Secrets of THERMO-SHIELD®

Here Are the Three Secrets of THERMO-SHIELD® Unbeatable Performance:

1) Vacuumed Ceramic Micro-Spheres

THERMO-SHIELD® contains hollow ceramic micro-spheres (40% by volume), which allow coatings to reflect about 83% of solar light (Coatings reflect 85% of infrared, which is the region of the spectrum responsible for over 90% of solar heat). The 3M Corporation developed these micro-spheres to act as optimal insulators. Other insulative paints use non-hollow ceramic micro-sphere, which are not optimal insulators. This is one reason why THERMO-SHIELD® outperformed all other insulative coats in a 3 year study conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

2) The Ultimate Resins

THERMO-SHIELD® uses special Acrylic Elastomeric Resins developed in conjunction with Romm and Haas, a leading, high-end resin supplier. Engineering the perfect resin to suspend the ceramic micro-spheres, while still providing excellent adhesion to most surfaces took years. Additionally, the resins needed to have a high tensile strength, be waterproof, and withstand the most extreme weather conditions. The Resins that were eventually developed for THERMO-SHIELD® do all of this and more. The most unique quality of the resins is called "Variable Permeability". When conditions are wet, the resin polymers swell up, becoming completely water-tight. When conditions are dry, the pores open up, and trapped moisture can breathe out. This is very important. Other coating products are watertight all the time. Moisture will work up beneath the surface and become trapped under the waterproof material. When this moisture heats up, it turns water to vapor, expanding many times, causing blistering or destroying adhesion; or it freezes which also breaks down the adhesion, leading to coating failure.

3) The Finest Pigments Available

The white pigments in THERMO-SHIELD® are made from Titanium Dioxide and Aluminum Tri-Hydrate. These pigments are highly durable, reflective, fire resistant, and resist breakdown. These superb pigments are one reason why, in JIS tests, THERMO-SHIELD® showed the least color fading of any coating tested for the Japanese market. Many competitors use cheap pigments which break down, resulting in chalkiness, short life and early fading.