In which fields are aluminum pigments mainly used?

Many people are probably not unfamiliar with aluminum pigments. Aluminum pigments have a very wide range of applications, including anti-corrosion, automotive paint, plastic coatings, and so on. So how should one choose the aluminum pigment suitable for their product?  

In coatings, aluminum pigments are more often defined as effect pigments. In a coating system, they demonstrate a metallic texture, while only in a few cases are the weather resistance or acid and alkali resistance of aluminum pigments utilized. As a type of metallic pigment, aluminum pigments are made of aluminum, additives, and wetting agents. Special water-based aluminum silver pastes contain a certain amount of silica, and resin-coated aluminum silver pastes contain special resin substances, but the effects and functions they provide can differ greatly.

For anti-corrosion applications, there are two directions pursued: one that seeks a beautiful appearance with certain anti-corrosion capabilities, and heavy-duty anti-corrosion applications that do not consider appearance. For the aesthetically pleasing appearance, floating-type aluminum silver pastes are mostly used to achieve a shiny silver effect, similar to galvanization, but they do not have long-term weather resistance. Heavy-duty anti-corrosion mostly uses non-floating aluminum silver pastes, utilizing the adhesion and recoating properties of these products to achieve the corresponding anti-corrosion ability.

In applications for plastic coatings and metal baking paints, plastic coatings mostly pursue an attractive texture and decorative function. In this regard, aluminum silver pastes can only provide a beautiful metallic feel and good brightness; they are irrelevant to the coating’s scratch resistance, hardness, or adhesion. Of course, there are special cases—for example, applications requiring resistance to acids and alkalis, sweat resistance, or insulation—these high-standard requirements are what relate to aluminum silver pastes.