Wax Additives

Wax additives are tasked with an important function in coating and ink formulations. They enable formulators to achieve certain effects at the interface between an ink or coating and the outside world. A wax additive is used to enhance and protect appearance, feel, slip, abrasion and scratch resistance, and overall durability of the coating or ink formulation.

Our wax additive products are available in any form to suit diverse manufacturing requirements. Available in both powder and liquid forms, Lubrizol wax additives are designed to modify coated surfaces through unique performance benefits for specific applications, including metal, wood, printing, and packaging. Lubrizol offers the widest range of wax additive and slip additive chemistries, and particle size control tailored to meet specific performance requirements. Our wax additives include wax dispersions, wax emulsions, micronized wax, matting agents and powder coating additives.

We have extensive experience developing and manufacturing a wide range of micronized and liquid wax preparations for paints, coatings and ink to meet many formulation performance needs. Lubrizol has the technical and commercial expertise combined with market knowledge and quality control procedures to ensure consistent batch-to-batch performance. Constant dialogue with customers enables us to understand the needs of the industry and continuously work to develop new innovations to meet those needs.

Typical Applications

A wax additive, also called a surface modifier, can deliver a number of surface effects across a wide range of applications. Our wax additives are used by customers around the world for applications and effects that include:

  • OEM Wood Coatings—provide improvements in scratch and abrasion resistance, anti-blocking properties, matting and soft feel, can reduce the sedimentation of silica matting agents and improve sandability.
  • Can Coatings—aid in protecting metal containers from abrasion damage in conditions such as high-speed production or during transportation, plus improve overprintability, promote heat-sealing stability and provide release properties without influencing porosity.
  • Coil Coatings—properties achieved include slip, anti-blocking, scratch and abrasion resistance while also influencing durability and matte appearance.
  • UV Inks and Coatings—multiple applications that can meet a variety of performance requirements in UV-cured systems.
  • Digital Printing Inks and Coatings—improve rub resistance and anti-blocking properties with minimal influence on gloss at low film weights.
  • Architectural Coatings—the main properties needed are metal marking resistance and anti-blocking, especially for doors and windows. A wax additive can also provide smooth surface feel and matting.
  • Powder Coatings—improve fluidization, antistatic properties and degassing during application and cure. They can also affect mechanical properties such as slip and impact resistance, as well as aesthetic effects such as matting or texturing.

Ask an Expert

Get help with product recommendations, formulation questions, application issues, and more from a Lubrizol expert on our Wax Additives technologies.