There are several alternatives for improving road markings. The most prominent is the use of acrylic resins for the manufacture of traffic paints. In addition, their excellent resistance to abrasion ensures the durability of road markings on roads, but also on fords, car parks and industrial buildings.
What is roadmarking?
Roadmarking is a system of paint markings on roads and public roads. Its purpose is to provide visual information and to guide traffic in a safe and efficient manner. It can be lines of all kinds, arrows, symbols such as pedestrian crossing signs, stop signs, yield signs, speed limits, etc. Roadmarking is therefore essential for road safety because it helps drivers to understand and follow traffic rules.
Advantages of using Synthesia products for roadmarking
Synthesia offers with its SYNTHACRIL range acrylic resin products for road markings. They have a high durability, a key property for surfaces with high wear and tear such as roads. Its resistance to abrasion and weathering is combined with its flexibility and good adhesion to various substrates: asphalt, concrete and cement. It also dries quickly, allowing vehicles to pass over it in a short time. All these characteristics make SYNTHACRIL products a good solution for roadmarking.
Two types of resins can be used depending on the desired performance and the type of machinery to be used. Thus, thermoplastic acrylic resins can be used in solvent base, applicable by spray and air drying. Or peroxide crosslinkable resins, based on condensation polymers diluted in acrylic monomers. The latter, known as Cold Plastics, are the most representative and are applied by machine. These resins may also contain a special accelerator in one of the two components used when applied in 2K systems.
Where and how to apply them
When the floor is in good condition or is new, cleaning is sufficient as a preliminary step to painting. This involves removing dust, stones, grease or petrol stains and once the floor is clean and dry, the paint can be applied.
If the floor is very dirty or deteriorated, or has traces of previous paintwork, it is advisable to sand and scrape to remove as much dirt as possible, as well as to leave the surface as smooth as possible. After scrubbing and drying, it is time for application, either by spray, brush or roller.
The application can be done by automatic spraying machines or manually.
In the case of manual application (brush, spray gun or roller), it is a good idea to mark the lines and edges with masking tape in order to paint straight. After mixing (with water or solvent), apply a first coat of the marking paint. Once dry, apply the second coat of undiluted paint.
Synthesia's main roadmarking products
Synthesia offers solutions for all industries, such as the SYNTHACRIL range of specific traffic paint products with acrylic resin. It is important to bear in mind that these Synthesia road marking solutions must be applied by professional installers who are familiar with the product characteristics and the brand's instructions for application. This is the only way to achieve optimum results.
To choose the most suitable product it is necessary to define the work area, the time of execution, the ambient temperature, the type of pavement and its temperature, the time that the section will remain closed after the work, the type of road and the width of the carriageway, etc.
Thus, for traffic signs we can use two types of cold plastics resins: unsaturated polyester based or acrylic polymer based, both with the appropriate dilution with different acrylic monomers. In the case of unsaturated polyester based resins, the flexibility of the paint can be modified by modifying the unsaturated polyester. Cold Plastics type resins are crosslinked with Peroxide S/B. Some of the main SYNTHACRIL offered by Synthesia in this application are:
- SYNTHACRIL 6839 and SYNTHACRIL 6840 are based on unsaturated polyesters in an acrylic monomer solution. They are distinguished by their high quality, weather and abrasion resistance, adequate hardness and elasticity. Both contain accelerator in their formulation.
- SYNTHACRIL 6858 is an acrylic copolymer in solution of acrylic monomers. It is noted for its high hardness, fast drying and high abrasion resistance. It does not contain accelerator in its formulation and is applied by machine spraying.
In some cases, solvent-based (fast drying, very versatile and durable) or water-based (for cold climates) thermoplastic acrylic resins can also be used. The main SYNTHACRIL in this range include:
- SYNTHACRIL 6830 AB 60 and SYNTHACRIL 6830 T 60 are solvent based and are designed to produce road paints. They have a shorter drying time and high abrasion resistance, which results in durability of road markings.
- SYNTHACRIL 6829 AB 55 and SYNTHACRIL 6915 T 50 are styrenated acrylic copolymers in aqueous solution. They offer fast drying, high abrasion resistance, flexibility and good adhesion to various substrates.
