Color plus clear coating system utilizing organo-modified clay in combination with organic polymer microparticles

Claim 1

A method of coating a substrate comprising the steps of: (A) coating a substrate with one or more applications of a basecoating composition comprising: (1) an organic film-forming resin, and where the film-forming resin can be crosslinked, optionally a crosslinking agent for the film-forming resin, (2) a solvent system for the film-forming resin, and (3) an organo-modified clay and organic polymer microparticles which organo-modified clay is derived from an organic cation, an organic anion and a smectite-type clay and which organic polymer microparticles have a diameter in the range of from about 0.01 to about 10 microns and which are insoluble in the solvent system of the basecoating composition, both the organo-modified clay and organic polymer microparticles being stably dispersed in the basecoating composition, wherein the sum by weight of the organo-modified clay and organic polymer microparticles in the basecoating composition ranges from 1 to 30 percent based on the weight of the organic film-forming resin, the optional crosslinking agent, the organo-modified clay and the organic polymer microparticles, and (4) pigment particles to form a basecoat; and thereafter before a substantial amount of drying or curing of said basecoat has occurred; (B) coating the basecoat with one or more applications of a topcoating composition comprising: (1) an organic film-forming resin, which may be the same as or different from the film-forming resin of the basecoating composition, and where the film-forming resin of the topcoating composition can be crosslinked, optionally a crosslinking agent for the film-forming resin of the topcoating composition, and (2) a solvent system for the organic film-forming resin of the topcoating composition to form a transparet topcoat; wherein, after said steps (A) and (B), said basecoat and said topcoat dry or cure together.

Claim 2

A method of coating a substrate comprising the steps of: (A) coating a substrate with one or more applications of a basecoating composition comprising: (1) an organic film-forming resin, and where the film-forming resin can be crosslinked, optionally a crosslinking agent for the film-forming resin, (2) a solvent system for the film-forming resin, and (3) an organo-modified clay and organic polymer microparticles which organo-modified clay is derived from an organic cation, an organic anion and a smectite-type clay and which organic polymer microparticles have a diameter in the range of from about 0.01 to about 10 microns and which are insoluble in the solvent system of the basecoating composition, both the organo-modified clay and organic polymer microparticles being stably dispersed in the basecoating composition, wherein the sum by weight of the organo-modified clay and organic polymer microparticles in the basecoating composition ranges from 1 to 30 percent based on the weight of the organic film-forming resin, the optional crosslinking agent, the organo-modified clay and the organic polymer microparticles, and (4) pigment particles to form a basecoat; and thereafter before a substantial amount of drying or curing of said basecoat has occurred; (B) coating the basecoat with one or more applications of a topcoating composition comprising: (1) an organic film-forming resin, which may be the same as or different from the film-forming resin of the basecoating composition, and where the film-forming resin of the topcoating composition can be crosslinked, optionally a crosslinking agent for the film-forming resin of the topcoating composition, and (2) a solvent system for the organic film-forming resin of the topcoating composition to form a transparet topcoat; wherein, after said steps (A) and (B), said basecoat and said topcoat dry or cure together.