aluminumpowderpaste.com

Aluminum Paste, also
called <a href="http://www.aluminumpowderpaste.com/aluminum-paste/floating-aluminum-paste/"
target="_self">Floating Aluminum Paste or <a href="http://www.aluminumpowderpaste.com/aluminum-
paste/aluminum-pigment-paste/" target="_self">Aluminum Pigment Paste is a mixture of solvent or water
and aluminum pigments with particle shapes and sizes that have been manipulated through a milling process
to create aesthetic properties. Both chemical solvents and water can be used as a liquid when producing
aluminum paste.

Aluminum paste is a packaged metallic pigment or dust. Aluminum pigments are used to create the
metallic aesthetics found in a wide range of paints, coatings and inks. Manipulating the particle shape and
size within the coating, ink or masterbatch (ink for Graphic Arts and masterbatch for plastics) creates
different effects. It is not enough to simply add pigments to a paint or ink. The aluminum pigments are
combined with a dispersant comprised of solvent or water to create a paste. Often, the Paste is referred to
a slurry or a pigment slurry.

The reason for not using dry pigments is that dry pigments are not typically used is for safety and
easy handling. Aluminum flake and dust are referred to as fines. These airborne fines can quickly spread
heat when ignited. If exposed to electricity, phenomena known as arch flash will occur. The very dust used
intentionally to aid rocket boosters and pyro techniques, presents severe hazards as a machining and
thermal spray byproduct. Additionally, manufactures of coatings, inks or masterbatched containing aluminum
metallic pigments do not want to create this hazardous dust during their production.

A variety of solvents can be used to create paste. While the solvent used will depend on the end use,
mineral spirit is common. Even water can be used should the paste be needed for water based coatings. Water
based aluminum paste is also used in lightweight concrete. A water and alkaline solution, mixed with
aluminum, will give off gasses that result in small air pockets within the concrete. The result is a
lighter concrete known as "aerated concrete." Generally, Aluminum flake pigments can react with
water. When the two are combined, they create hydrogen. Hydrogen is a flammable and dangerous gas if not
properly handled.

<a href="http://www.aluminumpowderpaste.com/aluminum-paste/metallic-aluminum-paste/"
target="_self">Metallic Aluminum Paste are used in the paints and coatings industry for both their
optica effects as well as for their functionality. Effect pigments are always lamellar (flakes) and their
particle diameter is larger than the one of color pigments. And the Aluminum Paste is often made by <a
href="http://www.aluminumpowderpaste.com/aluminum-powder/" target="_self">Aluminum Powder like <a
href="http://www.aluminumpowderpaste.com/aluminum-powder/atomized-aluminum-powder/" target="_self">Atomized
Aluminum Powder, <a href="http://www.aluminumpowderpaste.com/aluminum-powder/spherical-aluminum-
powder/" target="_self">Spherical Aluminum Powder, <a
href="http://www.aluminumpowderpaste.com/aluminum-silver-powder/" target="_self">Aluminum Silver Powder
and so on. While the particle size of color pigments is in the wavelength range of visible light, the flake
diameter effect pigments is generally around 5-45 μm. And there are many different kinds of Aluminum Paste
like <a href="http://www.aluminumpowderpaste.com/aluminum-paste/fine-white-aluminum-pigment/"
target="_self">Fine White Aluminum Pigment and <a href="http://www.aluminumpowderpaste.com/aluminum-
paste/sparkle-aluminum-paste/" target="_self">Sparkle Aluminum Paste.

In many cases the properties of metallic effect pigments can be deduced directly from the production
process. The gold bronze pigments are dry milled in ball mills (Hametag process), but for safety reasons
aluminum pigments are produced almost exclusively in a wet milling process adding white spirit (Hall
process).The raw material - atomized, spattered aluminum with a minimum purity of 99.5% according to EN 576
– is milled respectively shaped to flake-like particles in ball mills, filled with grinding aids
(lubricant).

The milling parameters and the lubricant are determined by the application for which the aluminum paste
pigment is intended. The pigment slurry is screened, pressed on filter presses and adjusted in mixers to a
ratio of 65% solids and 35% solvent. The final product can be tailor-made for its later application by the
addition of particular solvents or additives to the filter cake.