Aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent reducible acrylic enamel of improved

Abstract

This invention relates to novel fast-drying aliphatic solvent soluble acrylic-styrene polymer vehicles of paramount value as the binder vehicle for enamels and particularly for automotive after-market refinishing. Improvement in the quality and durability of automotive enamels in general has been outstanding with the advent of acrylic polymers useful as the adhesive binder in coatings for cars. When applied in production lines to automobile bodies originally under factory conditions, the use of high solvency enamel solvents and reducers has been a relatively obscure problem until recognition of the contribution of aromatic hydrocarbons solvents to smog development. Priorly curing or drying automotive paint films at a rapid speed has been feasible with elevated temperatures with little or no concern for energy consumption or atmospheric pollution. Large capital expenditures for high production rates with concurrent energy consumption have been heretofore acceptable generally. Part of the high energy requirement is due to the characteristically poor solvent release of acrylic polymers of the prior art. Essentially the vehicle comprises a first polymer of acrylic monomers chemically modified with a drying oil fatty acid moiety and isobornyl methacrylate in a first step in which a monomer comprising styrene is polymerized in a second step to produce an aliphatic solvent soluble enamel vehicle binder.