GMA Powder Coatings: driving the future of Automotive Clear Topcoats
Clear topcoats are used to protect an automobile’s finish from environmental factors such as dirt, acid rain and ultraviolet rays. The current industry standard for clear topcoats is conventional solventborne liquid coatings. However, because these coatings emit VOCs at their application stage, alternative coating systems have been developed. Powder, waterborne and high-solids coatings are alternatives that offer several benefits. The benefits for powder coating include the elimination of VOC emissions, the ability to collect and recycle overspray, no sludge waste, and the elimination of the need for solvent capture systems or incineration.
There are several common types of powder coatings (polyester, super durable polyesters, polyester urethanes, and melamine urea) used in the automotive industry that provide adequate performance for specific applications other than clearcoats. Some manufacturers that demand better clearcoat performance, however, are using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)-based coatings, which offer formulators and end users the highest levels of clarity, durability, weatherability, smoothness and chemical resistance.