolbox HALS.  
Resins: Acronal PRO 80 na is a next generation polymer emulsion for medium-duty anticorrosion primers and fillers for industrial metal coating applications. This product provides corrosion protection, barrier and inhibiting properties, good adhesion, early rain resistance, high PVC and low odor. Joncryl HYB 6340 is an acrylic/ PUD hybrid for high quality water-based clear coats on wood for professional flooring and high performance furniture. Joncryl 2990 X is a self-crosslinking acrylic emulsion for “wet look” cementitious substrates. Lumina Royal mica-based interference pigments provide the highest chromaticity available in a range of shades from greenish blues through trending copper and oranges. These products continue to expand the color space potential for brilliant interior and exterior coatings. Lumina Royal Dragon Gold EH 0908 is brand new and follows the launch of Magenta in 2015 and prior introductions of Copper, Indigo, Aqua, and Blue. These pigments set the standard in colored mica interference pigments for automotive and industrial applications.
Pigments: Paliocrom Sparkling Red is now available to open up the red and violet color spaces with an intense sparkling effect pigment. It compliments Paliocrom Brilliant Gold and Orange, based on thin silver dollar aluminum flakes to provide high chroma and lightness in face with an attractive dark down flop. The Paliocrom Brilliant series also provides superior hiding power compared to other colored effect pigments while enabling high gloss automotive finishes. Sicopal Green L 9715 is a Pigment Green (P.G.) 50 that does not require carcinogenic labeling as other P.G. 50’s do. The L 9715 is similar in chroma, opacity, and durability to other P.G. 50 products. Irgazin Scarlet EH 2096 (L 3553 HD) is a new yellow shade Pigment Red 255 for general industrial paint, powder and architectural coatings applications. It is suitable for both solvent, water applications, and is a highly durable pigment. Cinquasia Uniflow Magenta EH 4505 and EH 4555 are two new magenta pigments – targeted  for the automotive, refinish and high end industrial markets – that widen the existing magenta color space and can be used as a tint pigment to create highly saturated and chromatic red, violet and blue effect shades. Both pigments exhibit extraordinary flow behavior, offer high pigment load in most solvent-and waterborne paint systems and display high efficiency, tint strength and transparency.