Paint

Over the course of the history of “paint” (as with joint compounds), there have been thousands of producers of paint and even more formulations, each with several dozens of ingredients. Original paint formulations were based on readily available, natural plant-based oils, one or more organic solvent, emulsifiers, pigments and driers. Today most paint is “latex” or more accurately, water-based rather than oil-based, and the amount of VOCs (volatile organic content) has been drastically reduced for environmental reasons. While oil based paints have not completely gone away and AMI continues to supply both attapulgite and silica to the oil base paint market, water based paints & coatings now dominate all major architectural coatings markets.

Making Paint Possible

AMI is a major marketer of key ingredients for paint; very fine gel quality Attapulgite, bright air float kaolin clay and find ground silica. Attapulgite is used as a thixotrope to thicken and control syneresis (phase separation in the paint can), while silica is used mainly for scrub/scuff/abrasion resistance.

Paint and Coatings

In addition to syneresis control AMI’s gel quality attapulgite products are highly effective thixotropes which add to paint formulator’s ability to control hard settling, roller spatter, pigment suspension, sag, film build and hide.

Other coating markets served by AMI’s attapulgite products include foundry coatings, plastisols, and other liquid products such as ink, polishes, wax emulsions, lubricants, detergents, liquid pesticides and foliar fertilizer.