AU2013100124A4 - High fill touch-up paint composition. - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 The present invention relates to the field of a combined filler and paint. More particularly, this invention relates to a filler/putty that also forms a high fill touch up paint for repairing damaged surface coatings.

Description

1 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention Title: HIGH FILL TOUCH-UP PAINT COMPOSITION. The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 5 DESCRIPTION DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The composition repairs only inside the damaged area, be without brush marks, with no lumps or bumps so that it is near level with the adjacent undamaged finishes because this type of repair is proven to be 10 the most invisible. Items such as painted walls, house and building architraves and/or skirtings, boats or surfboards of polyethylene or fibreglass, ceramic tiles, garden pots and other glazed items, fibreglass jacuzzi's and swimming pools, white goods and other electrical items, floor / wall tiles or ceramic or porcelain glazed items, other flooring, cars 15 and other vehicles. The present invention provides a high fill touch up paint composition with a thick gel-like consistency which is effective for repairing damage such as nicks, scratches, cracks and chips to painted surfaces such as those of vehicles, boats, houses, furniture, ceramic floor and wall 20 tiles, ceramic pots, swimming pools / jacuzzi's, white goods and other electrical appliances. This composition is a filler/paint composition with a high viscosity (thick consistency) comprising a cross-linked polyurethane resin, glycol, transparent fillers, colourants mixed with a rheological modifier to repair 25 damage to surface coatings. In the first aspect, the invention resides in a composition comprising; (a) 67.7% to 69.0% cross-linked polyurethane resin; 3 5 (b) 0.7% rheological modifier; (c) 1.6% to 1.7% glycol; (d) 22% to 22.4% air filled sphere fillers; (e) 4.9% to 6.8% dispersed colourant; (f) 1.2% to 1.4% water. 10 All % by weight. In another embodiment of the first aspect the composition comprises; (a) 58.3% to 58.9% cross-linked polyurethane resin; 15 (b) 0.6% rheological modifier; (c) 1.4% glycol; (d) 18.9% to 19.1% glass air filled sphere fillers; (e) 11.4% to 16.7% mica flakes; (f) 2.1% to 8.1 % colourant; 20 (g) 1.2% water. In a further embodiment of the first aspect the composition comprises; (h) 66.9% to 67.6% cross-linked polyurethane resin; 25 (i) 0.7% rheological modifier; (j) 1.6 %glycol; (k) 21.7% to 21.9% air filled sphere fillers; (I) 0.4% to 0.7% mica flakes; 4 5 (m)6.3% to 7.0% colourant; (n) 1.3% water. Suitably, the composition is a touch-up paint / filler composition. Typically, the rheological modifiers are selected from the group consisting of urethane or hydrophobically modified urethane or alkali soluble 10 rheological modifiers. Preferably, the glycol is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol and their derivatives. The fillers used are transparent so they do not impede the optical 15 appearance of colours and metallic flakes. The fillers are lightweight spheres which range in size between 20 and 120 nanometres. Typically the prior art fillers substantially increase the viscosity of the composition and therefore substantially increase the resulting films thickness at which the composition can be applied in a single layer. 20 Other fillers contain mineral powders such as clay, calcium carbonate, talc, slate flour, barium sulphate and silicates. These fillers are not transparent and therefore prevent colour matching of darker colours and optical effects like pearls, metallic on surface coatings cannot be seen. 25 COLOURANT: The colourant employed in the composition will clearly depend on what particular final colour is desirable for the paint. The kinds of colourants which would be useful are well known in the art and include carbon black, titanium dioxide, metal oxides, magnesium aluminium 5 5 silicates, mica particles of varying sizes, synthetic pigments. The relative percentage amount of which the colourant is present in the composition of the first aspect will vary greatly depending on the particular colour chosen. For example, when the composition is to provide a white paint then additional white colourant will be required than if the 10 paint was to be black in colour. This is because lighter colours are more transparent by their nature and so a greater amount of colourant is required in the final product to provide sufficient coverage of the surface being repaired. This is an issue which is common to the paint trade and would be well understood by the skilled addressee who would be aware of 15 which colourants would be required to be present in greater or lesser relative amounts. So that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, reference is made to the following non-limiting examples. EXAMPLE 20 Compositions The various components of the compositions below must be mixed together in a specified order. A number of the compositions of the present invention which have demonstrated efficacy in repairing damaged paint surfaces are set out 25 below. Formula 1. 77.3% The invented formulation 10.7% White 12.0% White mica powder 6 5 Formula 2. 93.4% The invented formulation 6.6% Black 10 Formula 3 93.9% The invented formulation 6.1% Red FORMULATING THE COMPOSITION. 15 Another aspect of the invention resides in a method of formulating the composition of the first aspect including the step of combining a zinc oxide, cross-linked polyurethane resin, surfactant, glycol, water, mica, lightweight sphere fillers, rheology modifiers and a colourant to thereby form said composition. 20 OTHER ADDITIVES It will be appreciated that while the composition of the first aspect is substantially as described above, other additives may be present in relatively small amounts to modify the characteristics of the composition. They include Proprietary surface active additives, Proprietary co-solvents, 25 Proprietary additives to promote drying, film forming and/or adhesion. The advantages of the composition are: EASY TO ACCURATELY REPAIR DAMAGE. The composition is designed to be applied by everyday consumers, 30 and is not restricted to trade professionals. It is to be applied by plastic 7 5 applicator that pushes the composition directly into the damage cavity and cleaning away the surrounding excess on a tissue or paper towel. The compositions finish is then confined exactly within the cavity, it is also level, coloured and without brush stroke marks or the like. The prior arts methods are to either apply a filler by a blade then brush or 10 spray a touch-up product to restore the damaged area's appearance to like original. Houses, buildings, floorings, ceramics, cars, motorbikes require that the cosmetic damaged area's cracks, chip or scratch surface are cleaned prior to application of the prior arts filler which is applied with a 15 trowel or spatula. Once dry excess surface filler is then sanded until level. Then the prior arts paint is applied on top of the filler by spraying, injecting or brushing. The paints used are typically lacquers and the like with high volatile organic solvent contents. These paints are quite thin in viscosity and tend to easily run onto the adjacent undamaged areas causing 20 differences in height. Alternately the repairer can trowel the prior arts filler into the damage and as the filler dries it also shrinks. After the filler shrinks the repairer can carefully brush match paint inside the damage. There is limited knowledge of filler shrinkage making this assessment difficult and it 25 also this takes considerable time. Multiple touch-up applications of the prior art may then be necessary to achieve sufficient colour coverage to fill to the height of the adjacent undamaged surface.

8 5 Some prior art manufacturers recommend building up layers of the touch up paint until a blob is formed higher than the surrounding body paint. Indeed the surface tension characteristics of many commercial touch up paints can often result in a blob forming whether desirable or not. 10 The high surface tension means the paint dries with high edges and a lower centre. Once the paint is dry to remove the blob variations in the repairs height must then be smoothed down to match the adjoining areas height using wet or dry papers, sandpapers and then compounds plus fine abrasive products to attain full gloss. 15 When the prior art repair's cosmetic damage like chips, cracks and scratches on fibreglass panels of cars, spoilers, swimming pools or jacuzzi's, recreational vehicles, truck bodies, shower stalls, boats etc require the area to be cleaned first. They mix the fibreglass resin with it's catalyst adding fibreglass matting for strength and apply it by brush, 20 spatula or trowel into the damage and on the adjacent areas. This repair is messy and difficult to apply. Once dry the prior arts repair is ground level with an electric sander or the like and a surface coat of Fibreglass gel coat mixed with the appropriate colour is applied on top. When this coating is dry the repair is 25 then sanded / polished to blend with the adjoining area. Said rubbing with such abrasives requires considerable skill to prevent rub through to undercoats and base coats plus ensure not to leave rub or burnish marks and scratches remaining on the repair or on 9 5 adjoining area's surface coatings. The scratching is only seen in certain lights therefore the prior art repair must be checked from many different light angles and at differing times of the day and evening. Also it must be viewed under fluorescent or other artificial lighting found in car parks or garages. Due to the complexity 10 of these problems full checking means this type of scratching or burnish damage can be easily missed by the most experienced tradesman. HIGH FILL. 15 The composition also contains additives to produce a paint finish yet fill the cavity to 80 percent of its depth with one application. A second coating will fill to over 96 percent. Visually this height is near level for a visual blend. 20 The prior art touch-up paints like acrylic lacquer provide usually fill less than 20 percent of the initial product applied. Many level coats must be applied however these coats are overfilled to form a bubble which therefore overflows onto the adjoining paint. Or they require separate fillers that then require sanding, compounding and polish so that it is 25 below the adjacent areas to allow space for a final top coat of clear. To apply the prior art the applicant must use varied skills and possess a steady hand.

10 5 Previously this applicant has used other paints based on polyurethane resin that fills to 35%, when water is added in the formula even less fill is attained - said polyurethane resin required 7 coats to fill to over 96% of the damage cavity. 10 The composition's 80 percent fill eliminates the need for estimating the amount of filler to be applied and polished. The composition is applied by a plastic trowel so the repair is easy to apply for untrained people. SCRATCH RESISTANCE. 15 The compositions glass balls create a hard surface that is a scratch resistant glass coating. Scratches in a soft repair coating can later become optically apparent thereby highlighting the repair. The prior art touch-up paints are not baked in ovens like the OEM finishes which dry more scratch resistant. Therefore a prior arts repair easily 20 scratch, said scratches later highlight the repair. LIMITED POLISHING. The composition rarely needs gentle rubbing to remove smears using a polish similar to those used on car paints. 25 The prior arts blobs require rubbing with wet and dry, sandpapers, compounds and finally fine polishes to improve the repairs appearance due to the difference in surface height between the repairs height and also 11 5 the higher edges of the repair which cause shadows. These shadows are more apparent when sun or other lights send their beam from the side and may not be visible when the light is directly above. Also they may look invisible in sunlight yet can be highly apparent 10 in other lighting like fluorescent lit garages or lit parking stations or parking lots in the evening. MIXING IS NOT NECESSARY. Due to the combination of the hollow lightweight air filled glass 15 bubbles or spheres, and the choice of rheology modifiers increasing the compositions viscosity the composition does not need to be mixed by a user. This saves the user having to constantly stir the colourant repair 20 products. Instead consumers will find the composition is ready for immediate use. The prior arts touch-up paints or fibreglass gel coat must be mixed on a regular basis which often requires an agitator to be placed directly 25 into the mixture and stirred for some time. This is time consuming and also leads to the paint drying out more quickly in the pot and thus more likely to become unusable.

12 5 ENVIRONMENT BENEFITS. The composition also provides environmental benefits over prior art touch-up paints. Since the present compositions contain hollow air filled glass balls they contain a substantially lower volume of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) than existing touch-up paints which, as mentioned, 10 are often based around particularly volatile solvents such as acetone. The present composition is therefore safer for the user and others nearby as there is a greatly reduced risk of inhaling increased VOC vapours. This allows the present compositions to be used in areas such as 15 a confined garage where the fumes from other paints would quickly become overwhelming and potentially cause health issues for the repairer and other persons nearby. The reduced VOC content is also of benefit in terms of their 20 disposal as the compounds should be allowed to dry and the remaining dry film is then easily wrapped and disposed. The present compositions therefore present a much lower risk to humans, aquatic and plant life. 25 LIMITS. It will be appreciated by the skilled person that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in detail herein, and 13 5 that a variety of other embodiments may be contemplated which are, nevertheless, consistent with the broad spirit and scope of the invention. All computer programs, algorithms, patent and scientific literature referred to in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their 10 entirety.