Achieving high-performance automotive coatings requires more than optimizing one property at a time. Flow, cure speed, hardness, pot life, and durability all interact.
When one variable shifts, others often follow:
The most successful formulations treat additives as a coordinated system rather than individual components.
Catalyst selection plays a critical role in automotive coatings. Formulators must balance:
For polyurethane systems in automotive refinish and industrial applications, Borchi® Kat 2115 is a next-generation, tin-free catalyst solution. Based on mixed metals (Bi, Zn), it is designed to replace DBTDL, DOTL, and amine-based catalysts while delivering longer pot life and higher hardness compared to traditional tin systems.
Borchi® Kat 2115 maintains outstanding corrosion resistance, does not contribute to yellowing, and supports high gloss finishes making it well suited for both pigmented and clear one- and two-component polyurethane coatings.
While curing performance determines how a coating develops strength and durability, flow and leveling determine the quality of the surface finish. For automotive coatings, appearance is often the most visible measure of performance.
Poor flow or leveling can lead to defects such as unwanted surface texture, cratering, pinholes, or orange peel. These issues not only affect aesthetics but can also lead to costly rework or refinishing during production or repair processes.
Proper additive selection helps coatings achieve smooth film formation and a consistent finish by improving:
Flow and leveling agents are designed to control surface tension within the coating, helping the film spread evenly and minimizing surface irregularities.
For example, Borchi® Gol 8701 is a silicone-free flow and leveling additive designed to improve surface wetting and film formation in solvent-based coatings. It provides excellent slip while maintaining intercoat adhesion, helping formulators avoid the recoatability issues sometimes associated with traditional siloxane additives. Borchi® Gol 8701 also eliminates flooding and floating while improving gloss, clarity, and distinctness of image. By optimizing the short- and long-wave balance in the coating surface, it helps reduce orange peel and create smoother, more visually uniform finishes.
In systems where strong surface tension control is required across multiple formulation platforms, Borchi® Gol 1473 acts as a polyether-modified polysiloxane surface tension modifier that improves slip, flow, and leveling in solvent-based, solvent-free, and water-based coatings. By lowering surface tension, it helps prevent defects such as craters, pinholes, and fish eyes while reducing orange peel and improving surface smoothness. These improvements enhance gloss and DOI, supporting the reflective, high-quality finishes expected in automotive topcoats.
When properly integrated into a formulation, flow and leveling additives help ensure coatings deliver both the durability required for automotive applications and the smooth, high-quality appearance customers expect.
Automotive coatings must increasingly meet evolving regulatory standards while maintaining the performance characteristics required for demanding applications. For formulators, this often means selecting additives that support both compliance and coating performance.
Many R&D teams are looking for solutions that align with evolving formulation requirements such as:
Advances in additive technology make it possible to meet these goals without compromising coating performance.
For example, Borchi® Kat 2115 provides a next-generation tin-free catalyst solution for polyurethane systems while also being 2-ethylhexanoic acid (2-EH)-free, helping improve labeling compared to traditional bismuth octoate catalysts. At the same time, it enables longer pot life, better hardness, and optimal dry times.
In surface control applications, Borchi® Gol 8701 offers a silicone-free flow and leveling solution, helping formulators improve surface wetting, gloss, and distinctness of image while avoiding the intercoat adhesion challenges that can occur with siloxane additives.
For formulations requiring strong surface tension control with regulatory alignment, Borchi® Gol 1473 (low-cyclosiloxane <0.1%) provides a VOC-free flow and leveling agent with low cyclosiloxane content, helping improve slip, surface smoothness, and defect prevention across solvent-based, solvent-free, and water-based systems.
By selecting additives that combine performance benefits with improved regulatory profiles, formulators can design automotive coatings that meet evolving requirements without sacrificing appearance, durability, or processing efficiency.
Designing automotive coatings that deliver consistent results requires balancing multiple performance requirements across the entire formulation.
When additives are selected to work together, formulators can achieve measurable performance improvements such as:
By focusing on additive technologies that support both surface quality and curing performance, formulators can create coatings that apply consistently, cure predictably, and deliver the durable, high-quality finishes expected in automotive applications.
Designing automotive coatings that deliver consistent results requires balancing multiple performance requirements across the entire formulation.
When additives are selected to work together, formulators can achieve measurable performance improvements such as:
By focusing on additive technologies that support both surface quality and curing performance, formulators can create coatings that apply consistently, cure predictably, and deliver the durable, high-quality finishes expected in automotive applications.
In automotive coatings, color isn’t just aesthetic; it’s a performance metric. From deep jet blacks to high-chroma specialty colors, the quality of pigment dispersion directly impacts appearance, efficiency, and cost. Yet many formulators still face familiar challenges: The good news:
Coating performance is a system — not a single additive Achieving high-performance automotive coatings requires more than optimizing one property at a time. Flow, cure speed, hardness, pot life, and durability all interact. When one variable shifts, others often follow:
Adhesives and sealants are essential components in modern manufacturing, construction, automotive assembly, and industrial production. From bonding structural components to protecting joints from moisture and contaminants, these materials play a critical role in ensuring durability and performance across manyapplications. While
