SMI: Industrial Coatings

Specialty Minerals Products for Industrial Coatings

“Industrial coatings” generally refers to paints that are factory applied to manufactured goods as part of the production process. Such paints are also known as original equipment manufacture (OEM) coatings or product finishes. Examples are the coatings used on automobiles, appliances, farm implements, furniture, and metal building products. These coatings tend to be applied in controlled environments, using strict quality control procedures.

Minerals in Industrial Coatings
Unlike architectural coatings, industrial coatings will incorporate extender pigments for additional reasons besides mere cost reduction. These formulations lean towards minerals that add some functionality or performance to the coating.

When an OEM formulation includes an extender, a talc or a barytes will generally be chosen. Talc is used in product primers because it adds easy sandability and good adhesion. Talc can also be used in implement finishes where it helps to form a moisture barrier, and improves exterior durability. Barytes is used in powder coatings where its high specific gravity make it a cost-effective filler. It is also used in other industrial finishes to improve adhesion to the substrate.

In general, calcium carbonate materials are not used in industrial finishes with the exception of nano-type precipitated calcium carbonates (PCC) which may be used for titanium dioxide (TiO₂) extension. Both uncoated and coated nano PCCs are used, but the choice depends on the system.

Specialty Minerals Minerals for Industrial Coatings
Specialty Minerals Inc. (SMI) manufactures high-quality barytes and talc fillers for industrial coating in the U.S. and nano PCCs, uncoated and coated, in the U.S. and U.K. Click on one of these links to read more about the uses for SMI’s filler and functional mineral products.

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