From Ilva Evermatt, for wood surfaces not polishing with very high matt level

The wood coatings have always been a dual function of protection and decoration: they protect wood from superficial damages and perform an aesthetic function, whether they are pigmented and matt, and that enhances the natural beauty of the wood. Designers, architects and end users require a wider range of aesthetic effects, and IVM Chemicals company provides solutions for every need.

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Some aesthetic effects, however, have more technically difficult than others and the finish with traditional low opacity are an example. The particles that mattifying the surface are very sensitive to scratches caused by wear, which leave on the surface gloss traces that compromise the aesthetic look of the furniture.

RESEARCH's AIM

The research laboratory of Ilva company has the aim of formulating a finish that ould guarantee aesthetic enhancement and protection of wood essences, with a high level of opacity and maximum resistance to polishing.

Evermatt Ilva is a transparent two-component polyurethane finish with very high opacity level (5 gloss), that can be used in transparent and pigmented coating cycles.

It is born after a very attentive analysis of multiple combinations of resins and matting agents in order to find the best aesthetic performance of opacity and resistance.

Furthermore nanotechnologies have made possible the formation of special hybrid polymer-matting meshed network, specifically formulated to stabilise the final opacity even in case of high pressures on the surface.

TESTS RESULTS

The tests performed on surfaces coated with Evermatt Ilva product showed excellent chemical and mechanical resistance much higher stress than those that would mark a surface treated with traditional polyurethane matt paints. In particular, the results of Erichsen test indicate up to 4/5 times greater resistance performance.

The final aesthetic effect, in line with the high quality standards level of Ilva paints, is characterised by high uniformity and stability of the matt effect, which perfectly resists polishing. Evermatt Ilva can be used for all flat surfaces subjected to higher stresses for closed pore cycles.

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO HAVE A FINISH WITH AN AESTAETHICAL MATT EFFECT THAT LASTS?

In order to have coating with a very matt effect with gloss level less than 10 it is a very difficult process: high concentrations of matting agents require a homogenous dispersion, to prevent coatings instability (sedimentation, flocculation).

Moreover, it is easy, with even slight scratches create glossy areas on the surface. The aesthetic effect is not long-lasting: in a short time the surface loses its aesthetic characteristics, revealing areas of different opacity, even if the mechanical integrity and protective performance remain the same.

THE OPACITY PHENOMENON

We must understand the nature of the phenomenon of opacity in order to understand the origin of this problem so far unsolved, The degree of opacity is not determined by the amount of reflected light, but as how the light reflects. This is valid both for surfaces that reflect a lot of light (white surfaces) and for those that do not reflect much (black surfaces), and also for transparent surfaces with a medium index of reflection.

The matting agents contained in the coatings are designed to be distributed equally over coated surface, creating nanometer and micrometer-sized roughness, invisible to the human eye, which directs the light depending on the effect you want to achieve (glossy or matt).

When the surface is scratched or rubbed by an object during the common usage of the furniture (for example a table), these roughness are crushed, flattened, and modify their position, changing in the same time the way to reflect light, and they generate so on a surface perfectly matt, unwanted glossy areas.

In addition, transparent coatings needs that the matting agents would be able to not to absorb or scatter the light that goes through the paint: this could compromise the transparency of the paint itself, changing the final aesthetic effect. it is essential that the matting agent has a refractive index of the optical light very similar to that of the binder chosen in order to avoid this defect.

RESEARCH TASK

The formulation difficulty is not that to reach a very low opacity level, but the one of making the matting agents very resistant to the polishing (there are on the surface so many matting agents as high is the matting level we want to get).

That's why Evermatt Ilva is a true innovation concerning the matt effect for wood finish. This is due to the high resistance performance and high opacity effect resistant to polishing, a fundamental requirement for a lasting aesthetic quality in matt finish furniture.

Ilva wants to surprise us in Maderalia Selection 2015 presenting this finish and many more news on 10, 11 and 12 February at Feria Valencia

Source: IVM Chemicals

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