According to DIN norm EN971-1, organic materials used to protect surfaces are referred to as coatings. Coatings are used for a variety of purposes: in addition to protecting against different environmental influences (e.g., UV radiation, acid rain, chemicals, etc.), they are also used to decorate both interiors and exteriors. Depending on usage, coatings require different properties. During manufacturing, the solid and liquid raw materials (binders, pigments, fillers, additives and solvents) must mix and stir well, and be pumpable and dispersible. The manufactured coating must be able to withstand all transport conditions and different environmental conditions while in storage without being damaged. This means that the pigments and fillers dispersed in the coating should remain in suspension and not begin to separate out (form sediment). The following criteria are of particular importance for coatings.
All mentioned criteria, plus other additional structural behavior that is relevant for coatings R&D, are revealed using rheological techniques. Design of experiments and reduced time for product development cycles lead to an ever-increasing demand for rheological measurements. Increased throughput and reduced presence time of an operator in front of the instrument is therefore essential for an efficient workflow solution. One way to reduce the time needed for preparing and running a test is to employ sophisticated control of the rheometer and an intuitive user interface for the software. With such an approach the test can be preconfigured to run afterwards, fully automated, including data analysis. However, sample loading before and cleaning the fixtures after the test are still needed, which often take the longest time, during which the rheometer sits idle. In addition, loading and cleaning require frequent user interaction when multiple samples are to be run.