Need for speed: BASF latest breakthrough for waterborne road pavement marking 

A better innovation in today’s waterborne road pavement marking is needed to overcome waterborne technology shortcomings. With faster no-pick-up time and outstanding early water washout resistance, BASF brings Acronal^® Xpress 7558 as the latest breakthrough in waterborne road pavement marking solution. 

Road pavement marking is considered essential in today’s traffic requirements. Markings are required in various places such as edge lines of highways, stop bars and crosswalks on intersections, parking lines and driving lanes in parking lots, as well as taxiways and runways in airfields. 

With different technologies available in the market, applicators and contractors are starting to recognize the specific benefits as well as understand the appropriate use of each available technology. Waterborne road pavement marking has the easiest application of all since it is a one-component ready-to-use paint that requires no special heating equipment and can be fast applied by spray. It is also considered the most environmentally friendly option. However, on top of the current market waterborne road pavement marking paint benefits, the market needs faster drying time property. Particularly when applied during rainy season, waterborne road pavement marking paint has the lowest resistance against raindrops. 

To answer the market needs, BASF introduces Acronal® Xpress 7558 as an acrylic binder for fast-drying road pavement marking. Road pavement marking paint using Acronal^® Xpress 7558 allows

✓    Quick drying time, with less than 15 minutes no-pick-up time

✓    Flexibility of the paint being applied during the rainy season

✓    Less than 30 minutes early washout resistance

Outstanding Early Washout Resistance

Unpredictable weather, such as high humidity and sudden pouring rain, has become an increasing challenge when applying road pavement marking. In general, drying speed performance and strength development will be slowed down by the relatively high humidity. For a waterborne road pavement marking, it is very challenging to have a quick drying speed and build strength to resist rain.

With Acronal^® Xpress 7558, road pavement marking paint manufacturers can really improve the early washout resistance of their waterborne system. A straightforward and easy-to-observe method is by comparing the market waterborne product with formulated Acronal^® Xpress 7558 paint. In the lab for testing, the paints are applied with 400 microns wet thickness on a non-absorbent substrate. A waiting time of 30 minutes under 90% humidity was done before putting it under a certain water flow for 5 minutes. When compared side by side with formulated paint with market dispersion, road pavement marking paint formulated with Acronal^® Xpress 7558 has strong adhesion on the substrate. This gives applicators and contractors some peace of mind when a sudden rain comes during the work.