Lankem Robbialac re-engineers use of Pthalocyanine pigments

A pioneer coatings manufacturer in Sri Lanka; Lankem Paints Ltd., has found a way to optimise the colour development of phthalocyanine pigments in Emulsion paints. The main purpose of this research was to increase the performance of the pthalocyanine based paints in terms of colour development and stability with minimum use of additives.

In the coatings industry, phthalocyanine pigments are used to produce colours - blue and green shades. Generally phthalocyanine pigments are difficult to disperse in water base mediums. As a result of this, colours manufactured with phthalocyanine very often lead to colour variations.

To minimise this problem, surfactants (wetting and dispersing agents) are being added during the manufacturing process.

This will not only increase the cost, but also reduces the quality of the paint.

Having done several experiments on three types of Emulsion base paints, the R&D team of Lankem Paints said that, colour development could be optimised by changing the pigments, fillers and binders rather than increasing the dosage or changing the type of the surfactants in the formulation.

It was found that there was no significant difference in the properties of three Emulsion paints and all were within the required international standards of Emulsion flat wall paints.

Problems related to colour development with phthalocyanine can be overcome by changing the PVC (Pigment Volume Concentration) without affecting the physical properties and while all parameters conform to the standard.

Ruwan Weerasinghe, General Manager said that to cultivate a culture of R&D, first and foremost it is imperative that we employ professionals in the field and at Lankem Paints a substantial amount has been allocated every year for Research and Development activities since we are totally committed towards enhancing the quality of our products while looking to improve the process.