Fullbrook Systems has launched Horus, based on the technique called diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS), an extension of the classical dynamic light scattering (DLS), for concentrated and opaque media
Horus offers a new insight into film formation of all kinds of dispersed systems, water-borne and solvent-borne systems of all types.
It not only generates objective information on drying times (dust-free, dry-hard, open times, etc) but also follows the mechanism taking place during the drying process.
As a result, Horus offers new possibilities to analyse film formation of complex colloidal systems.
Recent EU environmental legislation on the VOC emissions has forced coatings manufacturers to re-formulate their products to decrease the VOC content.
Manufacturers are looking to develop more water-borne coatings, reformulating their solvent-borne products in water.
These new formulations may meet the European requirements low VOC content but pose other performance issues due to different drying processes.
Water-borne coatings have different drying times, poorer gloss, and are more prone to defects such as sagging, blisters and orange peel.
The control and understanding of the film formation process therefore remains of great importance.
Coatings manufacturers use different techniques to evaluate drying times or to test the drying or curing properties of coatings.
The length of a line, left by a needle drawn through the drying film at a known rate, gives the drying time.
However, this technique is subjective and suffers from poor reproducibility.
Standard methods such as the solvent scrub test, the paper test, the cotton fibre test etc, are other alternatives but remain labour-intensive, tedious to carry out, or show user variability.
The Horus film formation analyser is being applied accross industry, in areas such as pharmaceuticals, paints, inks, resin systems etc.
