1. Relationship between temperature and shelf life
Low temperture cured protective coating has strict requirements on storage temperature. Generally speaking, a suitable low temperature environment helps to extend its shelf life. Under low temperature conditions, the reaction rate of chemically active components inside the coating slows down, which can effectively inhibit the decomposition, polymerization or other chemical reactions that may cause the coating performance to deteriorate. For example, when the storage temperature is higher than the recommended range, some volatile components in the coating may evaporate faster, causing the concentration of the coating to change, thereby affecting its thickness and uniformity after curing. In a suitable low temperature storage environment, such as 5-15℃, the original component ratio of the coating can be better maintained within the specified shelf life, providing a stable quality foundation for subsequent use, and ensuring that the coating can achieve the expected protective properties after curing, such as good adhesion and corrosion resistance.
2. Effect of humidity
Humidity is also a key factor affecting the storage of low temperture cured protective coating. A high humidity environment may cause the coating to absorb moisture, which will have a multi-faceted negative impact on its use effect. On the one hand, the absorption of moisture may cause the coating to undergo partial hydrolysis before use, changing the chemical structure of the coating and reducing its effective component content. For example, some resin components containing active groups may react with water, reducing the crosslinking density of the coating, thereby affecting its hardness and wear resistance after curing. On the other hand, the damp coating may have defects such as bubbles and pinholes during use, which seriously damages the integrity and protective performance of the coating. Even within the shelf life, if the humidity of the storage environment is not properly controlled, the quality of the coating will be greatly reduced and it will not be able to play its due protective role during application.
3. Packaging and storage stability
Appropriate packaging is crucial for the stability of low temperture cured protective coating during the shelf life. Good packaging materials should have barrier properties to prevent external factors such as oxygen and moisture from invading the coating. For example, the use of metal cans or multi-layer composite packaging with good sealing performance can effectively reduce the contact area between the coating and the air and reduce the probability of oxidation reaction. If the packaging is damaged or not tightly sealed, the coating will gradually react with oxygen in the air during storage, causing the coating to change color, thicken, or even lose fluidity, and cannot be constructed and cured normally. Moreover, the integrity of the packaging can prevent dust, impurities, etc. from mixing into the coating, avoiding affecting the uniformity and surface smoothness of the coating during use, and ensuring that it always has good performance during the shelf life.
4. Changes and risks after the shelf life
Once the shelf life is exceeded, the performance of low temperture cured protective coating may change significantly even under seemingly good storage conditions. Over time, the chemicals inside the coating may slowly self-react or degrade, resulting in a decrease in its curing performance. For example, the coating may not be fully cured under the specified low-temperature curing conditions, or the key performance indicators of the cured coating, such as hardness and adhesion, may not meet the requirements. The use of expired coatings may also cause other problems, such as poor adhesion between the coating and the substrate, easy peeling during use, exposing the protected substrate to the external environment, suffering from corrosion, wear and other damage, thereby losing the protective significance of the coating, and even the failure of the coating may cause the performance of the entire product or equipment to decline or be damaged.
