Water-based coatings put to the test

Reliable even in tropical climates

Extreme conditions for water-based coatings

With summer temperatures regularly exceeding 30 degrees Celsius and high humidity now the norm in Europe, many processors are asking themselves:

‘Do water-based coating systems work reliably in tropical conditions?’

The clear answer is YES – with the right know-how, adapted technology and the will to change.

A current project in Sri Lanka impressively demonstrates that modern water-based coatings can deliver convincing results even under extreme climatic conditions. Two colleagues from our company – Jeroen Bellinga (sales representative) and Dirk Conrad (Head of Application Technology) – travelled to our long-standing customer Nienhuis/Heuting in Panadura, Sri Lanka, a few months ago to support the switch from solvent-based to water-based coating systems.

35 degrees in the shade and 80% humidity

Perfect surfaces nonetheless

The climatic conditions on site were anything but easy: tropical temperatures with humidity well above 80% and heavy monsoon rains. These are conditions in which water-based coatings are generally considered difficult to handle. When the air can hardly absorb any more moisture, drying quickly becomes a challenge.

What initially appeared to be a technical risk was turned into a success through precise process adjustments, targeted training and clever air flow control: after just a few days, it was possible to move directly from the test phase to series production. The surface quality was impressive – even under extreme conditions.

The future belongs to water-based coatings – whatever the weather!

Would you like to switch to water-based coatings?

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