| The coatings industry is subjected to many federal and state regulations, which require design engineers to pay attention during design stages of the product design rather than the end of pipe waste treatment strategies followed earlier. Much emphasis is placed on product life-cycle where significant improvements in materials use and impact reduction can occur.;This research aims to develop a coating selection methodology that aids in selecting the best coating alternative by relating environmental characteristics to performance requirements for a given application. Life-cycle methodology has been used to quantify the environmental burden of coatings over their entire life-cycle, including production, application, use, and removal. A coating selection taxonomy was developed for the four general coating types (acrylic, epoxy, urethane, and alkyd) and their key performance variables (abrasion resistance, impact resistance, dry heat resistance) are mapped to the environmental impact taxonomy. |
