Meeting the challenges of modern appliances

New pretreatment systems, coil primers and coatings are helping appliance manufacturers meet environmental regulations, RoHS Directive, and consumer demands. Suppliers have been working behind the scenes to develop innovative pretreatment systems, primers and coatings that can keep manufacturers in compliance with environmental regulations while giving them a competitive edge. Many material suppliers began developing new RoHS compliant products well before the new standards went into effect. Four colors of chrome-free urethane primers were developed to meet the requirements of the market and complement the various topcoats used on appliances. Black primers are used under black topcoats, off-white primers under white and bisque topcoats, gray primers are used under some metallics. Ongoing efforts in research and development will provide the appliance industry with additional finishing innovations in the future.