INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Paint Factory or
plant is an industrial site, usually consisting of buildings and machinery, or
more commonly a complex having several buildings, where workers process raw
materials into paint.
Factories arose with
the introduction of machinery during the industrial revolution when the capital
and space requirements became too great for cottage industry and workshops.
Paint is a
subdivision of surface coating. It is a relatively opaque solid coating applied
as thin layer whose films are usually formed by polymerization of polyunsaturated oil. However, other subdivisions
of surface coating include: varnishes (clear coating), enamels (pigmented
varnishes), lacquers (film formed by evaporation only), printing inks and
polishes. Paints generally have very low thermal conductivity, electrically
inert and can be washed and cleaned. The various raw materials for making
paints include pigments, vehicle, alkyd resins, surfactants, solvent s
(thinners) and colouring matters.
Paints are classified
into two principal types:
Resin based paints
(Gloss finishes) and Latex based paints (Emulsion paints). The major difference
between the two is only in the types of vehicle used and cost.
Resin based paints
are used for exterior and interior surfaces and are dry to a lustrous or shinny
finish. Emulsion (Latex) paint involves the emulsion of 2-phases one of which
is water and any other phase.
Classically, emulsion
is a suspension of one phase in another. Latex paints have as their major film
forming constituent synthetic resin latex with or without other film forming
constituents added in an oil-water emulsion type system. The
continuous phase
consists of an alkali – dispersed hydropholic colloid in water and contains two
more different particles in suspension, styrene – butadeux (SBR) copolymer
which was the original quality film former in emulsion paint.
Polyvinyl acetate
(PVA), acrylic and PVA acrylics copolymers have largely replaced SBR as film
former.
From these, resins
and latex are made objects with a wide range of colours and texture found in
household wares, building
materials, electrical
and electronic appliances, automobile and aeronautics, clothing, building
structures etc. in short it difficult to
imagine contemporary society without painting (colours).
Paints are the
material employed as finishing for other materials. They are used to protect
metals, timber and plastered surface from the effect of weather, heat,
moisture, gases etc., thereby improving their appearance. Paints are classified
into oil, water and cement and bituminom paints. There are also special paints
used for special purpose e.g. heat resisting, fire proofing,chlorinated rubber
paint etc.