Polyurethane coatings have excellent gloss, hardness, flexibility, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, and ultraviolet (UV) durability. In addition, higher solids polyurethane coatings meet current regulations for volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions without compromising a coating's performance. Because polyurethane coatings offer so many advantages, they are the market leader for coating various substrates in the following end-use markets: automotive refinish; aircraft; and chemical agent resistant coatings (CARC). Moreover, polyurethane coatings have especially rapid growth in automotive original equipment manufacturing (OEM); industrial maintenance (such as bridges and bulk storage tanks); and appliances. This article describes polyurethane chemistry, applications, and performance requirements for coating metallic and plastic substrates. The authors will limit discussion to two-component solventborne, one-component solventborne, and powder coatings based on polyurethanes. as applied to the automotive refinish, automotive OEM, aircraft, and industrial maintenance end-use markets for metal substrates. Due to the strong growth of plastic components for automotive OEM applications, polyurethane coatings for automotive OEM plastic components are also discussed.
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