V IEWPOINT
2010 American Coatings Show & Conference a Great Success! The 2010 American Coatings Show & Conference wrapped up on April 15, and the general consensus of the organizers as well as all whom PCI staff spoke with was that the event was a success. Numbers were up from 2008, with 328 exhibitors and about 6,700 overall participants (2008: 331/5,600). At the trade show, exhibitors from 17 countries (2008: 14) displayed a comprehensive range of products on all aspects of coating formulation. Companies from abroad accounted for 23 percent of the exhibitors, and, in addition to the United States, leading countries represented at the show included China, Germany, Canada and India. Featuring almost 100 presentations as well as 958 participants from 40 countries (2008: 750/25), the Conference had significantly more visitors than the premiere two years ago. At the Conference, the best presentation was honored with the American Coating Award. Consisting of a $2,500 cash prize and a small sculpture, the award was given to Oihana Elizalde, Stephan Amthor and Collin G. Moore (BASF) for their presentation on “Improving Waterborne Anticorrosion via New Binder Concepts.” In addition, the paper entitled “Role of Nanoparticle/ Polymer Interface on Hybrid Coatings Performance,” by Xiaohung Gu (NIST) and her co-workers received the Roon Award for “Best Technical Paper” at the Plenary Session on Monday. The first keynote address of the Conference was titled “Sustainable Coatings Chemistry: New Product Development through Partnership and Technical Innovation.” The paper was presented by Dennis Ryer, Product Manager for Liquid and Powder Resins, Cook Composites & Polymers, and Robert Enouen, Associate Director for Customer Business Development, Procter & Gamble. The second keynote address, titled “Sustaining Innovation and the Environment in Difficult Times,” was presented by Kenneth Perry, Technical Director, North American Automotive Coatings, BASF Corp. He talked about sustainability and the improvement of environmental footprints, as well as innovation of products and processes. The most important technologies for current and future coatings formulations were hot topics at both the Exhibition and Conference. These included, but weren’t limited to, waterborne technology, low-VOC systems, smart coatings,
reducing the environmental footprint, managing left-over paint, bio-based products, sustainability, nanotechnology, energy savings, integrated process and renewable resources. It is clear that “Green” technology has taken on even more of an emphasis in recent years. An ACC survey revealed the top five most important future technologies according to delegates at the conference. In order from most important to least important, the results were: 1) waterborne, 2) functional/smart materials, 3) high solids, 4) nanomaterials and 5) UV/EB curing. The Product Presentation booth on the Show floor featured back-to-back presentations hosted by nearly 60 companies throughout the three-day event. A wide variety of coatings topics were covered in-depth, with opportunities for questions following the speaker presentations. Attendees filled the seats in the booth, and there were often many more people standing in the back. A schedule of presentations was posted at the booth, making it very easy to plan your day. Perhaps the most encouraging news at the show was that all of the exhibitors we spoke to see clear signs of the economy improving. Companies are seeing an increase in sales and projects for 2010. Everyone seemed very optimistic with the direction the industry is moving. Please visit PCI’s American Coatings Show website at www.pcimag.com/ac_show to read about many of the products and technologies that were exhibited at the show. Our Associate Editor, Karen Parker, blogged live from the show floor, and her reporting provides both informative and entertaining reading! We were truly impressed by both the creativity and the technology displayed at the booths. It was exciting to see the fruits of so much labor, both from the R&D perspective and the marketing side. The American Coatings Show & Conference is organized by the American Coatings Association, Washington DC, and Vincentz Network, Hannover, Germany, and run by NürnbergMesse North America, based in Atlanta, GA. The next American Coatings Show & Conference will take place May 7-10, 2012 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. We’re already looking forward to it!
By Kristin Johansson, Managing Editor | PCI 6
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I NDUSTRY NEWS
Study Projects Growth in Radiation-Curing Market LONDON – IAL Consultants has released a new publication for the radiation-curables sector, entitled Global Overview of the Radiation Curing Market. The study provides an overview of the 2009 market sizes for radiation-curable raw materials and formulations, together with trends that are driving these two segments. The radiation-curable raw materials market reached 378,000 tonnes in 2009, led by the acrylated oligomers and diluents segment, which accounts for 43 percent of all the raw materials in use. Functional monomers comprise one-third of the market, and the near-quarter of the remaining market is occupied by nonacrylated compounds and photoinitiators. The use of most types of radiation-curable raw materials is growing at between three percent and five percent per year. The global market for formulated radiation-curable products amounted to just over 464,000 tonnes in 2009, with substantial variation in the importance of the different product segments between the main regions of the world. In the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, industrial coatings represent the largest segment at 85,740 tonnes, while in the Americas, the graphic arts segment is the largest at 55,900 tonnes. The AsiaPacific market is led by opto-electronics applications (91,850 tonnes). The fourth key application segment, radiation-curable adhesives, is the smallest in every region, amounting to a global market of just over 16,900 tonnes. Little change is to be expected in any of these rankings over the next five years; the Asia-Pacific market is expected to outpace the other two regional
markets in terms of growth, coming in at between five and six percent per year. Sustainability is increasingly important in the European market, and for that reason de-inking is becoming ever more important. In addition, suppliers are looking to include renewable raw materials in their product portfolio. Good growth in UV-curable inks is expected from many emerging Eastern European markets such as Russia. Some of the smaller countries like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan continue to demonstrate good growth that is also expected to continue in the future. In North America, the fastest-growing technology is digital, where good growth opportunities exist in 100-percent-UV and low-viscosity, water-based UV chemistries. Conductive inks are also receiving an increasing amount of attention. Japanese companies have looked to China for investment opportunities, and
Global UV/EB Technology Event Set for May BETHESDA, MD – RadTech’s UV & EB Technology Expo & Conference 2010 will be held May 24-26, 2010, in Baltimore, MD. The event features many new offerings including new short courses, new lunch-time-learning lectures and new hot-topic roundtables. The centerpiece of the event is RadTech’s technical conference, once again offering over 100 posters and presentations covering the spectrum of UV/EB technology. Topics will include equipment, renewable and traditional materials, photovoltaics, nanotechnologies, and much more. Over 100 exhibitors will also be on hand to display the latest in UV/EB technologies. Visit www.radtech2010. com for details. 8
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many have presence and manufacturing there. However, production costs have started to grow in China; therefore, the many Japanese suppliers are turning their interest to other Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and India. India is another key area of opportunity for ink manufacturers. UV-curing inks were introduced to the Indian market a few years ago but have not gained a significant market share. Not many printers are using UV inks for screen-graphics application; the majority of them are predominantly using solvent-based inks. Unless there is pressure from print buyers to adopt environment-friendly practices, the market will continue to be dominated by solvent-based inks. There is a clear geographic split in the EMEA region when it comes to the use of UV-curable PUDs. It has been estimated that up to 75 percent of these products are consumed within the northern part of Europe, mainly Nordic countries and Germany. These countries have long traditions with wood-based products and also have a much more strict approach to environmental, health and safety issues than the more conservative southern European countries, such as Italy and Spain. There is no reported demand for UV PUDs in the Middle East. In the Russian wood coatings market, old-fashioned technologies are in plentiful supply and new technologies are implemented as a result of importation. As with most countries, the trend will be towards the greater use of water-based and UV-curable coatings.
Demand for Carbon Black to Reach 11.6 Million Tons CLEVELAND – World demand for carbon black is forecast to rise 4.3 percent per year through 2013 to 11.6 million metric tons, bolstered by a healthy global rubber market. Gains will be exaggerated to some extent because growth will be rising off a relatively weak base in 2008, when a significant part of the world experienced the beginnings of recession. The vast majority of carbon black finds use as reinforcement material in vulcanized rubber goods, with over 60 percent devoted to motor-vehicle tires alone. Carbon black demand from the tire sector is projected to increase 3.7 percent per year through 2013. The non-tire rubber carbon-black market will expand 4.8 percent per year. These and other trends are presented in
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I NDUSTRY NEWS World Carbon Black, a new study from The Freedonia Group Inc., a Clevelandbased industry research firm. The market for special blacks will advance a strong 5.9 percent per year to 1.2 million metric tons. While special blacks comprise less than 10 percent of the overall global carbon-black market on a tonnage basis, they command considerably higher per-kilogram prices than commodity furnace blacks. Carbonblack manufacturers will continue to spend a disproportionate amount of their research and development budgets on the special-blacks sector. The Asia-Pacific region will post the strongest gains in carbon-black demand through 2013. The large markets of China and India will post particularly impressive gains due to a continuing rapid expansion in their respective motor vehicle and tire industries. China and India saw the largest increases in new carbon-black capacity among all countries of the world over the 2003 to 2008 period, a trend that will continue through 2013. Demand for carbon black in the developed parts of the world will continue to post below-average gains through 2013. Carbon-black demand in the United States and Western Europe will recover from declines experienced in 2008, but growth in both markets will continue to significantly lag the global average through 2013. The Japanese market holds particularly weak prospects, although growth in the country will be coming off a relatively strong 2008.
Gerard E. Maratta Honored With Sammy Award MEDIA, PA – Gerard E. Maratta was honored by the Philadelphia Society for Coatings Technology as this year’s recipient of the Sammy Award. Maratta was recognized on March 11, 2010, in Media, PA. Don McBride, General Manager of the Heucotech Fairless Hills plant, introduced Maratta to the Philadelphia Society members. Maratta is Heucotech’s Senior VicePresident. He is responsible for many areas within the company including research and development, tech service, and regulatory affairs. Recently, he led Heucotech’s design and construction of its Universal Colorant plant. Maratta started his career with Inmont Corp., located in Bound Brook, NJ. He joined Heubach in 1986 as Technical Manager for Graphic Arts & Plastics, working at its 10
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capacities, products supplied, corporate affiliations, annual sales, major markets served, and distributors. The information is also cross-referenced by products manufactured and mine and plant locations. Visit www.blendon.com for additional information.
Pittcon 2010 Featured Innovations and Education Newark, NJ, plant. Heucotech was formed in 1988, and Maratta was one of the founding fathers with Rainer Heubach in setting up the current plant in Fairless Hill, PA. The Sammy Award is given every year to an individual who has shown expertise in management and technology and is dedicated to the advancement of science in the coatings field.
Task Group to Study Black Glass WASHINGTON, D.C. – ASTM is looking for participants to help study the properties of black glass. ASTM Subcommittee D1.26 on Optical Properties of Coatings maintains a standard (D2805) that specifies black glass panels in the test method and refers to “black Carrara glass” in the footnote. Current practice is to use black glass, but not necessarily Carrara. Subcommittee members want to remove the Carrara specification, but need to study the optical properties of glasses that are acceptable to use, because they know that some black glass panels work well and some are unsatisfactory for the test procedure. Therefore the subcommittee wants to form a task group to study the properties of black glass. The subcommittee is looking for people who currently use black glass in their testing or have an interest in this topic to join the task group. If you are interested in helping, contact D1.26 Chair Nick Barnes at nbarnes@ tintometer.com.
Directory of Industrial Mineral Producers Published VICTORIA, Canada – Blendon Information Services, Victoria, Canada, has published the fourth edition of Industrial Mineral Producers of North America. The 200-page directory contains information on over 500 companies in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Listings include contact names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, Web sites, e-mail addresses, plant locations, plant
PITTSBURGH – Pittcon 2010 reported that 16,876 attendees from 87 countries participated in the annual conference and exposition, which was held in Orlando, FL, Feb. 28 to March 5, 2010. The event was marked by a two-percent increase in conferees over Pittcon 2006, which was the last time Pittcon was held in Orlando. A detailed summary of attendance is available at www.pittcon.org.
Coating Process Fundamentals Short Course Offered MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota is offering a Coating Process Fundamentals short course. The course will take place June 8-10, 2010, at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. The course provides coating engineers and their colleagues an understanding of the principles of the many processes by which liquid coatings are applied and solidified. The course is designed for engineers who are engaged in coatings and who seek a deeper understanding of processes and processing problems. For more information, visit www.cce.umn. edu/coatingprocess.
Vincentz Network Hosts Fire-Retardant Conference HANNOVER, Germany – The European Coatings Conference, Fire Retardant Coatings IV, will be held June 3-4, 2010, in Berlin, Germany. Hosted by the Vincentz Network, the conference will focus on current developments in raw materials as well as mechanisms and standards. A number of high-level technical papers will be given by invited international experts. Topics include: halogen-free retardants for textiles, intumescent coatings for protection of steel structures, clay-polymer thin films for imparting flame-retardant behavior to foam and textiles, and toxic and environmental hazards of fire-retardant coatings. The conference will host a pre-conference tutorial, Flame Retardant Fundamentals. Visit www.european-coatings.com for additional information. 䡲
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C ALENDAR Meetings, Shows and Educational Programs MAY 12-14 NW Coatings Fest 2010 www.pnwsct.whomedia.com/symposium-ncf 17-21 Introduction to Paint Formulation http://coatings.mst.edu/index.html 18-19 Sink or Swim 2010 www.clevelandcoatingssociety.org 18-20 Appalachian Underground Corrosion Short Course www.aucsc.com
24 Fundamentals of Weathering Level II www.atlas-mts.com
http://myweb.polyu.edu.hk/~mmktlau/ICCE/ ICCE_Main.htm 19-21 Coatings for People in the General Industry, Sales & Marketing http://coatings.mst.edu/index.html
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18-20 Advanced Topics in Polymers and Coatings www.emich.edu/cri 19-21 Spray Finishing Technology Workshop www.owens.edu/workforce_cs/spray2010.pdf 23-26 RadTech UV& EB Technology Expo & Conference 2010 www.radtech2010.com
JUNE 2-4 Principles and Practices of Coating Formulations www.emich.edu/cri 3-4 Fire Retardant Coatings IV www.european-coatings.com 8-10 Improving Durability and Performance of Coatings www.emich.edu/cri 8-10 Coating Process Fundamentals www.cce.umn.edu/CoatingProcess-Fundamentals-Course 8-10 NanoMaterials 2010 www.nanomaterials2010.com 22 Ci4000/Ci5000 Weather-Ometer Workshop www.atlas-mts.com 22-25 A&WMA Annual Conference & Exhibition www.awma.org 23 Fundamentals of Weathering Level I www.atlas-mts.com 23-24 Asia Pacific Coatings Show www.coatings-group.com
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C O M PA NY NEWS
AkzoNobel Coatings to Protect Oakland Bay Bridge SHANGHAI – AkzoNobel’s International Paint is the sole supplier of protective coatings for the overhaul of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The work involves the complete replacement of the existing east span on the Oakland side, with coating of the new steelwork being carried out in China. Following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which damaged a section of the east span, extensive studies were undertaken to determine whether California’s largest bridges were seismically safe. As a result, it was determined that the entire Bay Bridge required major seismic safety
improvements. The west span has undergone a major seismic retrofit, while the east span is being completely replaced at a cost of more than $5 billion.
Evonik to Invest Millions in HTE Technology ESSEN, Germany – Evonik’s Colorants Product Line is responding to customer demands for a shorter time to market with a million-euro investment in high-throughput experimentation (HTE) technology. This highly automated experimentation setup, located at the company’s Maastricht, The Netherlands, facility, will serve the company’s global colorant business; it will increase the quality of results as well as reduce the development time for colorant design. “HTE reduces our time to market to a minimum, enabling maximum flexibility and rapid handling of lab work,” said Matthias Creutz, Head of Evonik’s Colorants business. “Research has shown that a critical success factor for colorants customers is the time interval between the screening of a new colorant and its market launch. By investing in HTE, we will set a new global standard in the colorant development process, thus providing our customers a clear advantage over their competitors.” Apart from greater flexibility and quicker results, HTE technology offers the additional advantage of further improvements in product quality. Evonik’s Colorants Product Line uses the same standardized procedures throughout its R&D facilities, which are located in the United States, The Netherlands, Australia, China and Brazil. Managed by a team of technical experts, the Colorants Product Line is able to deliver high-quality, consistent results directly to customers at local levels.
Momentive Expands Distribution Agreement With Archway Sales ST. LOUIS, MO – Momentive Performance Materials, Albany, NY, has announced the expansion of Archway Sales, St. Louis, MO, as an authorized distributor of its specialty silanes and coatings portfolio into Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Archway Sales is authorized to promote and distribute Momentive’s specialty silanes portfolio in Arkansas, Florida, 12
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The steel structures are being built by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. Ltd.; the company chose to use protective coatings from International Paint. A total of 400,000 liters of Interzinc® 22 inorganic, zinc-rich silicate and Interfine® 979 acrylic polysiloxane, supplied by AkzoNobel International Paint (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., will be used in this project. These products have the advantages of anti-corrosion, abrasion and impact resistance, gloss, and color retention that meet the rigorous requirements for the bridge. International Paint is offering a 20-year warranty for this project.
Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, western New York, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. In addition, Archway Sales is an authorized distributor of Momentive’s specialty silicones for industrial, consumer care and select personal-care materials in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, western New York, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and industrial materials in western New York, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Archway is also the exclusive distributor of SPUR*+ technology materials in the United States.
Dow Coating Materials Focuses on Sustainability at OCCA Seminar HORGEN, Switzerland – Dow Coating Materials’ scientists presented “Coatings Industry Sustainability – Trends, Challenges and Opportunities” at the Ninth Annual Oil & Colour Chemists Association (OCCA) Seminar in Manchester, UK. The presentation, by Houshang Kheradmand, European Technology Awareness and Innovation Manager for DCM, and co-authored by Andrew Trapani, European Technical Director for DCM, focused on identifying sustainability trends and opportunities in the global coatings industry, as well as methodologies for integrating sustainable-development criteria across the lifecycle of a product. The paper illustrated how a cross-disciplinary approach to sustainable development involves functions across an entire organization. Kheradmand used examples from Dow Coating Materials to demonstrate how enabling technologies allow paint formulators to create innovative products that combine high performance with increasingly optimized eco-designs. “Last year’s presentation was a more broad-based overview of how globalization, economics, population and ecological conditions affect all facets of the international coatings industry,” said Kheradmand.
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C O M PA NY NEWS “This year, we will share practical examples of how we use key metrics to quantify the overall eco-impact, carbon footprint and volatile organic compound emissions of a product, as well as reductions in energy and raw-material consumption.”
3V Inc. Announces New Distribution Agreements DAYTON, OH – 3V Inc., N.A., Dayton, OH, has announced new distribution agreements with Dunleary Inc., TCR Industries, EMCO Chemical, LV Lomas, D&F Distributing and DB Becker. The contact for Dunleary Inc. is John Behan, 800/828.1959. Jim Pasternak is the contact for TCR Industries. Pasternak can be reached at 714/521.5222. The contact for EMCO Chemical is Michael Wolfe, 847/689.2200. George Robson will be the contact for LV Lomas. Robson can be reached at 800/575.3382. The contact for D&F Distributing is Julia Williams, 214/520.1334. The contact for DB Becker Co. is Dan Canavan III, 908/730.6010. 3V Inc., N.A. manufactures a wide range of additives for the plastics, coating, adhesive and ink industries.
Perstorp has also expanded its sales and marketing organization in India to better support its customers and has plans for continued recruitment.
BASF Plans Technical Center for Eco-Friendly Car Coatings SEOUL, South Korea – BASF is establishing a technical center in Korea that will develop advanced, eco-friendly coatings technologies for the automotive industry. BASF and the Gyeonggi Provincial Government of the Republic of Korea (GGPG) signed a memorandum of understanding to confirm the collaboration in constructing this center.
Perstorp Expands in India PERSTORP, Sweden – Perstorp has established a new application laboratory in India. The laboratory will meet the growing demand for high-quality and technologically advanced specialty chemical solutions in the country. The company is also expanding its sales team in India to support the expansion. India continues to be a major growth market, with a GDP growth of seven to eight percent per year and rapidly rising standards of living. As the automotive, construction and textile industries continue to boom in the country, demand continues to grow. 14
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Ferguson/ICC to Distribute for EPS-Materials MARENGO, IL/BRAMPTON, Ontario – EPS-Materials, a supplier of resins and colorants for the paint and coatings market, has appointed Ferguson/ICC as the exclusive distributor for northern Alberta and eastern Canada. Ferguson/ICC has a strong market presence in coatings, graphic arts, rubber, plastics, adhesives and specialty care.
TH Hilson to Distribute for Soltex WHEATON, IL – Soltex has announced that TH Hilson Co. will become its Midwest distributor. Soltex product lines span a broad range of specialty chemical products. Industries served by Soltex include coatings, adhesives, sealants, rubber, metalworking, lubricants and consumer care. The new contact for Soltex products can be reached at
[email protected].
JNS Smithchem to Distribute for ITP
Underwriters Labs and Atlas Form Alliance NORTHBROOK, IL – Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a third-party safety testing and certification provider, has entered into an alliance with Atlas Material Testing Technology, a leader in accelerated weathering instruments and weathering testing services. This alliance benefits both companies with increased global testing capacity and expertise in accelerated aging performance. It enables them to provide faster testing and certification turnaround time for manufacturers specializing in solar energy products.
CCP is an industry leader in the coatings and composites markets. It has participated in the purchase or joint-venture partnerships of approximately 12 manufacturing and distribution companies over its history.
PATERSON, NJ – JNS Smithchem LLC has been appointed the distributor in New England for International Trading Partners’ (ITP) line of Orisil® and Konasil fumed silicas. JNS Smithchem currently distributes these products in New York and New Jersey, and the territory will be expanded to include the New England states. The Coatings Technical Center will be located at the Gyeonggi Techno Park in Ansan City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. In the center, BASF plans to conduct research and development of ecofriendly waterborne coatings for use by automotive OEMs as well as the technology for integrated coating process, which yields more cost-efficient results. The GGPG pledges to provide all the necessary support required to facilitate a seamless establishment and operation. The center will be in operation by mid-2010.
CCP Celebrates Anniversary KANSAS CITY, MO – Cook Composites and Polymers (CCP) celebrated its 20-year anniversary as a company on Feb. 9, 2010. CCP was formed out of a joint-venture partnership between Total Chimie of Paris, France, and the Cook Paint and Varnish Co. of North Kansas City, MO.
Sherwin-Williams Acquires Sayerlack CLEVELAND – The Sherwin-Williams Co. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Industrial Wood Coatings business of Arch Chemicals Inc., Norwalk, CT. Headquartered in Pianoro, Italy, Arch Industrial Wood Coatings trades under the Sayerlack brand name and is a leading coatings innovator in the joinery, furniture and cabinets markets. Net sales in 2009 were $147 million. Founded in 1954, Sayerlack is one of the largest manufacturers of industrial wood coatings in Europe and a technology leader in polyurethane, water and UV coatings. Sayerlack operates several manufacturing sites across Western Europe along with a comprehensive network of sales, technical and distributor representatives serving clients in Asia and the United States. 䡲
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N AMES IN THE NEWS 䡲 Shamrock Technologies Inc.
䡲 Matt Bestvina has joined Fitz Chem Corp.’s Customer Service Department as a Customer Service Representative. Additionally, Jason Gitt has been named Technical Industry Manager; he will help manage Fitz Chem’s expansion into the Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi markets. 䡲 Dallam (Ted) Blandy has been named Cray Carlson Valley’s new Director of Sales. He is responsible
for management of sales and customer service for the Americas.
䡲 Gaco Western has hired Kynny Carlson and Greg Stewart. Carlson has been appointed Area Sales Manager for the Arizona territory. Stewart will serve as the new Southeast Regional Sales Manager for the company’s residential WallFoam division. 䡲 Lintech International LLC has promoted Charles Churn III to Product Manager – Additives. Kathy Briggs has recently joined the Lintech team as Product Manager – Resins.
䡲 Infratrol Manufacturing Corp. has appointed Mike Grande as Engineering Manager. Grande is responsible for overseeing Infratrol’s Engineering Department and will be the liaison between engineering and manufacturing.
has named Steven M. Parker as its President and Chief Operating Officer. William B. Neuberg will remain Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Parker served in an advisory role to the Shamrock leadership team during much of 2009. Additionally, Craig Baudendistel has been named Director of Sales for Shamrock.
Stewart
䡲 BYK-Gardner has promoted Richard Scott to Director of Key Accounts for North America. The company has also hired Carol Traister as Regional Sales Manager for the Ohio Valley area and Blake Burich as Regional Sales Manager for the Eastern Great Lakes area. 䡲 Frank J. Sutman,
of Ashland Hercules Water Technologies, has been designated one of nine TAPPI Fellows for 2010.
Fellow is an honorary title given to individuals who have made extraordinary technical or service contributions to the industry and the association.
䡲 Draiswerke Inc. has appointed Leon Von Fintel to the position of Service Manager. Von Fintel has more than 30 years of industry experience and expertise in mixing, dispersing and milling applications. 䡲
Pioneering Sustainable Change Cytec Coating Resins delivers innovative products beyond our customer’s imagination. We are pioneers in the development and production of high performance coating solutions. Our line of low-VOC coatings, radiation curing and powder coating resins and additives allow our customers to create sustainable change for the industries they serve. For more information, visit us at the American Coatings Show in booth #2625.
Email:
[email protected] l
Worldwide Contact information: www.cytec.com
l
US Toll Free: 800-652-6013
l
Tel: 973-357-3193
© 2010 Cytec Industries Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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“Green” UV Coatings Technology
Comes to Total Door “
I
n a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, we have been able to strategically position ourselves to meet the current and future needs of our customers.” Those were the words stated by Patricia Yulkowski, Total Door ® Chief Executive Officer, marking the grand opening of Total Door’s new environmentally conscious, Feng Shui-inspired, innovative manufacturing and training facility. What may not have been touted as loudly as the significant historical event of the grand opening are the impressive “green” innovative processes, materials and tools that Total Door has designed into its manufacturing system. Patricia Yulkowski notes that “80% of our material is recycled, and we have significantly reduced the use of volatile organic compounds. Our door systems are also made in the United States, whereas 80% of builder’s hardware product is manufactured overseas.”
FIGURE 1 | Overview of Total Door UV manufacturing systems.
Bell System – Static Bell System – Spraying Fusion UV Lights Fusion UV Lights on Reciprocators
An exceptional example of one of Total Door’s innovative process changes was moving from solvent-based coating to UV coating technology. The move was a major part of the company’s green strategy, and teaming with Allied PhotoChemical, Inc., a Michigan-based UV technology company, delivered the right solution – streamlining the manufacturing process, for Total Door’s needs. Total Door’s decision to move from solvent-based coating to UV coating technology was based on “sustainability” of the technology. UV coating provides a platform for Total Door’s manufacturing based on the following key attributes: • faster production speed; • reduced work in process; • reduced manufacturing footprint; • reduced energy costs; • reduced quality costs; • cleaner – no VOCs or HAPs; and • cleaner and safer work environment. Sustainable UV coating technology offers a process that has many benefits that deliver to the bottom line for Total Door. This technology enables the company to run its door manufacturing process at a higher line speed, which offers them more production capacity and flexibility. In addition, the UV coating process offers a cure time of less than two seconds, which offers many benefits, from immediate handling to reduction in quality costs. Also, UV coatings are typically 100% solids, meaning no solvent or water content to deal with – a much greener process. From a production standpoint, UV coating technology offers Total Door the ability to implement a process that consumes a great deal less floor space, mainly by reducing or eliminating conventional ovens and conveyors. “Work in Process” is virtually eliminated due to the instant cure properties of the UV coating process. With these reduc-
By Michael Kelly and Dan Sweetwood | Allied PhotoChemical Inc., Kimball, MI; and Kevin Joesel, Fusion UV, Gaithersburg, MD 20
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tions, energy costs are also reduced. One main area of focus for Total Door is overall quality and the costs associated with quality. The ability to immediately inspect UV-coated cured parts is critical to Total Door’s goal to continually reduce quality defects. The UV paint process delivers this capability. The sustainability of UV coating technology offers Total Door a means to greatly reduce its VOC emissions, as most UV coatings contain no VOCs or HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutants). Typically, UV coatings offer the manufacturer reduced reporting as well as cleaner and safer work environments.
Total Door Manufacturing Flow Company web shot.
Figure 1 outlines the details of the UV coating process at Total Door. The system has two bell atomizers that are reciprocated. The coating is applied electrostatically, ensuring excellent coating coverage. After the coating is applied, two Fusion microwave UV lights are reciprocated on each side of the product. This ensures that adequate curing of the coating takes place. Figure 1 is a pictorial representation of the UV coating and cure of the UV coating process at Total Door.
Total Door Color Match Capabilities Another important feature of the Total Door UV system design and implementation is that the UV coating technology provides on-site color matching capabilities. Color UV matching system.
Conclusion
New Total Door manufacturing facility, located in Waterford, MI.
From the company’s modest beginning, Total Door’s mission has been, as Leon Yulkowski so humbly put it, “to fill a hole in a wall”. However, on closer examination it is much more than a simple statement. What it stands for is the focus on its customers’ ultimate success by providing a highly differentiated custom product to meet specifically determined, valued customer needs, as well as excellent service that makes the installed product look superior and exceed performance expectations. Implementing UV coatings technology to replace a solvent-based system serves as an example of Total Door’s commitment to quality, higher production capabilities and a safer work environment for employees. 䡲
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UV-Curable Systems for
Sensitive Applications
U
V curing consists of a polymerization reaction that transforms a liquid resin into a solid film within a fraction of a second under the action of light. This technology is an effective alternative to conventional printing processes, which commonly involve the use of solvents, and it simultaneously addresses economic and environmental concerns. However, some well-known UV-curing issues still remain to be tackled, e.g., migration of unreacted materials, a potential health hazard, particularly in indirect food contact applications, where components could migrate from the packaging into food. It is of primary importance to find solutions to prevent migration, especially since there is a clear trend today toward reducing multi-layer packaging – for environmental reasons – and, therefore, care must be taken to ensure suitable material selection, curing conditions and printing processes. This paper reports on the influence of curing conditions and photoinitiator migration, with a special focus on photoinitiator structure, UV dose and curing atmosphere.
FIGURE 1 | Free radical UV-curing with acrylates. Radical photoinitiator UV-light Radicals R .
CH2 CH C O R O C CH CH2 O O Acrylate oligomer
C O R CH2 CH CH2 CH CH2 C O O R O C O C O CH2 CH CH2 CH CH2 C O Polyacrylate
CH CO O R O C O CH CH2 CH C O
Introduction UV curing has become a well-accepted technology, mainly due to unique environmental and economic benefits compared to conventional drying processes. Solvent-free systems, low-energy consumption and high production rates explain the fast growth of this technology in various industrial sectors such as printing inks, protective coatings, adhesives and composites. In a UV-curing process, a liquid resin is transformed within a fraction of a second into a solid polymer with outstanding mechanical properties. The cure reaction is initiated by means of a photoinitiator that decomposes when absorbing light (Figure 1).1,2
UV Curing in the Packaging Industry High productivity and the superior quality of UV-printed over conventionally printed materials have made this technology especially successful in the graphic arts industry. However, to gain full acceptance by the packaging industry, a well-known UV-curing issue still has to be tackled: the migration of additives, e.g., photoinitiators, from the packaging into food. Indeed, after exposure to UV light, the photoinitiator has not been completely photolyzed. Significant amounts remain trapped in the printed ink and can be further extracted from the layer and transferred to the contents of the package. Type I photoinitiators, shown in Figure 2, directly initiate the UV-curing process by α-cleavage.3,4 Here, concomitantly with the photolysis of the photoinitiator, photodecomposition products are generated, as shown for α-hydroxyketone HK-1.5 Volatile molecules release the film during or just after exposure to UV light and in some cases give off a strong odor, while components with a
By Katia Studer, Sébastien Villeneuve, Emmanuelle Brendlé and Emanuela Chiappini | BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany 22
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higher molecular weight remain trapped in the cured ink and, like the photoinitiator, can be extracted when entering into contact with an organic or aqueous phase. A second type of initiating process, shown in Figure 3, involves Type II photoinitiators, which do not undergo α-cleavage when exposed to light but go through a bimolecular initiating reaction in the presence of hydrogen donors. Type II photoinitiators are essentially based on aromatic ketones (e.g., benzophenone, thioxanthones or camphorquinones). Polymerization is initiated by the amino alkyl radical, whereas the ketyl radical does not initiate polymerization of acrylate double bonds.6,7 Since they do not generate secondary breakdown products, they were, until recently, regarded as low-emission photoinitiators but were unfortunately found to migrate significantly. This can be explained by the fact that they are not grafted or attached in the final network. UV-printed packages are essentially used in indirect food contact applications. Some migrating species are occasionally supposed to diffuse from the printed exterior of the packaging to the inside, but the most probable explanation for migration lies in the production process and storage method of packages. Once printed and rolled, the inside of the packaging comes into direct contact with the printed outer surface. This is probably the crucial stage at which small molecules are transferred to the inside, where they will later come into direct contact with the foodstuffs.8 The objective of the following discussion is to demonstrate that a combination of the right initiator package and the right processing conditions can actually address this issue and provide a safe solution to the UV-curing industry, which is seeking low-emission and low-migration systems.
These conditions correspond to the extraction of the photoinitiator from the printed ink placed in direct contact with the food simulant, which does not give the real levels of migration but provides a worst-case scenario, allowing differentiation between several photoinitiators. Extracted photoinitiators were quantified by using reversed phase HPLC methods with UV detection. All experiments were performed in triplicate.
TABLE 1 | Overprint varnish formulation. Binder
Weight [%]
Bisphenol A epoxyacrylate
30.0
Amine-modified acrylate
10.0
Reactive diluent – tetrafunctional
5.0
Reactive diluent – trifunctional
30.0
Reactive diluent – difunctional
25.0
FIGURE 2 | Photolysis reaction scheme of a substituted hydroxyalkyl phenylketone. O
O OH
OH
HO
+
O
O HO
Recombination
HK-1
Separation
Cage reaction O
O OH
Polymerization
DH
O
H +
O
+
O
HO
HO Combinations, rearrangements, DH
Experimental Products O
Formulation Table 1 shows an overprint varnish (OPV-1) formulation used for reactivity assessments. This formulation was further modified to provide a special overprint varnish (OPV-2) with reduced odor. The UV-curable formulation was applied using a 6 μm-thick wire-wound bar coater. For migration tests, radical photoinitiators were incorporated in a radically curable blue flexo UV ink at concentrations ranging from 2 wt% to 6 wt%. The flexo UV-curable ink was applied on aluminum foil using a Prüfbau printing machine.
O
O
The structures of photoinitiators mentioned in this paper are shown in Figure 4.
OH +
OH
+
O
OH
+ HO
O
HO
FIGURE 3 | Initiation of UV-curing process by a Type II photoinitiator. N H O
O N
+ H
Exciplex
UV Irradiation UV exposure was performed on an IST UV belt line equipped with a medium-pressure mercury lamp (from 80 to 200 W/cm) at different belt speeds and under different atmospheres (air or nitrogen with 500 ppm residual oxygen).
OH N +
C
Migration Test samples were immersed in ethanol 95%, placed in a pre-heated oven and left there for 2 hours at 70 °C.
Curing PA I N T & C O A T I N G S I N D U S T R Y
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UV-Curable Systems for Sensitive Applications
Curing Efficiency
FIGURE 4 | Chemical structures of photoinitiators used in this study. OOO P
O
O
N
N BAPO
AAK CH2
O
OH
OH
OH
O
O
HK-2
n
R
Cure speeds were measured by determining dry rub resistance (DRR), by transfer testing and by performing the KMnO4 test (optical density measured after 1 min contact). Chemical modifications resulting from acrylate crosslinking were monitored by IR spectroscopy with an ATR unit for surface measurements (Digital FTIR Excalibur Spectrometer FTS 3000 MX). The reaction of the acrylate double bonds was determined quantitatively by monitoring the disappearance of the IR band at 1410 cm-1 and 810 cm-1 – bands characteristic of the acrylate double bond.9
Results and Discussion Current Offer
O
HK-3 OH
80
The ability of a photoinitiator to migrate depends on its type, as reported in Table 2. The results of extraction tests performed on fully cured printed ink containing different photoinitiators show that, at a comparable molecular weight, the amount of extracted photoinitiator can vary by a factor of more than five, depending on type. A second factor controlling migration levels is clearly molecular weight. With their enhanced mobility, it is mainly small molecules that are involved in contaminated beverages. Thus, increasing the molecular weight of the photoinitiator is one alternative way of reducing its mobility and consequently its ability to migrate. However, this is achieved at the expense of reactivity (Figure 6), as shown with high-molecular- weight benzophenone photoinitiators whose structure is shown in Figure 5. Those results associated with the molecular weights reported in Table 3 show that there is a direct link between cure speed and molecular weight (HMW-1 and HMW-3), and that one way to address the loss of reactivity is to incorporate lower-molecular-weight species (HMW-1 and HMW-2). However, this alternative carries with it the risk of losing the benefit of using highmolecular-weight components, as again these small species are able to migrate even at low concentrations. In all cases, however, reactivity is significantly lower than that of HK-3 and HK-4, which themselves are ranked as low-emission photoinitiators. Reducing their concentration could allow migration levels to be reduced while achieving a similar cure speed to that of HMW photoinitiators. These results clearly show that thus far no suitable product, i.e., a photoinitiator with good reactivity and low/no emission, is available on the market.
40
Development Work
HK-4
FIGURE 5 | Generic chemical structures of HMW photoinitiators. OO O p
O O O
O o
O O
O
O
O
OO n
m
OO
OO
[OCH2CH2]a-[OCH(CH3)CH2]b-[OCH2CH2]c OO
+ HMW-1
*
n*
O O
O HMW-2
O O
nO
O
O
O
HMW-3
FIGURE 6 | Cure speed and efficiency in OPV-1 containing 10 wt% PI + 2% ethyl-4dimethylamino benzoate; Hg lamp at 200 W/cm, under air, 6 μm thickness.
Cure Speed(m/min)
Cure Speed Optical Density
>>200
>>200
200
Optical Density KMnO4 0.2
160 120 0.1
0
HMW-1
HMW-2
HMW-3
HK-3
HK-4
0
TABLE 2 | Amount of photoinitiator extracted from a UV-printed film by ethanol 95% at 70 °C (2 hours); 2% PI in blue flexo ink; 500 ppm; lamp output=200 W/cm; belt speed=20 m/min under nitrogen – direct extraction. Photoinitiator
Type
Molecular Weight (g/mol)
Extracted Photoinitiator (μg/dm2)
AAK-1 BAPO-1 HK-3
α-amino-ketone acyl-phosphine oxide α-hydroxyketone
~ 370 ~ 420 ~ 340
9.8 37 59.1
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The structure of HK-3 was modified as shown in Figure 7 to give a high-molecular-weight photoinitiator called MacroPICS so that, once exposed to light, it generates heavy and/or crosslinkable breakdown products with very low migration potential and highly volatile breakdown products that simultaneously minimize the migration potential of the photoinitiator and of its by-products and ensure that there is no persistent odor. The molecular weight of MacroPICS lies between 900 and 1200 g/mol. In the first step, reactivity of MicroPICS was assessed and compared to that of HK-2 (worst case in terms of emission but used as a reference for reactivity), HK-3 and a combination of benzophenone and HK-4. The reactivity of
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UV-Curable Systems for Sensitive Applications
MacroPICS under these conditions is basically very similar to that of standard photoinitiators (Table 4), confirming that it is practically possible to combine high molecular weight, low polydispersity index and adequate reactivity. Such a product could allow a reasonable photoinitiator concentration, whereas concentrations of up to 15% of the HMW photoinitiators mentioned above are usual. Extraction experiments were conducted in parallel on UV-printed samples containing MacroPICS and compared to HK-3: the results reported in Table 5 confirm that the increase in molecular weight significantly reduces the ability of the photoinitiator to be extracted from the film under drastic extraction conditions.
FIGURE 7 | Structure of MacroPICS.
Anchoring Group G A OH
Highly volatile leaving products
OH
O
O
TABLE 3 | Molecular weight of the different photoinitiators. Photoinitiator
Molecular Weight (g/mol)
HMW-1 HMW-2 HMW-3 HK-3
~ 1000 From 500 to 3200 From 500 to 800 ~ 340
TABLE 4 | Cure speed and efficiency of MacroPICS compared to other photoinitiators in OPV-2; Hg lamp at 200 W/cm, under air, 6 μm thickness. Photoinitiator Cure speed (m/min) and efficiency
5% MacroPICS Speed 50 m/ min
OD
5% HK-2
Speed 60 m/ 0.15 min
OD 0.15
5% HK-3 Speed 70 m/ min
OD 0.15
2% BP + 3% HK-4 Speed 70 m/ min
OD 0.14
TABLE 5 | Migration of different types of photoinitiator in ethanol 95% at 70 °C; 2% PI in blue flexo ink; 500 ppm; lamp output=200 W/cm; belt speed = 20 m/min under nitrogen – direct extraction. Photoinitiator
Extracted Photoinitiator (μg/dm2)
HK-3 MacroPICS
59.1 34.6
Odor developing from films containing MacroPICS and other photoinitiators was also assessed. Two curing conditions were defined: in one case, all films were thoroughly cured; in the other, films were cured at the maximum speed that still gave tack-free surfaces (borderline conditions). Again MacroPICS shows by far the best behavior (Table 6).
Oxygen Inhibition Developing highly reactive HMW photoinitiators is the key to minimizing migration, but it is also essential to select the right curing conditions. We examined the influence of the curing atmosphere, which directly affects the efficiency of the curing process. Indeed, atmospheric oxygen interferes with free-radical UV-curing processes: the free radicals formed by the photolysis of the initiator are rapidly scavenged by O2 molecules to yield peroxyl radicals,10,11 which do not polymerize the acrylate double bonds and can therefore not initiate or participate in any polymerization reaction. To surmount this issue, which directly impacts cure speed, additional amounts of photoinitiator are traditionally introduced into the formulation, allowing the photoinitiator to compete more efficiently against oxygen scavenging. Another well-known practice to overcome this problem, which is unfortunately not sufficiently used on an industrial scale, is the utilization of an inert atmosphere, usually nitrogen or carbon dioxide.12 Working under inert atmosphere has many advantages: • it allows a significant reduction in the amount of photoinitiator required, while maintaining stable cure speed; • free radicals are more likely to participate in the curing process and to be grafted to the network; • a limited number of by-products is generated; and • last but not least, crosslinking density is much higher. All these elements help to reduce photoinitiator migration levels. The behavior of MacroPICS was thus investigated under inert conditions. In particular, the concentration required under nitrogen to match the cure speed reached when exposed under air was determined. Figure 8 shows that working under nitrogen allows the photoinitiator concentration to be reduced by a factor of more than 10, as acrylate conversion is close to 90% for the same UV dose, with both 5% MacroPICS cured under air and 0.2% MacroPICS exposed under oxygen-reduced conditions. This very low concentration combined with a low-emission photoinitiator leads to extremely low amounts of extractables.
Conclusion TABLE 6 | Odor of UV-printed films containing different photoinitiators and cured under different conditions; 5% PI in OPV-2; lamp output = 200 W/cm under air. Odor ranking: from 0 (no odor) to 5 (very strong odor).
Samples MacroPICS HK-2 HK-4
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Odor After 24 Hours
Borderline (50 m/min) Well cured (30 m/min) Borderline (60 m/min) Well cured (30 m/min) Borderline (70 m/min) Well cured (30 m/min)
2 0-1 5 4-5 3 3
Until now, the only solutions suggested were not satisfying in terms of emission or reactivity, and the poor purity of commercial high-molecular-weight photoinitiators entailed risks that converters were not aware of. Along with a high molecular weight, which makes it unlikely to migrate extensively, the newly developed MacroPICS photoinitiator allows a significant reduction in concentration while still maintaining good reactivity, especially under inert conditions. These results provide a real understanding of the value that can be extracted from UV-curing technology by the printing industry when combining the right photoinitia-
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FIGURE 8 | Acrylate conversion of OPV-2 containing different concentrations of MacroPICS exposed under air and nitrogen atmospheres; Hg lamp at 200 W/cm; 50 m/min; 6 μm thickness. IR band at 1410 cm-1 Acrylate Conversion (%) IR band at 810 cm-1 100
significant growth for food applications in the flexible packaging, folding carton and label markets. 䡲
Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Dr. G. Weidenbrück and A. Metzger for checking the article, as well as B. Spony and G. Haller for the experimental work.
References 1 2
90
3 4
80 5
70
6 7 8
60
9 10
50 [MacroPICS] Atmosphere
11
5% Air
0.2% 500 ppm remaining oxygen
tor with the right processing conditions. The packaging industry gains a new vision, as it becomes possible to achieve very low emission levels using this technology. This thorough work should open up new application fields to UV-curing and allow
12
Decker, C. Pigment & Resin Technology 2001, 30 278. Decker, C. Macromol. Rapid. Commun. 2002, 23 1067/ Decker, C. Materials Science and Technology, Processing of Polymers, ed. by H.E.H. Meijer, VCH Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Weinheim, 18 (13), 1997. Crivello, J.V.; Dietliker, K. Chemistry and Technology of UV&EB Formulation for Coatings, Inks & Paints, G. Bradley Ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York, Sita Technology Ltd, London, Vol. 3, 1998 Masson, F.; Decker, C.; Andre, S.; Andrieu, X. Progress in Organic Coatings 2004, 49 1. Cook, W.D. Polymer 1992, 33, 600. Segurola, J.; Allen, N.; Edge, M.; Parrondo, A.; Roberts, I. J . Photochem. Photobiol. 1999, A, 122, 115. Simian, H.; Veyrand, J.; Klump, S.; Spack, L.; de la Cruz García, C.; Papilloud, S. 4th International Symposium on Food Packaging, November 2008, Prague. Decker, C.; Moussa, K. Makromol. Chem. 1988, 189, 2381. Claveyrolles, L.; Villeneuve, S. Radtech News 2000, 3, 4. Decker, C. Handbook of Polymer Science and Technology, 3 (1989), 541. Studer, K.; Decker, C.; Beck, E.; Schwalm, R. Progress in Organic Coatings 2003, 48, 92.
This article is based on the presentation “UV-Curing Systems for Sensitive Applications” given at the European Coatings Congress, 2009, in Nuremberg, Germany, by Katia Studer, BASF SE. For more information, contact
[email protected], or call +41 61 63 64083.
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Decorative Finishing Solutions for
Automotive Interiors
A
kzoNobel Specialty Plastics Coatings and Soliant have teamed up to provide the automotive industry with the most comprehensive selection of decorative finishing products for automotive interiors. Following AkzoNobel’s acquisition of Soliant in 2008, the two companies have combined their resources to become the industry’s only singlesource for multiple decorative finishing technologies, including liquid performance coatings, film, digital image printing systems and special effects. Included in the portfolio are the awardwinning Soliant paint and bright films – chrome alternatives offering environmental benefits over traditional chroming technologies. “We’re offering customers worldwide a ‘onestop-shop’ advantage as a company specializing in decorative systems for the entire cockpit, said Percy Lidback, General Manager, Americas, AkzoNobel Specialty Plastics Coatings. “By offering multiple options for interior decorative finishing, we are able to provide the best and most wideranging solutions for innovative styling and appearance of controls, displays and signage with durability for all touch points.”
Unique Interior Appeal Interior surface solutions in any color and finish – includ-
ing eco-friendly Fluorex® bright film (chrome effects), metallics, pearls and tricoats – result in unique product differentiation. A variety of chemistries to satisfy the most demanding chemical resistance requirements are available. AkzoNobel Specialty Plastics has patented and pioneered many of today’s most exciting advances in coatings technology, including reflective printing films, soft-feel coatings, UV and special effects, and continues advancements with new technologies.
Product Design and Manufacturing Expertise AkzoNobel Specialty Plastics Coatings offers automotive interior designers and manufacturers industry expertise in product and process design and manufacturing. Industry experts in thermoforming, injection molding and extrusion determine best products and manufacturing processes for consumer appeal, weight reduction, cost effectiveness and speedto-market advantages. This service is enhanced with AkzoNobel’s exclusive 3-D rapid prototyping system. The heart of the 3-D system is a global management system and technology team approach that works in coordination with ODMs, OEMs and molder applicators to assure design integrity from start to finish anywhere in the world. Many leading brands look to the insightful guidance of AkzoNobel’s renowned Foresee Color Trend Group to better understand and forecast the hottest industry trends for color and style. Data from global trends derived from renowned internal and external sources is provided to support recommendations. AkzoNobel has fostered numerous information exchange partnerships to build credibility within the Color Group network. AkzoNobel Specialty Plastics Coatings services automotive customers worldwide from their Soliant and AkzoNobel office and manufacturing plants in Lancaster, South Carolina and Columbus, Ohio; global design center TechniCoat International, near Antwerp, Belgium; and regional Design Center near Chicago, IL. 䡲 For more information, contact Don Stankus, Business Development Manager, 810/287.9069, or e-mail
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The Missing Link:
Real-Time UV Monitoring and Measurement
O
nce upon a time in a land far, far away, gas stations were called service stations and they had a team of attendants to pump your gas, clean your windshield and lift the hood to check your oil every time you filled up…and gas cost less than 30 cents per gallon. To many of today’s kids, this is as much of a fairy tale as Cinderella or Snow White. Is it any wonder why automobile designers install both oil dip-sticks and dashboard oil warning lights? Wouldn’t just one of these suffice? Obviously, while these measurement devices are related, they measure different oil properties and have markedly different functions. The risk of driving your car without enough oil is important enough to merit constant vigil – and you obviously can’t check the dip stick while driving. On the other hand, the need for absolute oil level measurements during maintenance (like oil changes and tune ups) or to provide mechanics with a quantitative measure when diagnosing engine problems requires the dip-stick. Despite the risks, most UV systems operate without a warning light or a dip-stick. (“Dip-stick” in this case refers to a test or measurement device and not a person running the line.) Even the best-managed lines too often rely only on periodic checks with a belt radiometer as the means of measuring UV cure. But, like driving without a warning light, the potential damage that can occur by operating a
UV line without a warning light should stop operators in their track and cause them to consider the value of adding real-time UV measurement. Having worked on literally hundreds of production lines, it’s ironic that while almost no system designer would supply a thermal convection oven without a process thermocouple, we rarely see a system with a real-time UV sensor installed. This is ironic considering that UV curing is often associated with high-speed production for things like printing, optical fiber, packaging, CD/DVD manufacturing, or high-speed wood finishing lines. These are applications where an undetected problem could mean hundreds, even thousands of bad parts in just hours. By the time these guys break out their belt radiometer it’s far too late. It is locking the barn door after the horse has gone. The Big Three automakers tackled this problem during the 1990s when they drafted the QS-9000 standard that required process monitoring rather than allowing suppliers to rely on finished parts inspection alone. They realized that preventing defects and not just fixing them was the key to cutting costs. Fortunately, the technology to continuously monitor UV curing not only exists, but is easy to implement, and cost-effective. This paper describes what you need to measure to safeguard your line and how to do it.
Changes to UV Output in the Real World In day-to-day operation, UV lamps, particularly arc lamp systems, show a pronounced drop in irradiance over time. Like a spark plug, continuous and repeated use cuts the lamp’s life from the first time it’s fired. It’s not unusual to see a 50% change in output after less than 1,000 hours of use. Cleanliness of the reflector, changes in cooling, and power supply problems can all impact irradiance. So can any changes in distance of the lamp to the part or angle of the bulb that might occur from handling during maintenance.
What to Measure? There are two parameters of UV curing that most users should measure regularly: peak irradiance and energy density. Let’s take a quick look at what each of these terms means. By Paul Mills | UV Robotics, Cleveland, OH; and Jim Raymont | EIT Instrument Markets, Sterling, VA 30
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“When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.” -Lord Kelvin Irradiance: In lay terms, this measures how “bright” the UV lamp is. Irradiance can be affected in a number of ways: by “increasing the wattage” just as you might by switching from a 25W to a 60W light bulb, or, by “turning up or down” the intensity through a variable power supply. The common measure of irradiance is Watts/cm2. Energy Density: Time is the second factor critical to proper curing, and this is referred to as energy density. You may also hear it called “dose” even though this term does not accurately fit. As sun-tanners can attest, it’s not just the intensity of the UV source that produces their glow, but exposure time. A few seconds in even the brightest sunlight won’t produce a bronzed body. To produce properly cured products, both irradiance and time must be within the prescribed material specification. Like most cooking recipes that require a certain time and temperature, UV recipes usually require minimum irradiance and exposure time (energy density). The common measure of energy density is Joules/cm2. (This is a simplification and assumes that you have the right type of UV source for your formulation and that other process parameters are controlled and maintained.)
Belt Radiometers versus On-Line Sensors The conventional approach to checking UV system performance (in those refreshing instances where it’s being done) usually relies on running a logging radiometer through the system. The belt radiometer is the ideal tool for this purpose. The latest generation of belt radiometers records peak irradiance and energy density over a number of important UV bands simultaneously. Since the belt radiometer mimics a production part, it provides very useful information about the UV exposure of production parts. The belt radiometer, like the car dip-stick, provides an absolute, quantitative evaluation of cure. Its values can be compared to the material specification as an indicator of how the process is running, and provides enormous insight when troubleshooting is needed. But since it is a data logging device, it cannot provide the continuous, real-time monitoring needed to detect problems that might occur between data collection runs. For these continuous measurements, a simple sensor integrated either into the process chamber, or installed into the UV source itself, provides a simple but effective solution. These sensors provide continuous irradiance data, which when combined with line speed monitoring and control, provide an added layer of process security. So the prudent operator will utilize both tools: a logging belt radiometer for quantitative, absolute data required for establishing, optimizing, maintaining and troubleshooting the process; and a compact, on-line sensor to
continuously watch for changes in UV output. Again, these devices aren’t any more redundant than a dipstick is to a warning light.
Selecting and Installing Real-Time UV Monitoring Having determined that a warning light on your UV line can save you time, money and perhaps some gray hair – how should this device best be designed and integrated into the system? The best solution embodies a few topics: sensor selection, sensor placement and data handling.
Sensor Design and Selection The ideal UV sensor must embody a number of features. First it must be compact enough to be located in the system, often in close quarters, without interfering with the production process. Today’s sensors measure as small as 0.57” x 0.60” x 0.75” (1.45 x 1.52 x 1.91 cm), making them a truly compact device. These sensors are even available with a purge design which allows a whisper of lowpressure air or nitrogen to keep the sensor window clean even in dirty environments where airborne contaminants might interfere with measurements. The sensors are available in a variety of fixed spectral bandwidth responses (UVA, UVB, UVC, UVV) that cover short, mid and long wave UV. Each sensor incorporates a single bandwidth in the optics of the sensor. The actual bandwidth that you decide to use for the sensor is based upon a combination of things including formulation, lamp system, bulb type (mercury or mercury-additive), process window and application. An application with a relatively steady UV source can go ‘out of spec’ because reflectors and/or quartz plates/tubes get dirty and less UV is transmitted to the cure surface. In other cases, it is more important to monitor changing output conditions from the actual source. Some customers may decide to moni-
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The Missing Link: Real-Time UV Monitoring and Measurement
“In God we trust, all others bring data.” -Dr. W. Edwards Deming tor the source with a long wave sensor (UVA or UVV) and reflectors with a short wave (UVC) sensor. One of the daunting challenges to sensor design is making a unit tough and stable enough for the extreme exposure in high-intensity UV applications where extreme UV irradiance and heat are common. The compact sensor has been designed to withstand thousands of hours of direct exposure to UV without noticeable degradation. For example, solarization, which is the deterioration of optical components common with exposure to intense UV light has been virtually eliminated in the latest generation of sensors. These sensors supply an analog output signal, proportional to the UV light exposure to an electronic interface.
Sensor Location While the compact and rugged design of the sensor provides a great deal of flexibility in where the sensor can be mounted, some locations make more sense than others. Locating the sensor near or in the lamp itself has several advantages, since it provides the most direct measurement of the light source. The sensors have a narrow field of view and on multi-lamp systems, individual sensors can supply data for each lamp without the confusing effects of exposure to several lamps at a time. But great care should be taken with mounting a sensor in the lamp housing, and the lamp manufacturer needs to be consulted. The sensor should not interfere with the proper or safe operation of the lamp. Fortunately, a few lamp manufacturers are now warming to the idea of installing these sensors in the lamp during construction. The relatively small incremental cost of this valuable feature makes sense and we expect to see more lamps with built-in monitoring in the future. Sensors can be installed viewing the lamp in many locations provided that the temperature is below 100 °C. Typically a sensor just a few inches from the lamp will provide suitable conditions. Adjusting the sensor so that it “looks at” the reflected light and not directly at the bulb provides useful data, since the condition and efficiency of the reflector can account for a significant proportion of the UV available for curing, (and is directly proportional to the direct output of the bulb anyway). Alternatively, the compact sensor can be installed in the process chamber where it observes the lamp or reflected light. Recall that with online monitoring we are more concerned with relative, minute-to-minute changes in measured UV rather than in the value of the absolute reading itself. This premise allows greater latitude in locating sensors. 32
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Data Handling and Integration Assuming you have chosen the right sensor and properly positioned it to monitor your lamps, the only remaining question is what to do with the sensor output. The sensor provides an analog signal, which varies proportionally with the incident UV light. Sensors can be connected directly to a self-contained, pre-engineered interface which provides a real-time read out, alarms and other features, or connected to a standard DIN rail signal processing module that converts the signals into a standard 0-10 volt signal that can be utilized by industrial PC or PLC control systems. The simplest UV intensity display module provides a straightforward display of a single lamp’s status. The module provides the capability of setting a reference point, typically the 100% output level of a new lamp. The digital readout shown on the panel mounted unit can then provide a continuous “percent-of-power” reading that compares the current conditions to the UV conditions when the bulb was new and reflectors clean. A user-settable low-threshold limit can also be programmed into the module, which will provide both a visual warning light (your dashboard oil light!) and activate a relay closure so that additional actions can be triggered when the lamp is not operating within the process window. These simple pre-assembled panel mount modules are easily integrated into any existing system and engineered to be easily installed in the system electrical enclosure. A more sophisticated, 4-lamp version of the panel mount display, dubbed Multibrite®, allows simultaneous monitoring of four sensors. A user selectable dial on the interface allows the percentage of full power of any of the four sensors to be displayed as well as quick visual monitoring of the status of all four lamps with audible and LED alarms and relay closures. The Multibrite is fully assembled and self contained, and is supplied in a standard 19’ rack mount enclosure for easy installation. For those plants that desire a more customized solution, the compact sensor and DIN rail transceiver are the building blocks for a completely flexible architecture. The module processes the compact sensor signal and provides a corresponding 0-10 volt analog signal that can be fed to an appropriate PLC or PC control system. Customized screens including password protection, alarm thresholds, data graphing, data export for statistical process control and other features can be designed. 䡲 For more information see www.eit.com or www.uvrobotics.com.
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Intelligent Concrete Coating Solutions for
Sustainable Construction
A
s sustainable requirements become more prevalent in most construction projects, coatings technologies have been forced to evolve or go extinct. Because of their widely adjustable attributes, polyurethane coatings can be formulated to provide the durability, renewable content, and VOC requirements now specified by many of the Green Building guidelines. Regarding durability, few coating solutions exist for protecting concrete in the built environment that have the long-term, proven performance of those based on polyurethane technology. In addition, as VOC and indoor air pollutant limits have shrunk, polyurethane coatings have continued to excel by meeting new regulations through increased durability and faster return-to-service times.
Introduction Many solutions have been discussed regarding macro components of the built environment such as concrete, metal, wood and lighting. However, there are many intelligent ways that minor components such as coatings can greatly impact the overall sustainability of a structure
TABLE 1 | Top 10 castor oil seed producers – June 2008. Country
Production (in Tons)
Footnote
India 830,000 * China 210,000 * Brazil 91,510 Ethiopia 15,000 F Paraguay 12,000 F Thailand 11,052 Vietnam 5000 * South Africa 4900 F Philippines 4500 F Angola 3500 F World 1,209,756 A No symbol = official figure, F = FAO estimate, * = Unofficial/Semi-official/ mirror data, A = Aggregate (may include official, semi-official, or estimates)
by improving the indoor air quality, lighting efficiency, renewable content, graffiti resistance or long-term durability of major design components. Waterborne coatings products and plant-derived reactive polymer resins have gained in popularity due to increased environmental awareness and the polymer industry’s efforts to quantify the carbon footprint of many ubiquitous industrial, building and construction products. Early waterborne-based polyurethane coatings required the end user to compromise on physical properties as compared to solventborne technologies. In the past, many natural oil-based resins or additives often referred to as Natural Oil Polyols, (NOPs), were used to supplant their petroleum counterparts but often compromised at least some of the desirable traits needed for the final enduse application. With a focus on Sustainability and Green Building practices, many U.S.-based coatings formulators, end users and building owners are requesting products with low VOC or 100% solids, as well as a significant renewable content.
Natural Oil Polyol Coatings Currently, NOPs are commercially available in the United States from several sources and in several different forms. These polyols have been formulated into products requiring minimal structural or tensile properties but can help the bulk finished polymer satisfy other requirements such as rigidity, flexibility or insulative needs. For example, soy-based polyols can be used for polyurethane foam production and have suitable properties for foamed applications.1-3 However, their properties haven’t proven to provide the necessary physical properties needed for high-performance coatings. Castor oil has been looked at both in its unmodified state and as a chemically modified derivative in the coatings and adhesives markets. Many of these products are derived from castor beans grown in the top producing countries such as India, China and Brazil due to the current limited United States demand for locally grown and sourced resins (Table 1).4 With consistent and
By Steven Reinstadtler, Market Development and Green Building Manager | Bayer MaterialScience LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 34 4
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repeatable supply, modified castor oil-based coatings have been successfully developed into formulas that address both on-site and end-use challenges while providing the market with highly-renewable content products.
• no added phthalates, heavy metals or formaldehyde; • finished coating to contain >35% by weight of renewable content as formulated; and • durability comparable to competitive petroleum-based resin systems.
Two-Component Waterborne Polyurethane Coatings For decades, solventborne polyurethane coatings have been considered the mainstay for high-performance coatings used in architectural, industrial maintenance, corrosion and construction applications due to their excellent mechanical and weathering properties. But increased governmental, regulatory and sustainability pressures have created a need for coatings technology that would reduce or eliminate VOC, HAPS, heavy metals and/or other environmentally detrimental compounds. In the past decade, the first generation of waterborne polyurethane coatings was formulated and introduced to the market. While offering the chance to replace some of the VOC and solvents with water, many of these coatings still had in excess of 250 g/L of co-solvent. In addition, these coatings often fell significantly short of the solventborne polyurethane standard in chemical, abrasion and UV resistance. This limited their use in many applications. As with most emerging technologies, the learning curve was steep and the second generation of waterborne polyurethane coatings was developed with the goal of meeting or exceeding the desired traits of the solventborne polyurethane coatings but with significant reductions in VOC and solvent levels. These second-generation waterborne polyurethane coatings have achieved the property goals and are “truly waterborne” – having 0-20 g/L VOC levels.
To formulate the coatings, additional components such as flow aids, deaerators, fillers and pigments are typically employed to maximize the desired traits for application and end use. Therefore, guide formulas are typically developed that include both the resins as well as these other needed components (Table 3). The end-use application considered within the scope of this research was self-leveling floor coatings so guide formulas were developed to target those properties. The resin or polyol blends were prepared in stepwise fashion to effectively disperse the needed additives and
TABLE 2 | Natural oil polyol attributes. Properties
Units
Type
Renewable content Equivalent weight Hydroxyl number Viscosity at 23 °C Density at 20 °C Water content
Desmophen 1150
Desmophen 1155
Branched polyalcohol with ether and ester groups
Polyalcohol with ether and ester groups
Branched polyalcohol with ether and ester groups
55
70
55
239
340 165 3500 ±500 1.01 ≤0.2 Workhorse, general purpose resin, hydrophobic nature
340
% mg KOH/g cps g/ml %
Natural Oil Polyol Coatings Experimental To obtain desirable coatings properties, several castor oilbased resins were formulated. All three of these NOP products are created by hydroxyl modification of castor oil. Castor oil has linolic, oleic and linoleic functional groups that can be further modified to form functionally active reactive sites. Functionality is adjusted to a desired point above 2.0 for optimized polymerization with minimal chain termination when reacted with a polyisocyanate. The long (16+) carbon chains of the modified castor oil give the polymer its unique strong hydrophobic nature. This hydrophobic trait helps the product to resist atmospheric moisture during the on-site application process as well as after the polymer has fully cured into the final end-use protective coating. A range of NOP polyol resins were created to aid in the formulation of several different types of coatings used in the built environment. One was created to maximize renewable content while several others gave the formulator the ability to obtain a range of durometers and viscosities. Table 2 summarizes the bulk properties of three modified castor oil resins that can be used to formulate high-performance coatings described later in this paper. These resins were then formulated into guide formulas for flooring and architectural coatings technology with the target of acquiring the following attributes: • 100% solids formulas with near zero VOC, HAPS or exempt solvents;
Desmophen 1145
Use and attributes
2950 ±250 1.01 ≤0.2 Harder resin, slightly hydrophilic, used as modifier
Softer resin, slightly hydrophilic, used as modifier
TABLE 3 | NOP guide formulas. Component 1
Desmophen 1150 Desmophen 1145 Molecular sieves Barytes TiO2 Pigment composition Deaeration agent Dispersing agent Defoaming agent Quartz filler Talc Fumed silica
Bayer NOP Formula 1
Percent by Weight Bayer NOP Formula 2
Bayer NOP Formula 3
38.1 7.6 32.0 3.7 1.2 0.4 -
26.4 8.9 7.2 1.7 0.45 0.45 0.45 31.8 4.0 0.30
26.4 8.9 7.2 1.7 0.45 0.45 0.45 31.8 4.0 0.30
17.0 -
18.01 -
18.01
Component 2 Desmodur VL Desmodur VL 50
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Intelligent Concrete Coating Solutions for Sustainable Construction
pigments into the blend. Vacuum dissolvers have proved ideal as they prevent the incorporation of air. Sample coating draw downs were prepared using combinations of the Desmophen® NOP polyols, additional additives and a hardener. In this case, the hardeners chosen were Desmodur® VL or VL 50 reactivity-modified MDI isocyanates. The crosslinking NCO/OH ratio was set at 1.10 for all films and the mixing ratio of the resin blend with the isocyanate was approximately 10:2.1 (resin blend:hardener). The working time or potlife for all of the blends was approximately 30 minutes at 23 ºC. The films were made at a thickness of 1.5 mm and allowed to cure for a minimum of 7 days before testing. It was noted that the films did not exhibit the customary reaction with ambient humidity often seen when curing MDI isocyanate-based coatings in humid environments that can cause defects such as bubbles, blisters or fish eyes. The isocyanate groups can react with dissolved or absorbed water to form urea. This process liberates CO2 gas bubbles, which can be caught in the film and cause diminished physical properties and aesthetics. After ambient curing, the test samples were subjected to physical property testing.
TABLE 4 | NOP guide formula physical properties. Test Tensile Strength DIN EN ISO 527 Elongation at Break DIN EN ISO 527 Tear Propagation Resistance DIN EN ISO 34-1 Shore Hardness D
Units
Bayer NOP Formula 1
Bayer NOP Bayer NOP Formula 2 Formula 3
MPa
13
15
11
%
70
40
83
N/mm
50
41
63
D
65
70
51
TABLE 5 | Waterborne resin attributes. Properties
Units
Bayhydrol® A 2542 Hydroxy functional polyacrylic dispersion
Bayhydrol A 2546 Hydroxy functional polyacrylic dispersion
Solids content Equivalent weight pH Viscosity at 23 °C Weight/gal @ 25 °C Use and attributes
%
50 630 7.5 2000 9.5 High gloss resin
41 1000 7.5 120 9.2 Matte resin
cps lbs
TABLE 6 | 2K waterborne guide formulas. Component 1 Bayhydrol A 2542 Bayhydrol A 2546 Deaerating additive Defoaming agent Flow and leveling additive Rheology additive Water Component 2 Bayhydur XP 2547
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Percent by Weight Bayer Gloss Formula Bayer Matte Formula 45.75 0.31 0.12 0.49 14.2
15.26 35.60 0.32 0.14 2.28 9.61
39.1
36.79
Discussion The testing results on several guide coating formulas yielded acceptable results for a self leveling floor coating type product (Table 4). These results suggest the applicability of these coatings in a wide variety of floor refurbishment uses including the reuse of badly spalled or worn concrete. Current Green Building practices prefer the reuse of former industrial and heavy use built environments into new commercial or retail uses. By eliminating the need to remove and replace damaged concrete due to the aesthetically unappealing surface, energy and materials can be saved. A self-leveling floor coating, especially one based on a high renewable content, offers designers and specifiers an alternative to concrete replacement when evaluating a building for floor remediation and eventual renovation. An additional trait noted when working with these types of NOP resins is the reduced effects of atmospheric moisture in the form of humidity on the application, speed and cure characteristics of the technology in the field. Contractors and coatings applicators often apply floor coatings when relative humidity levels are fairly high, resulting in bubbles or blisters in the film. These defects are caused in part by the reaction of the water in the air with components of the liquid coating. Since the NOP resins are very hydrophobic, they limit the effects of atmospheric moisture on the quality of the final coating. This makes the products easier to use in a variety of field application conditions. All three formulas that were tested satisfied the target requirements: near zero VOC, a renewable content over 35% and the lack of added heavy metal catalysts or phthalates.
Two-Component Waterborne Polyurethane Coatings Experimental Several waterborne resins were considered within the scope of this paper for use in the construction environment due to their desirable physical traits (Table 5). These traits include: • near zero VOC formulas with excellent abrasion, chemical, and weathering resistance; • no odor when applied in the field with other trades or building occupants present; • adjustable gloss levels from high gloss to matte; and • ability to be used as an acceptable topcoat for selfleveling high renewable content floor coatings. Similar to the development and testing for the self-leveling NOP-based coating, these criteria will be the targets for the research. Guide formulas were prepared using two Bayer waterborne resins along with the necessary additives (Table 6). The gloss levels were varied via the resins employed in the formula rather than the use of flattening aids. Bayhydur® XP 2547, a hydrophilic HDI trimer, was used as the hardener with a NCO:OH ratio of 3:1. This over-indexing can be accomplished with aliphatic isocyanates without detrimental bubble formation.5 The guide formula coatings were applied at approximately 4-6 wet mils with a dry mil thickness of approximately 2-3 mils per coat. Dry
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Intelligent Concrete Coating Solutions for Sustainable Construction
times for the coatings ranged from 2 hours for the matte formulas to approximately 6 hours for the gloss formula. The trend was noted that as the formulas were made to be less glossy, i.e., as more Bayhydrol A 2546 was used in the formula, the dry time was reduced. The Bayhydrol A 2546 resin is a faster curing resin when compared to the Bayhydrol A 2542 resin.
Discussion Based on the excellent abrasion, chemical and weathering resistance data that was observed, several areas of coatings use in the built environment were targeted for further testing. These include aliphatic light and weather stable topcoats for industrial, commercial and decorative flooring as well as graffiti-resistant wall coatings. Over the past few years, an increasing trend has been to promote greener technologies in the interior construction of buildings. The primary focus has been on the release of toxic substances that may build up in the air due to the enclosed space. Indoor environmental air quality guidelines have been written into many third-party certifications such as Green Seal, GreenGuard and others. For example, Green Seal GS-11 cites limits and exclusions of certain compounds such as formaldehyde and VOCs for use on the interior surfaces of building being considered for LEED certification.6 Proof of these trends comes in three major areas – stricter Federal VOC regulations via
TABLE 7 | 2K waterborne guide formula physical properties. Test
Bayer Gloss Formula
Bayer Matte Formula
g/L
90 8
< 10 15
mg loss
33
35
sec.
Very low Very good 184
Very low Very good 162
Units
60º Gloss VOC Taber Abrasion CS-17 wheel 1000 cycles Odor level Chemical resistance* Hardness, Pendulum
*Chemicals tested by a spot test included 10% acetic acid, 10% sulfuric acid, 10% hydrochloric acid, 14% ammonium hydroxide, 50% sodium hydroxide, isopropanol, methyl ethyl ketone, DI water, Betadine, 10% bleach and gasoline. Skydrol and brake fluid were tested by immersion.
FIGURE 1 | Effect of Bayhydrol A 2546 on gloss level.
Gloss
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Gloss 60°
0%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Percent Bayhydrol XP 2546 Replacing Bahydrol XP 2542 in Guide Formulation
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the National AIM Rule, increased communication and awareness of environmental issues impacting consumers, and increased sensitivity to solvent odor by building occupants and tradesmen. Changes made by California to its VOC regulations are expected to be adopted by other states. Parts of California instituted a 50 g/L limit for residential flooring applications and 100 g/L limit for commercial applications in 2006. These limitations severely restrict the coating systems that can be used in the flooring market. For floor coatings used as a topcoat, there are several desirable physical properties that are required in order to have an aesthetically pleasing and durable finish. Abrasion resistance is a key parameter when considering the durability. Chemical resistance also plays into the durability equation since many industrial flooring applications can be exposed to common chemicals such as gasoline, brake fluid, solvents, acids and bases, and staining agents. Another desired property for topcoats is the ability to apply the flooring system without offensive odors that can disrupt production or other activities in the adjacent areas. The testing results demonstrated that the 2K waterborne coating guide formulas fulfilled the desired physical properties and traits while greatly reducing the VOC, HAPS and solvent levels (Table 7). In particular, both the gloss and matte guide formulas had very low abrasion and odor while exhibiting excellent resistance to many ubiquitous industrial and commercial chemicals. Another application area for these types of 2K waterborne coatings is graffiti-resistant coatings. This class of coatings is under the same scrutiny and tight regulations for VOC as floor coatings. In addition to the drivers outlined previously for flooring topcoats, there is often an additional requirement for graffiti-resistant coatings – the ability to adjust the gloss level while retaining the excellent chemical resistance that is needed for the coating. The external concrete and steel on a building is looked at as an integral design element by the architect. The architect envisions a certain look to the building and does not want to change that look by the addition of a protective coating. Therefore, there has been resistance to the use of other graffiti resistant coatings on the exterior of buildings that change the look or gloss level of the coated area. Typically, the undesirable trait is the noticeably higher gloss on the exposed architectural concrete. In the case of the Bayer Matte Formula defined in Table 6, a very low-gloss, matte finish was achieved by utilizing a Bayhydrol A 2546 resin instead of solvents and flattening additives.7 This allows the coating to retain the excellent graffiti resistance with minimal to no effect on the aesthetics of the concrete. This is achieved while working with a coating with less than 15 g/L of VOC. The ability to dial in the gloss level was further investigated and it was found that by varying the ratio of the two Bayhydrol waterborne resins, many gloss levels could be achieved (Figure 1). The trend line shows that 60º gloss levels from approximately 90 down to nearly 5 are achievable and predictable at all levels in between. This ability to vary gloss levels has utility in the flooring industry as well, since a slightly lower gloss topcoat can favorably hide imperfections in the underlying flooring substrate.
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Conclusions Co on ncclu lusi siion o s Polyurethane P Po olyur ly ur ly u et e ha ha nee ccoating oatii ng oa g ssol solutions olut ol u io ut i ns n h have av a ve demo de mon mo nssttrrat ated long-term ated lon ongg term gteerm r performance per erfo form fo rm man a ce in in demonstrated a variety vari va r et ri ety y of of building bui uild ild l in ng needs. need ne ds. s The Thee uses use s s for f r fo th hes esee types type ty p s of pe o p pro r du ro d ct c s ha h v g ve r wn ro na uss these products have grown ass su susttainable ta ain i ab in able l guidelines le gui uide deli de line line li ness tighten tigh ti hte t n and and exclude excl ex clud cl u e ttechnologies te ech c no n lo ogi gies ess that tha at cannot cann ca nnot ott adapt. ada dapt pt.. As pt As VOC VO OC C and an d du dura rabi ra biiliity becomes bec ecom omes om es a larger lar a ge gerr part pa rtt of of durability th he Green G eeeen Building Gr B il Bu ildi ding di n initiative, ng iniiti tiat ativ at ive, iv e high-perfore, hig ghh-pe perf pe rfor rf or-or the manc ma ncce co ccoating a in at i g so olu uti t on ons ar a re be bein ing sp ing in sspecipec eccii mance solutions are being fied fi ed d as as an n integral int n eg gra rall intelligent inte in t ll te llig ig gen ent nt component cco om mp pon nen nt o overall of ove vera rall ra l ssustainable ll ustain us usta ta ain nab able le building buiild ldin ing in g designs. deesiign desi gns. s. 䡲
Acknowledgements A kn Ac know o le ledg dgem dg gem emen en nts t Thee author Th auuth thor o extends or ext x en ends ds his hiss appreciation aapp ppre pp reci re ciat attio ionn to t various var ario ioous us iindinddi-iwhoo we involved data vviduals vi idu d al du a s wh w were ree iinv nvol nv nvol olve ved inn tthe ve ved h ttesting, he esti es t nngg, da ti ataa ccrereeconsultation during aation, at ion, io n and n, and ggeneral enner eral al ccon onnsu s lt ltat attio ionn du uriring n tthe ng he rresearch esea es earc ea rcch these unique technologies: andd summary an summ su mm marr y off tthe h se he se uuni niiqu niqu quee te tech echhnolo nooloogi gies e : Terry es Teerr rryy Wayt, Waayt y , Kathy Kath Kath Ka thyy Allen, A leen, Pete Al Pette Schmitt, Schm Sc h it hm itt, t, Karl Kar arll Heinz-Wuehrer. Hein He innzz Wu Wueh ehre eh rer. re er.r
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Hager, Ha Hag a er, e S S. S.;; R Rees Reese, ees ese, e, JJ.; .; Mc M McVey, Vey,, S.; Vey S.; Moo Moore, M oore rre, e M.; M. ; M Skorpenske, EvaluaSkorpe Sko rp rpe p nsk ke, e R. R. “Production “P odu “Pr ducti ction cti on n and an Ev E aluaalu a-tion tio ion of of New New Natural Nattura Natura urall Oil Oill Derived Der Derive e ive ived d Polyols P Poly oly olyols lyols ol for fo or Flexible Flexib Fle xib ib ble le Slabstock Sla abst bstock ock k Foam”, Foam” Fo am” m , presented pres r ent ented ed d at CPII Polyurethanes Polyur Pol yureth yur ethane eth aness 2008. ane 2008 008.. Schilling, Schill Sch illing ill ng, S.; S.; War W Wardius, d s, D.; diu D ; Loren Lo Lorenz, renz, ren z K z, K.. “Novel “Novell “N Natural-Oil Natura Nat u l-O ura l-Oil i Polyols il Po Pol Po olyol o s and an nd d Their The h irr Use in in Rigid Ri Rigid gid Polyurethane Foams”, presented P Pol Po lyu yurreth ettthane n Fo Foams ams am ms”, pre presen sented sen ted ed at the the CPI CPII Polyurethanes P Pol yur yureth ureth ethane aness 2007. ane 2007. 007 07. Sounik, Sounik Sou nik n i k, D. D. “Novel “Nov N ell Natural-Oil Nattura u ll-O Oill Based Bas a ed e Rigid R gid Rig id d Foams Demanding Applications: Foa oams m F ms Forr De D man ndin d g A ppl pp p ica catio ca tions: tio ions: ns A Class Cla ss I Polyisocyanurate Poly olyiso i cyanur iso cya yanur nu ate a Foam Fo F am m For InsuInsu suulated lat ated ed Met Metal al Building Bui uildi ldi d ng ng Panels”, Pan a els el ”, presented presen pre sen sented ented at CPI PI Polyurethanes Polyu P yuret ret ethan hanes han ess 2008. 200 008. 8 8. “Top “To pT Ten en Castor Castorr Oil Oil Seed Seed ed Producers” Pr P od odu d cer du ce s”” Jun June un u nee 2008, Food 11, 2 20 08, 08 08, 8 Fo ood and an Agricultural Ag gric icult u ura al OrganiOrg rga ganization United Nations: zat tion n of U Un nite ited ite d N Nati ations ati on : Economic ons Econ onomi omicc and omi an nd d Statistical Division. Social Soc ial al Department: D Depar p tme m n nt: t S St tati tisti sti t cal D Di vision vis i . ion Wuehrer, Wue u hr hre r r, K. K H.; H. Al Allen Allen, len,, K. len K. C Chemical hemica hem ica call Resi R Resises s-esi tant Waterborne ta tan antt Wate W ate terbo rborne rbo rn Polyurethane rne Polyu Po lyuret lyu rret ethan ha e Topcoats Topc Top opcoat oatts Journal Protective Coatings fo Flooring. for Floor Floor oring ing ng.. Jo Journ ur al urn a of Pro P tectiv tec ectiv tii e C tive Coat oating oat ingss & ing Linings 58-66. Lin in nings ing ngs 2007 20 7 24(2), 200 2 (2) 24 (2),, 5 8-6 66. 6. Green Gre en n Sea Seal e l GS-1 ea G GS-11 S 1 Envi SS-1 E Environmental nviron nv nvi ronmen ron mental men ta St tal Standard tand ndard ard d fo Paints for P Paint Paint i s and and Coatings. Coatin Coa tings. tin gs. Allen, Al All en, K.; K K. ; Schmitt, Schm hmitt ittt, P. P. Greener Gree Gree reener nerr Gambits Gambi Ga mb mbi bits ts in Antigraffiti Game. Journal the Antig An tigraf tig ra fit raf fitii G a me ame m . Jou Journa rnall of rna of ArchitecArch Arch hite i ecctural 2009, 38-47. tu tur al Coatings Coaatin C t gs 2009 ti 200 0 9, 5, 5, 3 8-4 47.
This Th hiss paper pap aper er was was a ppresented reese sent nted nt edd at at Polyurethanes Poly Poly Po lyur u ettha ur h ne n s 2009 2009 0 TechTTec e hec nical Conference Fort Washington, nica ni c l Co ca Conf nnffer eren ence ce iinn Fo rt W a hi as hing ngto ng toon, n MD, MD, D on on behalf b ha be halflf of of tthee Ce th CCenter ent nter nt er for for the the Polyurethanes Pol olyu yure yu reth re than th anes an ess Industry IInd ndus nd ustr us t y (CPI). tr ( PII).) (C
Bring on all your bright ideas. Our global UV/EB resources help make them winners. Wherever you need UV/EB support, Sartomer is there for you – in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. We deliver leading-edge UV/EB technology and responsive local manufacturing. We can also help with the complexities of product/country registration issues. Our in-depth expertise and high-performance specialty chemicals will help you bring all your ideas to life and get them to market – fast. Now you can take on any job – plastic and metal coatings, inks, display, automotive, adhesives – or even a totally new application. Rely on us from initial concept to final delivery. Formulators choose Sartomer for UV/EB innovation and consistent quality… batch after batch. Our broad line of more than 500 monomers and oligomers leads the world. If your formulation calls for something unique, we tailor a custom fit. Contact us now for the help you want to beat the competition. Call 800-SARTOMER, 610-363-4100 or visit www.sartomer.com.
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Ultramarine – the
W
hen the ancient Egyptians came to decorate the works of art that they buried with their Pharaohs, they used a blue pigment of such brilliance that it would enhance the quality and value of any object. The pigment was derived from the semi-precious mineral, Lapis Lazuli, and it continued to be used for many centuries. The quality of the blue produced by this method was never in question. But the scarce availability and difficulty of extracting the pigment meant that the cost was high and that the pigment could only be used in the most prestigious applications. It was clear that a rich prize awaited anyone who could devise a synthetic route to manufacture this pigment, which is now known as Ultramarine Blue.
Discovery of the Synthetic Process The process for the synthetic manufacture of Ultramarine was discovered in 1828 by a French scientist, Guimet. Soon there were factories springing up all over Europe, as the more affordable synthetic pigment stimulated the use of Ultramarine in many applications. Of particular note was the discovery that a small amount of Ultramarine would, if added to the rinse water during the laundering process, absorb the unwanted yellow undertone, which became apparent as white clothing aged. This unwanted yellow caste was replaced by a blue undertone that suggested extra brightness and cleanliness. In fact it was for this purpose in 1884 that James Reckitt built an Ultramarine factory in Hull to extend his range of existing laundry products. This factory was still producing Ultramarine under the name of Holliday Pigments Limited up
FIGURE 1 | Ultramarine pigment typical particle sizes. 200 Non-technical Applications
150
Stronger
100
Brighter Greener
Technical Applications
50 0 0
2
4
Particle Size (Microns)
6
until 2007, and today – from its Comines factory in North France – remains one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of Ultramarine Blue.
Modern Applications While Ultramarine continued to be used both in artists’ colours and laundry products, it was the birth of the plastics industry, which stimulated the development of the Ultramarine pigment that we know today. Ultramarine had been perfect for use in artists’ colours due to its unique shade with unrivalled brightness and its excellent lightfastness. It was non-toxic and non-irritant, perfect for an application like laundry with its inevitable skin contact. But add to these virtues its excellent heat stability, an obvious advantage in a high-temperature application such as plastics, and it is no wonder that Ultramarine soon became regarded as an indispensable plastics colourant. But how does Ultramarine come to possess such a combi nat ion of admirable properties? The answer is in its production process – which is itself a fascinating story. The chromophore responsible for the blue colour in Ultramarine is based on sulphur and has the formula S3 . It is strange to think of a yellow element like sulphur giving a blue colour, but in this particular form it does. However the discovery of the chromophore was only one step in the development of a synthetic process to manufacture Ultramarine. The problem is that the chromophore is unstable and is readily oxidized to non-pigmentary sulphate. It needs to be protected from these chemical reactions, and this is achieved by stabilizing the chromophore within the protective cage structure of a clay (kaolin) lattice. The production process involves heating a mixture of sulphur, clay and sodium carbonate to a temperature of almost 800 o C in a kiln, excluding air to prevent premature oxidation of the sulphur before the reaction temperature is reached. After sufficient residence time at this peak temperature to form the initial chromophore, the mixture is allowed to cool before air is slowly allowed into the kiln to complete the reaction with an oxidation stage. This high-temperature process takes more than two weeks to complete.
By Dave Masterman, Technical Support Manager | Holliday Pigments, SA France 40
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Eternal Pigment With this knowledge of the production process we can already see the reason for some of the desirable qualities of Ultramarine. The chromophore is very unusual, leading to a unique shade that cannot be matched by other pigments. Being transparent, Ultramarine adds an attractive blue undertone to transparent polymers as well as neutralizing unwanted yellowness in opaque white plastics. The high-temperature manufacturing process provides the Ultramarine pigment with an inbuilt stability to heat. In fact, Ultramarine blue pigments are stable to more than 350 oC, high enough for use in all common plastics. Finally the raw materials are all quite benign – no heavy metals are used in the production of Ultramarine and organic compounds would not survive the high manufacturing temperature. Ultramarine is one of the safest known pigments by virtue of its raw materials and production process.
This high-temperature process produces the ‘raw’ Ultramarine, but the process is far from complete. After this ‘dry’ process it is necessary to refine the raw Ultramarine, a process that starts by slurrying the raw Ultramarine with water. This second stage is commonly called the ‘wet’ process. In this stage the impurities present within the raw Ultramarine are removed. The most important of these is unreacted sulphur, which would otherwise give rise to an odour when used in high temperature applications like plastics. Soluble material, primarily sodium sulphate, is also removed. Finally the pure Ultramarine pigment is ground to its final particle size then separated from the water. The grinding process leaves a broad spread of particle sizes with a range from less than 1 up to 3 microns. By a process known as classification, these particles are separated into a number of discrete fractions. Each fraction is dried to produce a fine powder. Why is a fine particle size so important? The properties of an Ultramarine pigment depend primarily on its particle size. Finer particles are stronger in tinting power, they are brighter
and also greener in undertone than the coarser particles produced at the same time. Ultramarines intended for technical applications range from less than 1 to 3 microns, Ultramarines coarser than this are normally confined to low-quality applications such as laundry powders (Figure 1). The correct product can be selected from the particle size range available based on tint strength, undertone and brightness. Once again knowledge of the Ultramarine manufacturing process provides another indication of the final property of the Ultramarine. Pigment particles of 1 to 3 microns are relatively large and as one might expect, Ultramarine disperses very easily.
Benefits of Ultramarine Ultramarine has the following advantages: • a unique shade of unrivalled brilliance; • excellent lightfastness and heat stability; • is safe in use and is approved worldwide for use in foodcontact plastics and toys; and • improves the undertone of off-white articles. In addition, Ultramarine has no adverse effect on the dimensional stability of polyolefins, which is important in large or complex polyolefin mouldings. This is because Ultramarine is an inorganic pigment. Organic pigments often have an adverse affect on the dimensional stability of polyolefin mouldings. Ultramarine has many positive attributes that make it ideal for most plastics applications, but there are some potential problems to be aware of. In its standard form, Ultramarine is sensitive to acids. Even mild acids will attack the chromophore and destroy the colour. However, Holliday Pigments has developed acid-resisting grades for such applications. In these grades the pigment particles are protected by a coating. By selection of the correct grade, Ultramarine can still be used in polymers that may have acidic degradation products, such as PVC, or in containers for acidic products like fruit juice. Acidresisting grades are also recommended for outdoor applications that may be exposed to the effects of acid rain. Ultramarine has been the blue pigment of choice for thousands of years. Despite more choice in the blue area of the spectrum the properties that made Ultramarine popular so long ago are still valued just as much today. And probably thousands of years in the future our descendants will still be marvelling at the brilliant colour of Ultramarine, the eternal pigment. 䡲 For more information, visit www.holliday-pigments.com.
PA I N T & C O A T I N G S I N D U S T R Y
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Bio-Based Materials
M
ost of us grab the sunscreen before heading out to the pool or working in the yard. We’ve all heard of it. UV radiation creates free radicals, which cause damage in living systems. If you are a living system, this is generally not regarded as a good thing. In the world of UV-curable coatings, however, the generation of free radicals and the subsequent breaking and remaking of bonds is not only desirable, but necessary. Historically that task has been accomplished by the use of synthetic materials, most of them originating from fossil fuels. The most commonly used materials are acrylates and methacrylates. Some acrylates and methacrylates may be derived in some part from bio-based materials. Such materials derived from soy have been around for over 20 years. Ecology incorporates such materials wherever possible. These materials, however, have not been the major thrust of our bio-based research. In the 1990s, a great deal of attention was paid to the possible irradiation of foodstuffs for safety. As a result, a flurry of papers was released describing the effects of radiation, mostly gamma, on various foodstuffs. We began to wonder if some foodstuffs, especially those showing polymerization with ionizing radiation or even thermal energy, might be coaxed to polymerize with the application of UV radiation as well. It is indeed the case that such polymerization takes place.
Discovery We have identified mixtures of proteins, (which have been designated
Matted and unmatted coating on wood.s
EQ-6000), available as foodstuffs, that may be incorporated into coatings in several ways. One use for EQ-6000 is as a self-photoinitiating film former. Natural proteins tend to be tightly curled. In order to make them more active groups available for crosslinking, it is necessary to relax or denature the protein structure. This can be done with the use of a mild acid. Such acids can also be derived from foodstuffs. The denatured EQ-6000 may be dispersed in a water carrier. A bio-derived emulsifier may be added as well. Such a coating has been demonstrated to cure at 400 feet per minute with 600-Watt UV lamps. The coating has shown barrier properties to air and solvents.
Other Applications Similar coatings may be further modified with other foodstuff-type materials to resist water or grease. These coatings are potentially edible. Flavorings have been added as well and cured into the resulting coating. These “GRAS” coatings may be and have been made of components considered as food rather than additives and thus have potential for food contact without the monitoring of extractables. This could be a great boon for label and package converters who don’t have the resources to determine extractables. A second use for EQ-6000 is as a photoinitiator with conventional UV-curable materials. This is particularly notable for materials covered under FCN 772, which can be used for food contact under prescribed conditions. Two monomers covered under FCN 772 are TMPTA and TMPEOTA. Both
By Sally Ramsey, Vice President, New Product Development | Ecology Coatings, Akron, OH 42
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for UV-Cured Coatings of these monomers may be cured by using EQ-6000 as a photoinitiator or co-initiator. In this case, curing proceeds better without a denaturing agent. An amino acid found to be an active element in this mix may be used to boost curing as well. A third use for EQ-6000 is the extension of coverage by conventional pigments. Pigmentation of UVcurable coatings presents difficulties. Some pigments absorb the very frequencies of light, which are needed to cure the coating. There are established ways of handling this problem. One is by the use of doped lamps, which deliver frequencies that are not absorbed by the pigments. Another is to use photoinitiators that absorb in different frequency ranges. These methods may also be combined. EQ-6000 adds another weapon to this arsenal. Suspended in powder form it can increase coverage. Since it also is self-curing and acts as a photoinitiator, rather than interfering with the curing process it actually promotes it. The final use highlighted in this discussion is that of EQ-6000 as a matting agent. When used in powdered form, there are multiple advantages to be seen. The first is that, as in the use with pigments, it enhances rather than interferes with UV cure. Since it does actually cure into the finished film, it does not migrate. In many systems, it does not appear to substantially raise viscosity. It may also be combined with other bio-based additives to provide a rough surface that produces a release surface. This is unusual, as most release surfaces, such as silicones or fluorinated hydrocarbons, are smooth. By the manipulation of the additives the roughened surface may also resist water or grease.
Value The big question in the case of a new technology such as this always is: “What is the value proposition?” The material in EQ-6000 is available as a commodity in bulk quantities from both China and South America. Raw materials for analogs are available in bulk as commodities as well. Since none of these materials are petroleum based, the prices do not fluctuate with oil. In addition, since acrylates are not involved, the current supply problem and price squeeze for acrylic acid has no impact. As a film former, coatings are substantially less
Bio-based film with marker.
Bio-based film with marker backside.
expensive than those from conventional UV-curable materials; EQ-6000 is less expensive than many pigments and some matting agents. The familiar cry of, “I’d love to go green but I just can’t afford it,” could not be justified for EQ-6000. Ecology Coatings does not consider EQ-6000 the endpoint of our research in this area. Rather it is an encouraging start to a whole new family of safer and more sustainable products. We look forward to both the products and new applications in a greener world. 䡲 For more information, visit www.ecologycoatings.com. PA I N T & C O A T I N G S I N D U S T R Y
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“What
Carbon
One of Europe’s Largest Steel
I
n case you haven’t heard, our planet is getting warmer. At what rate it is occurring or how much human activity has to do with the increasing temperatures is a heated debate, pardon the pun. One thing we do know for sure…carbon dioxide (CO2) is a contributing factor in global warming, and humans are responsible for a large portion of these emissions. If you had asked someone five years ago what their carbon footprint was, most people would have likely responded by looking towards their feet, thinking they stepped in something. That same person would probably laugh uncontrollably if you had told them that Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States and once Presidential hopeful, would star in a 2006 movie that brought climate change to the forefront by drawing millions of viewers from all over the world.
Carbon Footprints Indeed, things are much different today than they were five years ago; individuals and businesses alike are trying to reduce their environmental impact and GHG (Green House Gas) emissions. What the average person does not realize is that they have two types of footprints, a primary and secondary. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation, e.g., car and plane. The secondary footprint is a measure of indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use, those associated with their manufacturing and
eventual breakdown. To put it simply – the more we buy, the more emissions will be caused on our behalf.
Reducing the Secondary Footprint Thankfully companies like Corus, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, are doing their part to reduce the world’s secondary footprint by improving the energy efficiency of their manufacturing processes. Corus is Europe’s second largest steel producer and comprises three operating divisions: Strip Products, Long Products, and Distribution & Building Systems. Corus Colors, as part of the Strip Products Division, is an international business manufacturing prefinished steel for the building envelope, domestic appliances and manufactured goods markets. Corus Colors – Shotton Works, located at Deeside, North Wales, produces organic paint-coated prefinished steel principally for cladding, composite walling and roofing applications within the building and construction sector both in the UK and overseas. There are two manufacturing processes at Shotton Works for coating steel strip with paint. They use a series of driven roller coaters and industrial curing ovens, controlled within a continuous process line, that are capable of applying protective and decorative high-quality finishes to the galvanized flat steel strip substrate. The number-one Colorcoat Line process is capable of coating strip widths up to 1400 mm with a thickness up to 1.6 mm, giving a weekly throughput capability of up to 4000 tonnes subject to product type and dimensions.
Manufacturing Process This manufacturing process requires large amounts of natural gas to ensure proper application and fast curing time in the ovens, which, in turn generates a substantial amount of CO2 and NOX (Nitrous Oxides). In addition to these emissions, the solvent-based coatings release HAPs and VOCs during the drying process that need to be treated by an air pollution control device such as an oxidizer. New oxidizer systems are capable of destroying over 99% of the HAPs and VOCs through the process of high temperature destruction with very little fuel consumption. However older technologies can be a source of CO2 and NOX as well as the requirement for high maintenance and large operating expenditures.
Pollution Control Pollution control initiatives are nothing new to Corus. The company has been monitoring and controlling its oven emissions at the Shotton Works, North Wales facility, since the 1970s. Their first oxidizer/incinerator was installed on the paint coating processes for abating By Kevin Summ | Anguil Environmental Systems, Milwaukee, WI; and Steve Newell | Spooner Industries Ltd., West Yorkshire, UK 44
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” Footprint? Producers Asks… exhaust gases and solvents. Even then, the company was thinking green by utilizing waste heat from these older oxidizers/incinerators to pre-heat the ovens and to supply their manufacturing facility with additional process steam. However, as environmental regulations tightened, energy prices increased and new technologies emerged, the company decided to re-evaluate their entire system as part of their manufacturing efficiency improvements as well as the wider Corporate Responsibility Program for energy usage reduction. The objective was to reduce the gas consumption by at least 45% and increase processing speeds on certain products. They quickly realized another benefit to their sustainable energy plans…a much smaller carbon footprint.
Sustainable Energy Solution Looking for a sustainable energy solution, they turned to Spooner Industries in the United Kingdom, who has worked closely with Corus on a number of projects over the past 30 years. Oven technology and safety regulations had changed dramatically since the line was first installed, but Spooner was able to successfully complete several upgrades that brought the system up to current standards and increase its’ flexibility. • Each zone was retrofitted with a special low-NOX burner to reduce emissions. • Variable-frequency drives or inverters on every oven fan were incorporated into the control system to make each section more efficient and reduce electrical consumption. • The ductwork was changed to bring hot air into the system quickly, reducing maintenance issues. • New thermocouples (temperature measurement), pressure transmitters, pressure switches and flow measurement systems were installed in the ovens to bring the equipment up to today’s technology standards, allowing for remote monitoring and fine-tuning. • A new computer-controlled system was integrated with the SCADA (System Control and Data Acquisition) program. The proper PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) allows the central Corus system to communicate with the ovens so they can be setup for different production runs, eliminating errors and decreasing setup time. The oven alterations brought this production line from the least efficient in the Corus group to the most, meeting one of the two objectives for the company. While some of these improvements reduced the company’s environmental footprint and gas consumption, the increased throughput would further complicate their environmental responsibilities. Two existing, inefficient oxidizers for the prime and finish ovens were being used to control VOC and HAP emis-
sions at the North Wales facility. To achieve proper destruction the systems required large amounts of natural gas, which affected operating expenses and contributed to CO2 and NOX emissions. Furthermore, breakdowns and maintenance problems were not only costing the company money to repair but also revenue in lost production. Because the oven and oxidizer are so vital to each other, Corus wanted a solution provider with experience and knowledge on both. In addition, they were looking for a system with low operating costs and heat recovery capabilities that could achieve 99.5% DRE (Destruction Removal Efficiency), which was well above their permit requirements.
Spooner-Anguil Partnership Offers Solutions Spooner, having recently partnered with Anguil Environmental Systems in the United States to fabricate and install its oxidizer designs on applications throughout Europe, was confident that it could be done. After consulting with the engineers at both Spooner Industries and Anguil Environmental Systems, Corus made the decision to replace their multiple air pollution control systems with one, RTO (Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer) from Spooner Anguil. It would give them the desired efficiency and single-source solution they were looking for. The system has the following features and benefits. • The oxidizer is a three-chamber design that processes 83,000 NM3/hr (55,000 SCFM) of air, achieving 99%+ DRE without visible emissions and 85%+ heat recovery for energy-efficient operation. • The RTO self-sustains at low solvent-loading conditions, meaning that once the oxidizer is at operating temperature and receiving process airflow it requires no additional fuel for emission destruction, releasing very little CO2 and NOX. PA I N T & C O A T I N G S I N D U S T R Y
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Coating Thickness Gages for
Non-Metal Substrates
“What Carbon Footprint?” One of Europe’s Largest Steel Producers Asks…
• A secondary heat exchanger sends waste heat directly back to the ovens, reducing the amount of natural gas s l e Mod le required for product curing. Ava i l a b • Stainless-steel components throughout the system prevent corrosion and allow for high-temperature process streams. • A hot-gas bypass on the RTO is used during high loading situations to avoid over heating the oxidizer. • An intelligent bake-out feature cleans the RTO of condensable organics without internal fires or safety concerns. The Measure of Quality • The control panel has a large operaOgdensburg, New York USA • Tel: 315-393-4450 • Fax: 315-393-8471 • Email:
[email protected] tor screen with a built-in maintenance manual and trouble-shooting guide, Visit ads.pcimag.com which makes for ease of use. Corus has made a significant investment for the new equipment, upgrades PCI11061DFLSK.indd 1 10/2/06 1:47:50 PM and implementation of this energy reduction project. It has dropped their cost, per ton of steel produced, considerably and they estimate the payback will be less than one year. The reduction in carbon emissions and energy consumption from this facility is dramatic. Gas usage has dropped by more than 60%, an average reduction of 522 m³/hr (or 5742 kW) per hour – saving over £1million a year. At 181 grams of CO2 produced per KWH used, Corus is preventing 1 tonne of carbon from reaching our atmosphere each hour, nearly 8,000 tonnes per year. With innovation and continuous improvement at the heart of its business, Filtration without the the company is already planning for simiMess or Stress lar modifications at other Corus plants. A spokesperson from Corus commented, “We are committed to minimizThe Self-Cleaning Russell Eco Filter®... ing the environmental impact of our • Improves the quality of your coatings operations and our products through the adoption of sustainable practices and • Tool free & easy disassembly continuous improvement in environmental performance.” 䡲
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P RODUCTS 䡲 Catalog
BYK-GARDNER: The BYK-Gardner 2010-11 catalog includes: micro-gloss gloss meters; cloud-runners for an objective evaluation of “mottling” on effect finishes; BYK-mac instruments for measuring the total color impression of e f fe c t finishes; the temp-gard oven recorder to analyze the baking profile of industrial ovens; and bykodrive, a newly designed automatic film applicator to guarantee repeatable draw downs. The catalog includes application stories that show how instruments have worked for customers, a handy standards index, pricing, technical specifications, and service and contact information. Visit www.byk.com/instruments.
䡲 Resin
COGNIS: Versamid® 116 is the first in a series of TETA-free polyamide curatives introduced into the market. It is based on a novel amine feedstock, which will reduce the potential for interrupted supply due to shortages in key amine building blocks. This product will yield performance properties consistent with existing backbones, minimizing reformulation requirements. Visit www.cognis.com.
䡲 Weathering Device
ATLAS MATERIAL TESTING TECHNOLOGY: The LS-200 full-spectrum monitoring device has been specifically designed for use in Ci Series Weather-Ometers® to precisely measure the SPD output of the xenon lamp. This device has excellent correlation to the spectro-radiometers used in the Atlas Calibration Laboratory. The device is easily mounted on the specimen rack, and the output is measured over a short amount of time (30 minutes is sufficient). The data can be downloaded and exported into a common spreadsheet program and analyzed to determine compliance to performance-based standards. The LS-200 works with any generation of Weather-Ometer. E-mail
[email protected].
䡲 Matting Agent
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EVONIK INDUSTRIES: EXP 3600 is a silica-based matting agent perfectly suited for use in UV-cured coatings. It has high
transparency, low residual gloss, excellent surface quality and scratch resistance. It is easy to incorporate and does not negatively impact the coating system’s other application properties in any way. E-mail
[email protected].
䡲 Additives
RHODIA: Rhodoline® OTE, APE-free and zero-VOC additives extend waterborne coating open time two- to four-fold and enable the formulation of high-performing low- to zero-VOC coatings. This low-odor, eco-friendly solution has been developed for sustainable coatings, being compliant with Green Seal (GS-11) or EU eco-label requirements. It also enhances gloss, boosts stain and scrub resistance, and delivers freeze-thaw stability. An easyto-use solution for formulators, it is suitable for a wide range of polymer binders. Visit www.rhodia.com.
䡲 Software
ELCOMETER INC.: Elcometer 320 is a powerful system that can simultaneously monitor climate parameters in up to 254 distinct locations. It is launched along with the ElcoMonitor™ software, allowing for failsafe, real-time climate observation. Audible and visual indicators provided by a signal tower give an instant warning that climatic conditions have surpassed parameters. The system provides an accurate indication of relative humidity, air and surface temperature, specific humidity, and the difference between relative humidity and dewpoint. E-mail
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䡲 Adhesives and Curing Equipment
DYMAX CORP.: The Selector Guide for Industrial Assembly Adhesives is a reference tool that provides detailed guidance for selecting the best DYMAX adhesives and curing equipment. Selector tables list glass, metal and plastic bonding adhesives, their properties and the unique applications for each product. Tables detail typical substrates and the bonding capabilities of products. Also described are the types of light-curable products available and their chemistries, as well as compatible light-curing and dispensing systems. Visit www.dymax.com. 䡲
MAY 2010 | W W W . P C I M A G . C O M
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