When it comes to delivering the ideal paint, the freshest laundry detergent or the best coating, anyone in the industry knows that the correct formulation is essential.
In this article, Malvern Panalytical highlights the importance of using the best components and understanding the final formulation, the latest coatings and chemicals innovation, and how the company’s solutions are helping to push sustainability in the manufacture of chemicals and coatings.
The Main Challenges and Opportunities in Today’s Chemicals and Coatings Industry
The chemicals and coatings markets are already significant – and are still growing to this day. The drive towards more sustainable solutions is a challenge that unites all segments within these industries.
Although chemicals and coatings have always been highly regulated, it can be increasingly difficult to ensure continued adherence to restrictions around solvent use, the requirements for very low toxicity levels, and the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). There are also supply chain challenges shared by several industries, like rising raw material costs and scarce transport resources.
It must be said, however, that for companies that can meet these challenges, there are significant opportunities on the horizon. Consumer priorities have shifted as they are increasingly looking for durability, high performance, and even smart functionality all through bio-based solutions.
Manufacturers that are in the process of developing and perfecting innovative and more sustainable formulations are those who will reap the benefits of this rising market demand.
Helping Customers Address these Challenges and Capitalize on the Opportunities in the Market
It is essential for manufacturers to monitor their materials closely during the production process to ensure that they can meet stringent regulations and drive efficiency in their operations. Malvern has a range of technologies designed to help companies analyze elemental composition, crystal structure, particle size and shape, and more.
Factors like toxicity, application, viscosity, and even color are directly influenced by these properties.
One optimal solution for monitoring toxicity levels in coatings is Malvern’s range of XRF tools. Malvern’s Mastersizer instrument uses the principle of laser diffraction to measure particle size (which influences tint strength, coverage, hue, and gloss in paint).
The OMNISEC tool is ideal for measuring the molecular weight of polymers, a key tool for monitoring viscosity: Or is used for measuring the composition of a formulation, and there is an extensive range of X-Ray diffraction (XRD) instruments. It would not be unreasonable to say that there ia a Malvern Panalytical tool suitable for every stage of the chemicals and coatings production line.
Current Emerging Trends Within the Chemicals and Coatings World
In any industry right now, there are two major trends: making manufacturing processes more sustainable and making products ‘smarter.’ Sustainability is vital to these industries and is a huge driver for many companies at present.
Immense scrutiny is being placed on every part of the process as the industry looks toward areas for change. Manufacturers are taking note of this and responding by example, considering bio-based solvents, which enhance the durability and coverage of their coatings (in order to extend service life and reduce the amount of product needed per application) and using biodegradable binders.
There are many exciting developments in these industries right now in terms of making chemicals and coatings ‘smarter.’ This may be in the form of electrical inks that enable the printing of functional circuits, light-emitting paints that can illuminate our homes or high-performance coatings that can withstand space travel.
Whatever this might be, manufacturers are increasingly looking at ways to enhance chemical and coating capabilities. These solutions are more than just functional – these are truly aspirational products within the industry.
Ensuring Solutions Live up to the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Expectations of Today’s Stakeholders
Safety is paramount on the governance side. For instance, there are a range of regulations on toxins that are in place to protect end consumers. Naturally, coatings and chemicals producers take their responsibility to ensure safety and security very seriously. Malvern Panalytical can help clients and manufacturers to measure and monitor the chemical composition of different formulations, which is essential to guarantee products are fit and safe for use.
Malvern’s tools enable the development of more sustainable solutions in several ways when it comes to environmental expectations.
The first prong is that Malvern provides the tools that manufacturers need to create the right formulation for their products, allowing manufacturers to consistently deliver high-quality and stable solutions that are durable and perform well.
The second prong is that Malvern’s tools promote efficiency within the manufacturing process allowing for a more efficient use of raw materials, limiting of waste, and reduction of the carbon footprint of operations.
This allows Malvern to demonstrate to customers their commitment to compliance with their industry regulations. Malvern also ensures that they adhere to their own strict environmental targets, which means our instruments naturally comply with our customers’ ESG requirements.
Looking into the Future for Chemicals and Coatings
The chemicals and coatings industry truly has a bright future. Though these are not necessarily industries one might expect to experience a sudden increase and change, it must be acknowledged that they have always experienced continued and steady growth. The experts at Malvern consider that such growth is unlikely to slow down any time soon.
The chemicals and coatings market – from paints, inks and adhesives to household products and smart coatings – are all behind the demand for sustainable, smart solutions. Malvern believes that the industry will continue to see a great deal of innovation in optoelectronics, organic electronics, and conducting polymers – all of which play an increasingly important role in our daily lives.
Meanwhile, Malvern believes that the market demand for greater sustainability is driving some important changes in the process of manufacturing coatings and chemicals. It is truly exciting to recognize the solutions the organization will provide during this transition.
Visit Malvern’s Specialty Chemicals page to find out more about the company’s range of chemicals and coatings solutions for researchers and manufacturers.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Malvern Panalytical.
For more information on this source, please visit Malvern Panalytical.