Bright Prospects for Fluorine Coatings


Fluorine coatings are a category of new coatings with
fluorine-containing resins as the major film forming substances.
They have excellent weather resistance, solvent resistance,
acid/alkali resistance, no toxicity and no hazards, and they
contribute to film stability. More than 10 fluorine-containing
resins are used in coatings - mainly PTFE
(polytetrafluoroethylene), PCTFE
(polychlorotrifluoroethylene), PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride),
FEVE (fluoroethylene/vinyl ether copolymer), ECTFE
(ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer) and ETFE
(ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer).  In particular,
PTFE, PVDF and PEVE are heavily used.

Initial scale of fluorine coatings in China

China has more than 70 producers of FEVE coatings. The capacity
of FEVE reached 20 thousand t/a in 2005, being 20 times higher
than the capacity in 2000. The capacity of FEVE is already much
higher than the domestic market demand.
   The production of fluorine coatings started rather late in
China, but development has been rather fast. Thermoplastic PVDF
coatings and solvent room temperature curing FEVE coatings have
developed exceptionally rapidly. Zhejiang Juhua Group and
Shanghai 3F New Materials Co., Ltd. are the main producers of
thermoplastic PVDF coatings. Most PVDF resin used in China is
domestically produced, but the quality used in fluorine coatings
is still considerably lower than imported products, so some
products still have to be imported from abroad. Solvent FEVE
coatings can form film by room-temperature curing or
medium/low-temperature roasting. These have become the leading
fluorine coatings in China. The production of FEVE coatings in
China uses technology introduced from Japan, but owing to the
use of different polymerization monomers the product
property/price ratio is higher.
    In 1995 Dalian Research Institute of Plastics developed and
patented new technology for the production of fluorine coatings.
In 1997 Dalian Zhenbang Fluorine Paint Co., Ltd. started
commercial production. A 10 thousand t/a production base of
fluorine coatings was constructed in Dalian of Liaoning province
at the end of 2003.
    In 2004 Dalian Zhenbang Fluorine Paint Co., Ltd. took the
lead and developed one-component and two-component water-based
fluorine coatings and constructed commercial production lines
for them. In 2005 Daikin of Japan established a wholly owned
company in Shanghai to produce water-based fluorine coatings.
In 2006 there was a breakthrough in the development of
thermosetting fluorine powder coatings. Dalian Zhenbang
Fluorine Paint Co., Ltd. has completed lab tests and will soon
expand pilot testing and start commercial production research.
    Changshu 3F Zhonghao New Chemical Materials Co., Ltd.,
Zhejiang Lantian Environmental Protection Hi-Tech Co., Ltd.,
Qingdao Hongfeng Construction Materials Co., Ltd., Shenzhen MT
Fluoring Carbide Technology Co., Ltd., Changzhou Kangtai
Chemical Co., Ltd., Changzhou Wujin Chenguang Metallic Paint Co.,
Ltd. and Zhuhai Fute Science & Technology Co., Ltd. have also
constructed production lines in recent years to produce fluorine
resins and coatings. Asahi Glass, Daikin and DIC of Japan have
also entered the Chinese fluorine coatings market.

Startup stage of application and wide-ranging development
opportunities

The application of solvent fluorine coatings is constantly
expanding in China. New applications in construction, steel
structure anticorrosion and metal surface decoration sectors
have succeeded in recent years. Many large projects and major
projects have chosen to use fluorine coatings for decoration.
For example, fluorine coatings produced by Dalian Zhenbang
Fluorine Paint Co., Ltd. have been effective in major steel
structure projects such as the west-east gas transmission
pipeline project and the 2008 Olympic Games "bird nest" stadium
project. Due to its unique geography, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
has a severe natural environment requiring innovative solutions
for the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Fluorine
coatings produced by Ningbo Dongsheng Science & Technology
Development Co., Ltd. were used extensively for the project.
Fluorine coatings produced by Wuxi Wanbo Coating Chemicals Co.,
Ltd. have been used in color steel plates.
    The application of water-based fluorine coatings is still
just beginning in China. They are mainly used as external wall
decoration coatings for medium- and high-grade buildings.

Major problems

    (1) Film formation of PVDF resin coatings needs
high-temperature roasting. Maintenance is also inconvenient and
spots are often left uncoated. These coatings are used mainly
in workshops for the production of sheets and films. Coating with
conventional methods (such as spraying, rolling and brushing)
is quite difficult.
    (2) Compared with the rapid capacity expansion, the market
demand growth of fluorine coatings is rather slow. Sales amount
to only around 2 thousand tons a year. Products produced by the
FEVE resin producers are basically identical so market
competition is fierce. Due to the price rise of chemical raw
materials, producers of fluorine coatings face unprecedented
pressure and the margin is narrow.
    (3) The low price of water-based fluorine coatings has
affected the normal market development. Sound development of the
application market for water-based fluorine coatings needs
policy support from the state.
    With the improvement of environmental protection laws and
regulations, water-based fluorine coatings and thermosetting
fluorine powder coatings as environmentally friendly products
will have bright development prospects in China.

        Major Producers of Fluorine Resins for Coatings in China    
(t/a)
Producer                                                 
Variety    Capacity                                                                                           
Dalian Zhenbang Fluorine Paint Co.                            
FEVE      5 000
Changshu 3F Zhonghao New Chemical Materials Co.                    
FEVE      2 000
Qingdao Hongfeng Construction Materials Co.                    
FEVE     &