Regulatory pressure, workplace safety requirements, and sustainability targets are driving a continuous shift from solventborne to waterborne coating technologies. However, traditional 2K waterborne epoxy hardener systems often require compromises in application robustness, drying speed, formulation latitude, or corrosion performance.
The allnex Easy Cure® System represents a step change in waterborne epoxy hardener technology. Designed to spray, dry, and perform like a solventborne system, Easy Cure combines label-free handling, fast recoatability, high formulation freedom, and proven real-world robustness. This white paper describes the technology concept, performance characteristics, formulation flexibility, and validated application advantages of the Easy Cure system across demanding industrial environments.
Industry challenge: bridging performance and sustainability
Waterborne epoxy systems are increasingly specified in industrial primers due to their lower VOC content and improved environmental profile. Despite this, many applicators and formulators still rely on solventborne systems because conventional waterborne epoxies often show sensitivity to application parameters, slow drying and long recoat windows, limited tolerance to pigment and filler loading, reduced surface appearance and sag resistance, and poor robustness toward substrate preparation and overcoating intervals.
These limitations increase process complexity and risk on the coating line, particularly in industries such as rail, construction equipment, general industry, and heavy-duty corrosion protection.
The Easy Cure® system was developed to eliminate these trade-offs.
The Easy Cure® concept
The Easy Cure system is a 2-pack waterborne epoxy technology based on BECKOPOX® waterborne epoxy dispersions and BECKOCURE® EH 2260w/41WA or BECKOCURE® EH 2261w/41WA amine hardeners, free of corrosive and hazardous amines.
The result is a system that behaves during application like a solventborne epoxy, while retaining all regulatory and safety advantages of a waterborne formulation.
Easy handling and application
Easy Cure is engineered to minimize the complexity typically associated with waterborne systems. The system is free of hazardous labeling, dilutable with water without stability concerns, and requires minimal process tuning on coating lines.
Applicators consistently report that the system sprays and dries like a solventborne system across air-assisted airless, airless, electrostatic, and automated spray processes.
Improved productivity through fast recoatability
Easy Cure enables recoatability in less than one hour, fast tack-free times, early block resistance, and accelerated hardness development at both ambient and elevated temperatures. These characteristics support shorter cycle times, wet-on-wet application, and higher line productivity.
Evaluating Easy Cure® for your next waterborne epoxy hardener spec?
Request samples of the BECKOCURE® EH 2260w/41WA or 2261w/41WA waterborne epoxy hardeners, starting-point formulations, or application support from the allnex technical team.
Freedom to formulate
The Easy Cure system offers exceptional formulation flexibility, including broad pigment compatibility, high pigment-to-binder ratios, use of up to 20% liquid epoxy, and adjustable crosslinking ratios between 50–75%. Pigments can be dispersed in the hardener, epoxy dispersion, or separately, enabling robust and cost-optimized formulations.
Real-world validated performance
The system has been validated under real industrial conditions using low-pressure spray, airless, air-assisted airless, electrostatic, and automated 2K spray lines. It provides excellent corrosion resistance, robust adhesion on a variety of substrates, and stable overcoatability with common topcoat systems.
Want a worked example of waterborne 2K epoxy validation?
See how the BECKOCURE® EH 2270w/50WA waterborne epoxy hardener delivered 1,000 hours of acetic acid salt spray resistance on aluminium for rail OEMs.
Target markets and applications
Easy Cure is ideally suited for construction and agricultural equipment, general industry, railway, and defense applications, where corrosion protection, productivity, and application robustness are critical.
Key benefits
Label-free handling
The system is free of corrosive and hazardous amines and free of hazardous labeling.
Fast recoatability
Recoatability in less than one hour supports shorter cycle times and higher line productivity.
Formulation freedom
Up to 20% liquid epoxy and adjustable crosslinking ratios between 50–75% deliver exceptional formulation flexibility.
Proven robustness
Validated under real industrial conditions, with robust adhesion on a variety of substrates and stable overcoatability with common topcoat systems.
Conclusion
The Easy Cure® system redefines waterborne 2K epoxy performance by combining solventborne-like application, fast recoatability, high formulation freedom, and validated industrial robustness. It enables customers to meet VOC, safety, and productivity targets without compromise.