Great Products Accompanied with Excellent Services

KRONOS has a wide selection of sulfate and chloride TiO₂ pigments recommended for all types of waterborne, solvent-based, or solvent free paints and coatings. The surface treatments on the pigment vary not only in chemical composition but also in their structure. Some surface-treated pigments may be voluminous, with a large surface area, and other surface treated pigments may have a dense-skin with a superior outdoor weathering performance. The pigment properties differ in optical properties, dispersibility, gloss, durability and abrasion.

Our Technical Service Department can help you select the pigment best suited for your application, including the optimization of the dispersion process and stabilization of the final coating. We also have fully capable coating laboratories that can tackle a variety of coatings-related projects.

Plastics manufacturers need TiO₂ pigments that can readily and efficiently incorporate into their polymer matrices and that provide bright white surfaces with optimum opacity and tinting strength. Depending on the end application of the plastic, the requirements placed on the TiO₂ pigment can be very demanding.  For example, the pigment must hold up to produce highly loaded pigment masterbatches for high temperature melt extrusion coatings and lacing free blown films, or to achieve excellent thermal stability in products made of polycarbonate or for white, durable window frames made of PVC. Our plastics laboratory is equipped with an array of machines typical for processing different types of plastics and the incorporation of TiO₂ pigments into these systems.

Our Technical Services Team has comprehensive knowledge on topics related to TiO₂ in polymer matrices. In the plastics laboratories, KRONOS’ Technical Services Team can determine the performance of TiO₂ in plastic applications, such as PVC, polyolefins, styrenes and engineering plastics, including their optical properties, melt flow index for viscosity, their state of dispersion, pressure filtration performance and, where required, their resistance to lacing in blown films and mixing characteristics.

In our paper laboratory, KRONOS has state-of-the-art equipment that allows us to evaluate TiO₂ pigments in a wide variety of paper applications under realistic conditions. This applies both to the addition of TiO₂ to paper pulp and to pigmentation in paper and board coatings. A particular focus of our activities is the evaluation of special TiO₂ pigments for use in high- and low-pressure décor papers and decorative foils. For the preparation of the laminates, we have two semi-automatic sheet formers and a modern laminate press.

TiO₂ is an excellent UV absorber, although it can also display various degrees of photocatalytic activity depending on modification (anatase or rutile) and surface treatment. Therefore, weathering and photostability tests are of great importance. For example, we measure gloss retention, chalking resistance, color retention, UV-greying resistance of paper laminates, and tensile and impact strength of plastic specimens in these tests.
The KRONOS weathering team is equipped to run accelerated weathering tests with a large number of different weathering devices. The weathering team also carries out long-term, natural weathering tests at our KRONOS Engstenberg Weathering Station near Leverkusen, Germany. When required, KRONOS also sends test panels to weathering parks in Florida and Arizona, USA to test the durability of coatings and to Bandol, France to test plastic specimens.