Additives belong to a broad and diffuse category of key components in a coating formulation. They comprise a small percentage of the coating formulation – their use level rarely exceeds 1 or 2%, and the total level of all additives in a formulation seldom exceeds 5% of the total product. Their impact, however, is significant as they contribute to the ease of manufacture, the stability of the coating in the package, ease of application, quality and appearance of the final film.
Additive function is almost always very specific in nature. Some additives are multi-purpose; for example, they may be important to the manufacturing process as well as to the coating’s performance. In recent years, more multi-purpose additives have been developed, thus allowing the use of fewer additives in many formulations. Occasionally the use of one additive will require the use of another to counter some undesirable effect of the first.