Tailored Solutions: Polymer Coatings for Specific Applications and Performance Requirements

Polymer coatings are the most versatile and most widely used products today, with applications in printing inks, paints, concrete coatings, industrial environments, interior and exterior products, adhesives, and much more. Water-based polymer science has come a long way since its beginnings, a growth that Gellner Industrial has experienced firsthand having been a leader in innovation of these products. Today, just about every coating in existence is based on polymers that have been tailored to specific applications.

Engineering polymer coatings for specific properties

The coatings industry is a wide and varied one, ranging from the paints and primers used in everyday homes to industrial coatings for concrete floorings. Some are used as decorative, aesthetically-pleasing finishes, while others provide a functional purpose, protecting the substrate from chemicals and abrasion–and some do both. 

Many of these coatings fall directly into the category of polymer coatings, high performance adhesives, sealants, primers, and other products that can be applied directly to the substrate rather than used as an additive. Other polymer products are added to an existing coating in order to achieve certain properties, like high thermal insulation or better chemical resistance. 

Gellner Industrial is a leading supplier of water-based acrylic polymers and polymer coatings, developing polymers to have very specific characteristics in order to meet different application requirements. 

For example, let’s consider the glass transition temperature. Expressed as Tg, this is a measure of the temperature where the polymer changes from a brittle, glassy state into a much more flexible and rubbery state. This significantly affects the polymer’s strength, resistance, and hardness, and it can be adjusted with the right technology to achieve the desired properties. 

Another example of a polymer characteristic is its minimum film-forming temperature, or MFFT, which describes the lowest temperature at which the polymer coating will form a continuous film when it dries. Polymers can be tailored to have a specific MFFT that meets the needs of paints and binders, or the needs of inks that will be cured in high heat ovens. 

Gellner’s Polymer Coatings

Many of the products developed by Gellner Industrial are designed as additives or binders to be mixed into another substance. However, we also have several polymer coatings that can be applied directly to a substrate. Our products exhibit superior adhesion as well as many other beneficial properties to protect the substrate underneath. 

• Ottopol KO: This styrene acrylic copolymer is our latest product in stain-blocking technology, able to block tannin oils from wood, drywall stains, water stains on concrete even in damp conditions, and even fungal growth.

• Ottopol 1450: This wood finish and cement sealer offers excellent resistance to a variety of conditions experienced outdoors, such as UV rays, chemicals, abrasion, and everyday wear. 

• Ottopol KX-99: This acrylic solution polymer can be formulated into a highly resistant coating, with properties like water and solvent resistance.

• Ottopol 1320:  A medium hard, tough, all anionic acrylic emulsion with outstanding chemical, abrasion and wear resistance.  The built-in crosslinker provides chemical resistance properties approaching PUD performance.  

Interested in our products?

Head over to our Product Directory to view Gellner’s full line of water-based acrylic polymers!