Paints & Coatings

High-quality print products with the highest demands on appearance and durability require optimally matched binder systems. As experts in environmentally friendly aqueous dispersions, we offer tailor-made products for a wide variety of formulations in the graphic arts sector through precise control of the polymerisation process. Since visually appealing and durable results can often only be achieved in a multi-layer build-up with primer or overprint varnish, Zschimmer & Schwarz has also developed water-based polymers for this purpose, which we adapt to your applications on request. For overprint varnishes, our acrylic emulsions offer gloss, block resistance as well as good wear and chemical resistance.

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Paper is a versatile material made from renewable resources with excellent biodegradability or recyclability. Therefore, it is finding ever new and broader areas of application. To meet the requirements of these applications, a coating is often needed which both ensures the function and preserves the advantages of paper as a material. For this purpose, Zschimmer & Schwarz offers specialised solutions based on our water-based polymer technologies.

Appearance, haptics, durability: wood products are subject to the highest demands, which can usually only be met by a high-performance coating. For the formulation of such coatings, Zschimmer & Schwarz offers water-based polymers as universal binders and for special applications, such as stain-blocking primers or matte coatings.

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For the sustainable use of metal as a material, a coating is essential to protect it from corrosion. In addition, a metal coating allows for decorative designs. Zschimmer & Schwarz offers specialised aqueous polyurethane (PUD) and acrylic dispersions for use on substrates made of metal or metal alloys, which are used for corrosion protection or chrome-free surface passivation.

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Concrete is considered a universal material, but it is only with the appropriate coating that concrete surfaces achieve the resistance and optical properties that make it virtually without alternative in a wide variety of applications. Whether industrial or home application: our water-based polymer technologies help you to develop excellent and at the same time economical formulations for a wide variety of concrete coatings.

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We encounter plastics in many areas of daily life in a wide variety of shapes, colours or surface textures. While good formability is an important property of the plastics themselves, the important visual or haptic impression is often significantly influenced by coatings. Our product portfolio offers water-based polymers to realise your formulations, and specialised solutions for a wide variety of plastic substrates and application types.

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Paints and varnishes for exterior use place high demands on durability, weather and UV resistance as well as adhesion to various substrates. Discover our water-based acrylic dispersions for use in architectural paints and plasters for example in roof coatings and stucco.

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Our portfolio includes polymer dispersions with two different crosslinking mechanisms on the same polymer backbone. The self-crosslinking of the polymers takes place only during film formation by drying at room temperature. In this way, the typical properties of a crosslinked polymer – for example, increased chemical resistance, water and stain resistance or improved adhesion properties – can be achieved without limiting the storage stability. High-performance coatings on concrete or wood in interior and exterior applications, as well as overprint varnishes, benefit from this in particular.

Using a two-step synthesis process, multiphase technology combines two different types of polymers in the same polymer network. This allows a balanced combination and thereby an overall improvement of the physical properties of the two polymers. Hardness and chemical resistance of these polymers are balanced. At the same time, the polymers have a moderate film-forming temperature. This is particularly advantageous for applications with low curing temperatures, e.g. applications in the wood sector or the graphic arts industry. This process also means that no or only a small amount of emulsifiers is required. Thus, some of these products are approved for indirect food contact in compliance with the FDA and Swiss Ordinance and are therefore suitable for applications in the packaging sector.

Zschimmer & Schwarz offers polycationic systems with an optimal acidic pH range and high charge density. By complexing anionic structures such as wood extractives or water-soluble soils, these products show outstanding stain blocking. Cationic resins provide excellent adhesion to various critical anionic surfaces and form an excellent ink-receptive layer. The polymers form soft to medium-hard films and are suitable for colourless and glossy films as well as for highly pigmented and low-VOC systems. In wood applications, these polymers provide a protective film with good sanding resistance and do not tend to discolour the wood due to their low pH. On porous substrates, the small particle size also leads to good penetration into the substrate, which further improves adhesion and protection. These properties make these polymers especially well suited for use in isolation primers on wood and metal as well as for applications in the graphic arts sector.

The IPN involves two different ionic structures in the same polymer network at a neutral pH value. Overall, the polymer exhibits an anionic behaviour and can thus be formulated like an anionic polymer. Cationic functionalities then form during drying, providing excellent tannin, stain and dye blocking without the compatibility problems common to cationic polymers. Adhesion to various substrates such as aluminium, PVC or wood is also improved. At the same time, VOC requirements for the formulation remain low.

Our wax-hybrid technology is a patented process for combining wax and acrylate in a single polymer network. This prevents the wax from migrating to the surface as it dries, resulting in a more uniform film composition that improves the appearance and performance of the coating. The hybrid polymer exhibits anionic behaviour and broad compatibility with other water-based polymers. The positive properties of waxes, such as increased slip or abrasion resistance and improved water resistance, can thus be optimally utilised.

Our alkali-soluble polymers are based on polyacrylic and polymethacrylic acids with high electrostatic repulsion. They are available with different acid numbers, molar weights and glass transition temperatures as a clear solution in water. The resin solutions offer excellent dispersibility of pigments and high compatibility and stability in various formulation types. This provides improved wetting and increased gloss of formulations. Unlike dispersing additives, these resins form a hard, water-soluble film at room temperature and are thus part of the binder. On some substrates such as steel, adhesion can also be positively influenced.

Using a proprietary process, Zschimmer & Schwarz offers an inherently matte acrylate polymer. After drying, a film with low gloss, high flexibility and excellent stability is formed. This technology also provides excellent adhesion to various substrate types. The polymer is a matte binder and not a "liquid matting agent", meaning it can be formulated as a conventional (water-based) acrylic polymer, replacing the binder. It can be used as a single binder or in a blend with polyurethanes and has low foaming and low VOC requirements. The time- and labour-consuming incorporation of solid matting agents is completely eliminated, making the formulation much simpler, more stable and more economical. Unlike conventional matting agents, the matte polymer also has excellent transparency.

In the field of polyurethane dispersions, Zschimmer & Schwarz offers specialised solutions of both anionic and cationic water-based polyurethane dispersions (PUDs). The self-crosslinking (self-emulsifying) PUDs are characterised by strong intermolecular bonding without the use of emulsifiers. The PUDs show excellent compatibility with additives in formulations and outstanding chemical resistance with high impact strength and heat resistance. Customised PUDs with adjusted particle sizes can be tailored to your requirements.