Introduction and Application of Hot Melt Marking:
Hot melt marking paint is a type of paint applied on roads to mark road markings. Road markings are a type of safety sign and a silent 'language' in highway traffic. There are three types of road marking coatings used in China: hot-melt, water-based, and room temperature solvent based. The traffic safety management department uses road markings to strengthen traffic safety management, reduce accidents, and beautify urban roads, while eye-catching road markings depend on high-performance marking coatings. With the environmental protection of modern construction and the high requirements for wear resistance, slip resistance, weather resistance, and durability of road markings, low-cost hot-melt marking coatings have become the preferred choice for road marking coatings in China. When changing the flowability of hot melt coatings, it is generally achieved by increasing the resin content or using various processing aids. However, this approach can make it difficult for the coating to dry, and at the same time, it can cause the coating to be softer and more prone to contamination. In addition, an even more important point is to increase the content of additives or resins in the coating, which will also increase the manufacturing cost of the coating. By adjusting the proportion of flow aids in the coating, the coating can have good fluidity, be conducive to construction, and achieve cost control while ensuring quality.
Hot melt reflective marking coating is mainly used on highways and expressways of grade 2 and above. The thickness of the marking coating made by this coating is (1.0-2.5) mm, and reflective glass beads are mixed in the coating. During the marking construction, reflective glass beads are sprinkled on the surface. This type of marking has good nighttime reflective performance and a long service life. It is estimated that the demand for various road marking coatings depends on the quality of the coating itself, and can generally last for (2-3) years, depending on the traffic flow of the large highway construction. The construction of hot melt coatings requires special heating equipment. When recoating old markings, the thicker old coating must be removed before application.
Advantages of Hot Melt Coatings:
· Strong adhesion:
Road marking paint should have strong adhesion to the ground in order to fully ensure the integrity and clarity of the markings. However, the shorter the drying time of general coatings, the worse their adhesion, so this constitutes a contradiction. One of the key technologies in the road coating industry is how to solve this problem first.
Wear resistant and have a long service life:
Good road marking coatings should have a long service life, so as to ensure that the markings remain intact and clear for a long time, reduce the waste of manpower and material resources caused by repeated construction, and minimize obstacles and impacts on normal traffic.
· Night reflection performance:
Modern transportation not only requires daytime effects, but also emphasizes nighttime effects. Night reflective markings can greatly improve the safety of nighttime driving and also enhance the efficiency of nighttime driving. The more developed countries in the world pay attention to this, the higher the degree of road night lighting.
· Rapid drying during construction:
The environment in which road marking paint is applied has an uninterrupted traffic volume (even at night, there is a certain amount of traffic flow). Therefore, it is required that road coatings dry as quickly as possible. Depending on the type of coating, it is generally required to dry and open to traffic within 3-15 minutes. For general coatings, this requirement is almost too demanding, but it is a prerequisite for measuring whether a product can become a good road coating.
· Good weather resistance/water resistance:
Require the paint to maintain its freshness for a long time and have a slow natural aging process.
· Economy:
It is required that the coating cost be low and the selling price be cheap.
· Green environmental protection
In the research, production, and use of actual coatings, we can only meet the above requirements as much as possible, but it is also impossible to fully meet all of the above requirements at the same time. We can only focus on certain aspects.
