Paints for wood: development and innovation

Sivam paint products for wood have reached high levels of performance and aesthetics which are a determining factor in helping exports abroad.

The paint product is the outward appearance or skin of the furniture, protecting it and giving it those aesthetic and protective qualities that ensure the manufactured product will enjoy a long and useful life.

The most commonly used product technologies in the woodworking sector are still today based on polyurethane and undergo continuous improvements to reduce toxicity.

There are in fact formulations that are free from aromatic compounds and there are developments to further reduce the content of organic substances, i.e. raising the solid content while maintaining the aesthetic quality.

Over the past ten years the SIVAM Research and Development laboratories have improved and developed the following technologies.

• Transparent and pigmented polyester primers with a high solid content. New polyester resins in acrylic monomer have been developed in these formulations to eliminate the presence of styrene. As well as ensuring a higher solid content, these products guarantee the absence of residual emissions from styrene, a requirement of some countries such as the USA and Japan.
• Aromatic-free polyurethane primers and top coats; the elimination of aromatic compounds significantly reduces the danger for operatives.
  
• High performance mono and bicomponent water-based paints. Developments in these technologies are considerable and allow us to offer water-based products with aesthetic and performance levels that are similar to, and in some cases even better than, solvent-based polyurethanes. Research into new polymers and our formulative capacity today allow us to offer bicomponent lacquer finishes for the kitchen manufacturing sector. In this sector, where the painted product is subjected to considerable chemical-physical stress, there is in fact a reference Standard, UNI 11216, which establishes the minimum requirements for the painted surfaces and the new bicomponent water-based products now amply conform to these requirements.
• The special effects developed have a high material component in the various types of products, cement, rust, copper, velvet, rubber, dewy, velvet, shimmering, iridescent, anodized, ceramic and slate. Some effects have been formulated starting with water-based polymers, thereby helping to reduce the emission of organic substances into the atmosphere. With regard to these products we cannot speak of technological innovation, but these are instead new aesthetic proposals to offer to artisan and industrial furniture manufacturers. This is a sector in which supports other than wood are being increasingly developed.
• A further line of study concerns the formulation of polymers and paints from renewable sources to cut down the environmental impact at global level. The results so far achieved are positive but they are not yet feasible on an industrial scale. I believe there will be some interesting developments in terms of product development and sales results.