In the coatings industry, Cristal is a leader in product range and performance, research and development and global customer support. Our market-leading TiONA® TiO₂ products add significant value to paint and coatings manufacturers by delivering exceptional performance, whiteness, brightness​ and opacity.
The TiONA® range of TiO₂ products for paint and coatings results from the expertise of Cristal in pigment design and in pigment performance assessment. This expertise allows us to offer you pigments that display the optimum balance of properties for your specific application.
The bright, clean tone achieved with TiO₂ products from Cristal allows you maximum flexibility in producing a range of bright, clean colors. The excellent color of its TiONA® product range is a result of the advanced and consistent manufacturing processes that enables you to meet the exact specifications demanded by the end user.
In any surface coating, the full potential of the pigment in terms of color, opacity, tint strength, gloss, durability and flow cannot be realized without optimum dispersion. Cristal's titanium dioxide pigments are surface treated to facilitate rapid and complete dispersion in the widest possible range of coatings binders. Compared to many conventional products, it is often possible to incorporate up to 10% more of Cristal's leading multipurpose pigments into a millbase due to their low vehicle and water demands. This can be achieved without incurring excessive viscosity or increasing the amount of energy necessary to reach the required dispersion level. This increased loading also means that you make more paint per mill load, again leading to significant savings.
Coatings durability can be measured by a number of properties depending upon the end use of the product. The durability of coatings is usually assessed on exterior exposure with emphasis placed on chalk resistance and gloss retention. The titanium dioxide pigment used in the production of a pigmented coating can significantly influence its durability.
There are two main ways of producing very durable (superdurable) TiO₂ pigments. The first involves encapsulating the TiO₂ particle with a dense layer of silica and alumina, thus placing a physical barrier between the TiO₂ and the binder. Resultant TiO₂ levels can be as low as 88% with consequent probable adverse influences on the opacity and gloss potential of the coating.
Currently, silica encapsulated pigments with high TiO₂ contents are available from Cristal, so we are overcoming this potential problem.
Alternatively a surface treatment of zirconia and alumina can be applied. The presence of the zirconia quenches the formation of free radicals and reduces the photo-catalytic activity of the pigment. This approach creates pigments with excellent opacity and gloss potential, although chalk resistance may be lower than that of the encapsulated pigments.
Cristal utilizes both approaches and is able to offer a wide range of products allowing the formulator to optimize the durability/opacity balance of the coating.
If you would like additional information about the basics of using titanium dioxide in your coatings formulations, please contact us. Our sales and technical service teams would be pleased to assist in answering any of your questions.
The gloss potential of a titanium dioxide pigment is mainly controlled by its primary particle size and the number of particles with a diameter greater than 500 nanometers (0.5 microns). A high percentage of oversize particles will reduce the gloss potential. Uniform particle size also gives better pigment packing within the film, which again increases gloss potential. Cristal's manufacturing processes ensure that the primary particle size of the pigment is optimized and oversize particles minimized by a combination of high-energy milling and classification. This ensures high specular gloss and improved distinctness of image with superior haze, when used in high quality gloss finishes.
Rheology is the science of flow and deformation of matter. However, it is more simply put as the study of viscosity or flow under changing, or a series of different conditions. Coatings formulators always have to balance the "ideal" rheology/viscosity for paint application with such properties as sag resistance, sharp edge coverage and film build. Today, these objectives often have to be met within the added constraints of environmental legislation and the move to low VOC systems. Cristal produces a range of TiO₂ pigments designed to meet the demands of these new technologies which maximize flow and give consistent rheological properties. We have also developed a high level of expertise that can help you to achieve the optimum balance of rheological properties for your formulation.
Tint strength is the ability of a paint or pigment to modify the color of another paint or pigment of a different color. Tint strength is influenced by the particle size and particle size distribution of the pigment. The narrower the particle size distribution, and the closer the mean particle size to the optimum, the stronger the pigment will be. Cristal pigments have high tint strength and when properly dispersed and stabilized often allow the removal of pigment in tint bases originally developed on other types of TiO₂. Savings of 5% are not uncommon. Optimized dispersion can also yield further savings by maximizing the tint strength of the base.
The undertone of a TiO₂ pigment is directly dependent upon its mean particle size and describes the yellow/blue color shift of tinted colors. A TiO₂ pigment with a larger median particle size will give a yellower undertone. Smaller particle size pigments will induce a blue undertone. This tonal shift is only important in colored (tinted white) paints. In white paints, undertone has little influence on the color of the paint. Cristal pigments are controlled to a particle size that is selected to give a consistent neutral or blue undertone. This gives you, the color formulator, maximum flexibility in designing the color palette of your tinting system. You are able to obtain both blue and yellow toned shades readily, without interference from the white pigment in the tint base.
Cristal has a wealth of experience in the coatings industry and is able to offer advice on the use of its range of pigments in many current systems and end uses. A brief description of the major end use markets in coatings are shown below.
Cristal is always pleased to advise you on the use of its pigments in any of the following applications. For additional market applications information, please contact us.
Although similar, the coatings requirements for these segments differ in more than simply the different binder systems used.
Cristal pigments are all closely controlled with respect to color, undertone and surface treatment to guarantee durability and pigment dispersibility, with maximized and consistent color acceptance. This stringent quality control reduces variability within automotive paint systems and when combined with optimized manufacturing techniques, helps to guarantee the product consistency necessary to satisfy the most demanding needs of today's automotive industry.
The nature of the can or packaging coatings industry is dictated by the packaging manufacturers need to cut costs and produce better quality cans more quickly. As a result, can coating formulations are generally seen to be in a state of continuous change. In most white pigmented can coatings, titanium dioxide often represents almost half of the total solid content and up to one third of the total formulation. It must therefore be seen as making a considerable contribution to the properties and to the cost of the coating formulation. Improvements in coating properties and cost due to titanium dioxide choice are very valuable to the paint formulator. Cristal has a number of products in its range of titanium dioxide pigments which meet the needs of this demanding and ever changing industry. To reach one of our can coatings experts, please contact us.
The decorative or architectural paints segment is the largest in the coatings market. While estimates of its size vary, the general view is that it accounts for between 60 - 65% of the overall volume of titanium dioxide used in the coatings market. Change, innovation and continued growth characterize the industry.
Cristal has been a major supplier of titanium dioxide pigments to this industry for over eighty years. One of the major changes that has taken place in the decorative or architectural market, from a TiO₂ supplier's viewpoint, has been in the choice of pigment used. In the past, it was not uncommon to find that a paint manufacturer would use three types of TiO₂; one type for solvent-based gloss paints, another for interior water-based gloss paints and another for matt emulsion paints. Now, paint manufacturers may use a multipurpose TiO₂ product across their formulations. This leads to cost savings through reduced inventory for the manufacturer. Multipurpose and general purpose TiO₂ pigments account for nearly 75% of the TiO₂ pigments used in decorative paints.
With the growing influence of environmental legislation, it is inevitable that the trend to replace solvent-borne paints with water-borne equivalents will continue. Cristal supplies a number of products in slurry form in North America. The use of slurry in the manufacture of water-borne coatings can result in significant savings.
Cristal has wide experience in manufacturing titanium dioxide pigments for industrial coatings. As part of our service to our customers, we also have experience in the formulation of such coatings. In view of this experience, and due to our range of global products, we are able to support both multinational and national paint companies.
The powder coatings industry is dynamic and characterized by change, innovation and rapid growth. From a small beginning, powder coatings are now a very important part of the coatings industry using a variety of polymers to give tough, chemical resistant and outdoor durable systems. The range of gloss levels, finishes and colors achievable in a single operation is almost limitless. Titanium dioxide pigments can have a pivotal influence on all of the properties and applications of powder coatings. Cristal has many years of experience in optimizing powder coatings formulations and is pleased to share this knowledge with you. Please contact us for additional information.
You can find additional details below, our packaging options, storage, handling, recycling instruction and product shelf life.
Please consult your Cristal sales representative for details.
Slurry must be stored in an agitated tank.
Tank construction should be stainless steel or other suitable lining.
Tank should be designed to support a liquid with a specific gravity of 2.3.
Slurry must be protected from freezing.
Cristal can provide expert advice and guidance in the design and installation of slurry storage and handling systems.