The present invention provides an effect pigment dispersion that contains water, a wetting agent (A), a flake-effect pigment (B), and specific cellulose nanofibers (C). The effect pigment dispersion has a solids content of 0.1 to 10 parts by mass, per 100 parts by mass of all of the components of the effect pigment dispersion; and has a viscosity of 100 to 10000 mPa.Math.sec as measured with a Brookfield viscometer at a rotational speed of 6 revolutions per minute.

A method of forming a multilayer coating film with excellent flip-flop properties and smoothness and allowing formation of a high-design multilayer coating film. In a method of forming a multilayer coating film comprising: a low-brightness intercoating film; a first base coating film; a second base coating film formed on an object to be coated; and a clear coating film formed on the second base coating film; the first base coating film is obtained by applying a first aqueous base coating material, the second base coating film is obtained by applying a second aqueous base coating material containing a brightness pigment, the clear coating film, with specific compositions and properties, is formed on a low-brightness intercoating film by a wet-on-wet method and the multilayer coating film is heat cured to form a cured multilayer coating film.

Disclosed herein is an aqueous, one-pack coating composition including a polymer, a crosslinking agent, a polymeric surface-active agent, and an organic rheology control agent. The total solids content of the coating composition is from 7.5-11.5 wt.-%; the viscosity at 23° C. is from 2000-12000 mPas at a shear rate of 0.1 s-1¬; the amount of the polymeric surface-active agent is from 0.5-25 wt.-% based on the total solids content of the coating composition; the amount of the organic rheology control agent is from 5-12 wt.-% based on the total solids content of the coating composition; and the coating composition does not contain platelet-shaped particulate material having a median particle size of 2 μm or more. Further disclosed herein are methods of producing a coating and applying the coating with a device producing a coating composition jet, and substrates coated by the methods.

Described herein is a process for producing a multilayer coating onto a fiber-reinforced composite material. Also described herein is a fiber-reinforced composite material coated with a multilayer coating obtainable by this process.

Provided is a method for forming a multilayer coating film, comprising simultaneously curing an uncured base coating film, an uncured effect coating film, and an uncured clear coating film. In this method, an effect pigment dispersion (Y) contains water, a rheology control agent (A), and a flake-effect pigment (B), and has a solids content of 0.5 to 10 mass %; the flake-effect pigment (B) is an interference pigment in which a transparent or translucent base material is coated with a metal oxide; and the flake-effect pigment (B) is contained in an amount of 30 to 90 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total solids content in the effect pigment dispersion (Y).

Provided is an aqueous coating composition capable of forming a coating film having superior metallic coating film appearance and coating film properties and reducing the amount of an organic solvent to be used. Also provided is a method for forming a metallic coating film using such an aqueous coating composition. Provided is an aqueous coating composition comprising a coating film-forming resin, a curing agent, a scaly pigment, an inorganic viscosity agent, a hydrophobic associative viscosity agent, and a dispersant, wherein the composition contains the inorganic viscosity agent in an amount of 1 to 7 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total resin solid content of the coating film-forming resin and the curing agent, and the composition contains the hydrophobic associative viscosity agent in an amount of 1 to 15 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total resin solid content of the coating film-forming resin and the curing agent.

A multilayer coating film forming method to form a multilayer coating film having a glittering appearance. Forming a multilayer coating film by sequentially applying, on top of a base material, a first base coating material, a second base coating material, and a clear coating material in a wet-on-wet process, wherein: the first base coating material is a transparent or colored coating material; the second coating material contains a flaky lustrous pigment; the amount of flaky lustrous pigment being 10-60 parts by mass to 100 parts by mass of resin solid content in the second base coating material, and the concentration of solids in the coating falls being 5-20 mass % with respect to the total mass of the second base coating material; and the thickness of a coating film obtained from the second base coating material falls being 1-8 μm on the basis of the coating film when cured.

A laminate containing a metallic base layer and a transparent colored layer formed on the metallic base layer. The metallic base layer contains an aluminum pigment, a light-scattering component, a surface adjusting agent, and a rheology control agent, the aluminum pigment being present in an amount of 15 to 70 parts by mass, on a solids basis; and the light-scattering component being present in an amount of 5 to 55 parts by mass, on a solids basis, based on 100 parts by mass of the metallic base layer. The transparent colored layer contains a resin component, a curing agent, and a color pigment, the color pigment being present in an amount of 0.5 to 10 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the resin solids content of the transparent colored layer.

The present invention provides a multilayer coating film-forming method that is capable of forming a multilayer coating film with excellent finished appearance and excellent luster. The aqueous base paint (X) is applied by using a rotary-atomization bell-shaped coater under coating conditions of a shaping air pressure of 0.15 to 0.25 MPa and a paint discharge amount of 100 to 300 cm3/min. The viscosity 60 seconds after the application of the aqueous base paint (X), measured at a temperature of 23° C. and a shear rate of 0.1 sec-1, is 90 to 160 Pa.Math.s, the solids content 60 seconds after the application is 20 to 40 mass %, and the film thickness 60 seconds after the application is 17 to 35 μm. The effect pigment dispersion (Y) contains a flake-aluminum pigment (A) with an average thickness of 1 nm or more and less than 70 nm, a flake-aluminum pigment (B) with an average thickness of 70 nm to 250 nm, a hydroxy-containing acrylic resin (C), a rheology control agent (D), a surface-adjusting agent (E), and water, the effect pigment dispersion (Y) having a solids content of 2 to 9 mass %. The effect coating film after curing has a film thickness of 0.5 to 2.0 μm.

A storage stable one component aqueous basecoat composition containing a melamine formaldehyde crosslinker and a resin having groups reactive to the melamine formaldehyde crosslinker under acid catalysis is provided. The basecoat composition is curable at a temperature of 110° C. or less when cured wet on wet with a solvent borne clear coat composition containing a polyisocyanate crosslinker. Also provided is a wet on wet two layer coating containing the one component aqueous basecoat and the solvent borne clear coat, a wet on wet three layer coating containing an aqueous primer, the one component aqueous basecoat and the solvent borne clear coat and a cured topcoat coating obtained by curing the wet on wet two layer coating.