The coatings industry has evolved by leaps and bounds due to the rising needs of the manufacturing processes and innovation in the engineering applications. Coatings are essentially applied for protecting, preserving, and beautification of the products. The coatings industry has undergone a gradual shift from its traditional usage of providing a quality finish and feel, to being used as a process of surface treatment, thereby adding value to the product. Technological advancements in the manufacturing sector along with extensive ongoing research to improve the existing manufacturing alternatives has laid the foundation for the usage of innovative functional coatings. Coatings aid in obtaining durability and additional customized features such as corrosion resistance, wear and tear resistance, and fouling resistance, among others.
The demand for coatings with anti-reflective and anti-fingerprint properties has been rapidly increasing on a year-on-year basis. The anti-reflective coatings have a broad utility in major end-user industries owing to their cost effectiveness and glare reduction properties. This coating provides resistance from reflectance of light which is a key requirement for solar industry as it helps in obtaining absorbing larger amount of energy. The adoption of anti-reflective coating has provided the end-user markets a breakthrough technology which aids in enhancing the quality of the product. Anti-fingerprint coating, on the other hand, is widely used to provide anti-smudging properties. The anti-fingerprint coating enables in achieving lower maintenance cost and facilitating lesser adhesion of dirt and moisture. These innovative properties have propelled the growth of anti-fingerprint coatings in the market.