Paint cans and roller tools staged for batch preparation
Once the grinding tank for steel-structure epoxy primer is opened to a high flow rate, the millbase warms up and thickens, the bead mill current runs right at its rated value, the reading on the scraper fineness gauge swings up and down, and the settling report from the filling shop comes back on the thick side.
Chemi Tech supplies dispersants for epoxy primers and industrial anti-corrosion coatings, drawn from the KMK-410 series; the dosage is set by the pigment ratio, the system solids and the grinding intensity. This grade is a water- and oil-compatible wetting and dispersing agent whose anchoring groups bind firmly to the pigment surface and do not desorb under high-shear grinding; the KMK-410 addition range is given on the basis of a comparison between bead mill current and primer fineness.
Advantages of Chemi Tech Dispersants
The Chemi Tech KMK-410 series dispersant anchors firmly to the pigment surface and does not desorb under high-shear conditions, so fineness keeps coming down steadily; its viscosity-reducing effect is marked, the bead mill current runs steadily, and grinding hours are not dragged out; its water- and oil-compatible fit covers inorganic pigments such as zinc phosphate and titanium dioxide as well as organic pigments of all kinds; the millbase stores stably, without re-agglomeration or flooding, and settling behaviour is consistent from batch to batch; the dosage moves with the pigment ratio, and systems at both the primer and the topcoat level can be accommodated.
Industry Pain Points and Solutions
The dispersion problem in epoxy primer has its root in the mismatch between anchoring strength and grinding shear, and it finally leads to two big issues: fineness drifting and settling in storage.
The current stays high and grinding hours stretch out, because the pigment re-flocculates. The KMK-410 dosage is set by the grinding intensity, and it drives fineness down to the target value.
Flooding streaks are magnified by the flat surfaces of steel structures, so shade differences between tinting batches are hard to unify. KMK-410 anchors steadily and can effectively eliminate flooding.
In the warehouse, how fast the pigment settles depends on how firm the anchoring is. Once the pigment ratio, the system solids and the grinding intensity have been compared, the dosage range locks in, and no re-agglomeration occurs over the storage period.
Typical Operating Conditions and Verification
Customer: a steel-structure anti-corrosion coatings enterprise in Hebei, for the grinding stage of epoxy primer and intermediate coat.
The bead mill current kept touching the rated ceiling, and the fineness pass rate swung widely; after the paint pails stood for half a month, mottled colour rings surfaced on the tank. Based on a comparison of bead mill current and primer fineness, the coatings plant switched to KMK-410 as its primer dispersant, with the dosage set by the system solids. After it went in, the current fell back to the middle of the rated band; fineness came down to the acceptance standard in one pass; no flooding and no hard-bottom sediment appeared in tank storage, and the filling reports from batch to batch settled into line.
Frequently Asked Questions
When the pigment grade is changed, does the dispersion system have to be re-set?
Whether fineness can be held steadily depends on the anchoring strength of the dispersant on the pigment surface. KMK-410 has completed grinding and storage comparison tests across several pigment ratios, and within the recommended range fineness performs steadily. The actual dosage needs to be set with the pigment ratio, the system solids and the grinding intensity taken together; Chemi Tech pins the ratio range down through a parallel comparison of bead mill current and primer fineness.