Acrylonitrile, acrylic styrene or acrylate styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA) is an amorphous thermoplastic. It was first developed as a substitute for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). But, it offers significantly better weather and UV-resistance features than ABS. That’s why this amorphous thermoplastic is widely used in the construction and automotive industries. It has amazing mechanical characteristics and brightness.
More importantly, ASA offers amazing weather resistance.
That’s why this material is suitable for any outdoor application where there’s a risk of UV exposure. Unlike ABS, ASA is also scratch-resistant and highly durable. As an amorphous polymer, ASA has a very low shrinkage rate. The effects of shrinkage are negligible in most applications. This compound is frequently used alongside other plastics like polyvinyl chloride and polycarbonate.
Mechanical Properties
Structurally, Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene are quite similar. However, ASA doesn’t contain double bonds. That’s why it’s almost ten times more weather and UV-resistant than ABS. It’s also more heat and chemical resistant than Abs. All these qualities make ASA significantly more resistant to cracking due to environmental stresses.
- 1.ASA offers better long-term heat resistance, making paints that feature polymers of this amorphous thermoplastic ideal for complex painting projects.
- 2.ASA is frequently used in applications needing weather resistance. E.g., this compound is used to create external parts of vehicles, outdoor furniture items, etc.
- 3.It offers amazing antistatic and chemical-resistance properties; it’s very tough, rigid, and has significantly lower glass transition temperature (100 °C) than ABS (105 °C).
- 4.Even after long periods of outdoor exposure, this amorphous thermoplastic retains its gloss, colors, and key mechanical properties.
- 5.ASA offers great durability in outdoor environments, even without paint.
- 6.ASA can be mixed with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) resins to create extruded walls. It can also be mixed with polycarbonate (PC) resins to create thermo-resistant products.
- 7.Acrylic styrene and pure acrylate copolymers are also used to formulate architectural paints.
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ASA in Formulating Architectural Paints
Acrylic polymers have been used as binders in modern architectural paints for many decades. The styrene-acrylic copolymer is immensely useful in the architectural coating and painting industry because of its UV stability and inherent adhesiveness. Unlike regular paints, architectural paints that contain styrene acrylic copolymer form strong bonds with the surfaces.
Even when these paints undergo harsh photo-oxidative processes, they remain stable and do not lose their external qualities. Architectural paints featuring acrylic styrene provide chip-resistant coatings. The acrylic polymers serve as super-strong binders. They bind the pigments and the surfaces together, allowing painters to provide long-lasting results. Here’s how ASA in architectural paints are used and applied -
- 1.Acrylonitrile acrylic styrene or acrylate styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA) is used as coating binders in water-based paints that are used for architectural purposes.
- 2.Architectural paints that feature this component can be used for both interior and exterior applications. But, these paints are mainly used in interior latex paints.
- 3.These paints offer super-strong adhesion.
- 4.ASA triggers excellent pigment loading capabilities in architectural paints; the paints look fresher for longer periods.
- 5.Acrylonitrile styrene also gives architectural paints strong alkali resistance properties.
- 6.ASA plastic paints and coatings are very easy to apply.
- 7.This formulation is particularly useful in creating fast-drying coatings. Such coatings are extremely popular in the paint repair industry.
- 8.They have amazing wear and tear resistance capabilities.
- 9.These paints have both high impact strength and chemical resistance, so they’re suitable for all types of buildings and environments.
- 10.ASA paints don’t need primer coatings to be durable. They’re intrinsically durable and can last for decades without requiring excessive maintenance or care.
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ASA can be processed in various ways. Extrusion and coextrusion is the most common way of formulating styrene-acrylic copolymers. Other techniques like injection molding, thermoforming, and structural foam molding can also be used to create this amazing compound. That’s why using pure acrylate copolymers for formulating architectural paints is so popular.