Thermoplastic road marking paint, also called hot melt marking paint, is a kind of powder paint. When applied as road surface markings, a hot melt kettle is used to heat it to 200 °C (392 °F) to melt the powder, after which it is sprayed on the road surface. After cooling, the paint forms a thick polymer layer, which is wear-resistant, bright, and reflective. In recent years, practical applications tests have proved that the marking lines lack surface roughness and can easily cause wheel slip, resulting in a traffic accident in snow and rainy weather. Therefore, some countries once restricted the use of this paint or demand the use of anti-skid particles. In order to increase the antiskid performance of the line, thermoplastic paint has added reflective glass beads and other coarse fillers. Thermoplastic can be used very effectively for large anti-skid areas on roads and pedestrian walkways by adding glass beads. It can be produced in any colour and is suitable for car parks, factory walkways, and many other areas. It hardens quickly and can be driven over after just a few minutes.

Components

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Thermoplastic marking paint consists of synthetic (polymeric or non-polymeric) resin, glass beads, pigments, fillers (fine like calcium carbonate and coarse like sand), packing materials, additives, etc.

1. Synthetic resin has thermoplasticity, make the hot melt coating fast-dry and strongly adhesive to the road surface. Non-polymeric resins, based on colophony, are also widely used.
2. Additives in the paint can increase the plasticity of the coating, and make it resistant to subsidence, pollution and color fading.
3. Pigments: the common colours of road lines are yellow and white. White pigment is titanium dioxide. Occasionally zinc oxide can be used, but it is less effective due to low refractive index. For yellow thermoplastics, organic pigments (like Pigment Yellow 65, 74 or 83) are mostly used; lead-containing pigments are obsolete and banned in essentially all developed countries.[

   citation needed

   ] Thermoplastic road markings can also be formulated in other colours.
4. Packing materials, as filling added into the paint, ensure mechanical strength, wear resistance, and color of paint coating. The particle size will affect liquidity and precipitation, as well as the surface processing.
5. Glass microspheres are added in order to improve the identification of lines at night, to improve the brightness and durability of the marking. Glass beads, usually 0.1-1.4 mm in diameter, are colourless and transparent; they reflect light from vehicle's headlights back toward the driver and foremost protect the road marking from abrasion.

Matched machines

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A road marking machine is a machine specially used to mark different traffic lines on road surface, and some can remark on old lines directly. It can screed, extrude, or spray processed road paint onto the road surface to form durable coating lines. A hot melt kettle is used for continuously heating, melting, and stirring thermoplastic marking paints, preparing molten paints for the thermoplastic machine, especially for long-distance road-line-marking work. The molten paint quality can affect the line quality greatly.

Microplastic pollution

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Thermoplastic paints, when used as road markings, are a source of microplastic pollution. Abrasive wear of road marking paint resins has been claimed to be responsible for 7% of all microplastic pollution, with estimates ranging from 0.7% to 19%.[1]

See also

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References

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How are Road Markings Made?

Road marking (also called line marking or pavement marking) can be applied using various materials and paints dependent on the surface and mark being made. These materials each have different properties, such as anti-skid, reflectivity, longevity and performance.

The materials most frequently used in road and floor markings are:

• Thermoplastic
• Water-based paint
• MMA
• Epoxy resin

Thermoplastic Road Marking

Thermoplastic road marking paint is the most favoured material for road marking due to it being hard-wearing and reflective, making it ideal for high-traffic roads and highways. It is applied to the road surface by spray after heating to 180 degrees Celsius, which is why it’s sometimes called hot melt marking paint or hot tape.

For extra surface friction and reflectivity, glass beads and fillers are often added to the paint to improve safety. Pre-formed thermoplastic tape can also be used for line marking.

Road Marking Paint

Water-based paint used for road marking is low-profile and anti-slip making it ideal for airfield runways and race tracks, which should have no foreign object debris on the surface.  Its wide range of colours also makes it a great choice for car parks, shipping ports, block paving surfaces, warehouses and transport yards.  It is more environmentally kind than other options and has excellent safety properties.

MMA Cold Plastic Road Marking Paint

MMA (Methyl Methacrylate) is a cold, solvent-free plastic that has the benefits of both paint and thermoplastic.  It is extremely durable and holds colour well without fading, making it perfect for high traffic areas, junctions, roundabouts and pedestrian crossings.  It is cold-applied and dries quickly, which allows works to complete faster.

Take a look at Roadgrip’s project gallery for examples of road markings on highways, airfields, race tracks and car parks.