This is the “news & case studies” section: recent launches, technical innovations and short, instructive case summaries showing how leading companies and innovators are using Waterborne acrylic coatings technologies today.

5.1 High-level market trends (2023–2025)

  • Continued migration from solvent to waterborne across segments. Multiple market reports and industry commentary indicate that regulatory pressure, coupled with product performance gains, continue to shift demand. Reports published through 2024–2025 show strong growth projections for waterborne coatings overall and for acrylic dispersions in particular. 

  • Bio-based & low-emission product launches: A rising share of new product lines highlight bio-based monomers, reduced petrochemical coalescents, and low VOC declarations. Market trackers report an observable share of new product launches focused on low-VOC and bio-content. 

  • Hybrid chemistries and advanced additives: Urethane-acrylic hybrids, improved water-borne crosslinkers, nanocellulose rheology modifiers, and better pigment dispersants drive performance parity with solvent systems. Academic and industrial reviews highlight the role of advanced dispersions and nanomaterials.

5.2 Company & industry moves (who’s pushing the market)

Large global coatings companies (PPG, AkzoNobel, Sherwin-Williams, BASF, Nippon Paint, Axalta) remain central to product development and scale-up. Markets & Markets and industry press note these companies’ continued investment in waterborne R&D and production capacity expansions. Consolidation and targeted acquisitions are common as global players build portfolios around low-VOC and specialty waterborne technologies.

5.3 Short case studies (practical & instructive)

Case study A — Waterborne DTM for structural steel (typical scenario):
A manufacturer of architectural steel structures switched from a solvent-borne alkyd DTM to a 1K waterborne acrylic DTM to meet stricter VOC limits on a public procurement contract. By optimizing pigment dispersion, adding corrosion inhibitors, and selecting a mid-Tg acrylic binder with appropriate coalescent, the coating met adhesion and 500-hour salt spray requirements for the project’s specified class, while reducing shop VOC emissions and improving worker safety. PAINT.org’s guidance on waterborne DTM formulation provides practical approaches for pigment and additive choices. 

Case study B — Urethane-acrylic hybrid for industrial OEM:
An automotive component supplier needed improved abrasion resistance and chemical resistance in a waterborne system. A urethane-acrylic hybrid binder provided improved hardness and chemical resistance while keeping VOCs within regulatory limits. The company adopted a crosslinkable co-binder strategy to hit gloss and scratch targets without moving back to solvent systems. Industry press notes many OEM conversions using hybrid technologies. 

Case study C — Packaging container coating with low migration:
A can/coating supplier developed a waterborne acrylic container coating tailored for beverage cans, balancing barrier properties and food migration limits. The product used a specially engineered acrylic dispersion with low extractables and underwent migration testing to meet food contact regulations. Market research highlights the growth of bio-based waterborne container coatings and R&D investment in this niche. 

5.4 R&D frontier: what’s next technically

  • Advanced particle architectures: core-shell and gradient particles that provide a combination of hardness and flexibility in a single binder. 

  • Nanocellulose and biopolymers as rheology/functional modifiers: deliver improved film formation, reduced synthetic additive use, and enhanced mechanical properties. 

  • Improved waterborne crosslinkers & non-isocyanate chemistries: to approach thermoset performance without the safety or VOC penalties of traditional isocyanates.