Polyurethanes, polyureas, and blends thereof (all referred to
as PUs) have become prolific in the coatings industry and
are being promoted by many companies. It is important for
those who specify and use these coatings to understand
their background and the subtle technological differences
between the products promoted by various manufacturers.
Understanding these differences can be difficult. Hundreds
of PUs have already been developed and utilized in many
diverse applications, and many other compounds may be
developed in the future.The purpose of this state-of-the-art technical committee
report is to provide a basic introduction to thick-film PU
coatings technology for the engineer, owner, contractor, or
end user. Information about the components of thick-film
PUs, how they are classified, and their general
performance characteristics is provided.