Patent ID: 7129278

Claim:
A process for producing a water-reducible polymer dispersion useful for aqueous coating compositions, comprising: (A) producing a modified polymer resin having an acid value less than 30, wherein said modified polymer resin is formed by (1) producing a low acid value polymer formed by reacting (a) a mixture of an acidolysis reaction product of a polyalkylene terephthalate with a member of the group consisting of acid- and anhydride-functional materials, and (b) an alcohol; wherein the low acid value polymer has an acid value of less than 20; and (2) performing a monomer modification of the low acid value polymer with an ethylenically unsaturated monomer; (B) subjecting the modified polymer resin to temperatures higher than the melting point of the modified polymer resin to maintain the modified polymer resin in a molten and flowable state; (C) combining the molten modified polymer resin with water in the presence of a base at temperatures sufficient to maintain the modified polymer resin in a molten state; and (D) forming a dispersion of the molten modified polymer resin by subjecting the modified polymer resin to high shear dispersing; and wherein a surfactant is optionally added.