that incorporate the principles of
green chemistry into their design,
manufacture and use. Awards
will be presented in Washington
Green chemistry reduces or eliminates
the use or generation of hazardous substances from chemical products and
processes to curtail negative impacts on
human health and the environment.
Ecology Coatings was nominated based
on its GRAS (generally regarded as safe)
coatings. These coatings have a positive
effect on public health in the United
States by reducing toxic chemicals contained in food packaging products. Additionally, when Ecology’s GRAS
coatings are used as a substitute for pe-troleum-based products, such as polyethylene, less toxic waste is introduced
into the environment.
Ecology’s GRAS coatings are cured at
a very rapid rate resulting in a coating
with barrier properties to air, solvents,
water or grease. Potential uses include
coatings for food packaging, wrappings
for meat, snack foods and pet food packaging. Since the coating will resist grease,
foods will be presented in cleaner, safer
and more cost effective packaging, the
company said.
Hempel expands R&D
center in Spain
Intumescent coatings offer passive fire
protection that lengthens the time a
steel structure will remain intact during
a fire and provide longer evacuation
times and allow emergency personnel
more time to respond.
As global awareness of intumescents
has grown, demand has increased. Worldwide, customers are requesting high quality coating systems for fire protection
together with Hempel’s package of anti-corrosive coatings, the company said. As a
result, Hempel has expanded its R&D
center in Spain to offer a more complete
protective coatings system with advanced
intumescent technology.
The market for passive fire protection
through intumescent coatings is expected
to increase over the coming years.
“This expansion is an important step
in Hempel’s growth strategy, One Hempel
- One Ambition, to become one of the
world’s top ten leading coating’s suppliers
by 2015,” said Klaus Moller, vice president, marketing and business development, Hempel Group.
“Along with a state-of-the-art facility,
we have also established a team with years
of experience in intumescent product de-
velopment,” said Lars Risum, Hempel’s
business development manager. “The key
focus of the (...Continued on page 14)
new team is to develop a range of highly
competitive intumescent coatings and pro-
tective systems to give our customers
more integrated solutions.”
Hempel has worked with fire protec-
tion coatings for many years. Now, with
the new center in Spain fully operational,
Hempel looks to boost its R&D activities.
The new fire protection laboratory in-
cludes an advanced testing area with fur-
naces, pilot manufacturing and
application in a 1,000 square meter area.
Organa Garden’s IGT develops
Duraspeed powder coatings
for boat propellers
Integrated Green Technologies LLC
(IGT), the powder coating and equipment
division of Organa Gardens International
Inc., has completed field trials for its
newly developed Duraspeed powder coat-
ing for boat propellers, drives (IPS),
shafts, bow thrusters, trim tabs and keel
coolers. The trials were conducted under
the control of the Volvo Penta (Inboard
performance system) warrantee facility in
Fort Myers, Florida. The coating was ap-
plied using the patented IGT #100-B elec-
trostatic thermal spray powder gun
system, which allows for the powder
coating of parts without the need for a
bake oven. IGT’s proprietary foul release
coating contains no environmentally
harmful components and is designed to
hinder the growth of marine life on the
surface of the parts while at the same
time, due to the smooth surface of the
coating, allow for minimum resistance be-
tween the part surface and the water. This
feature, in test data running in parallel
with other smooth coatings, has proven
to equal or exceed all others both in RPM
increase and fuel efficiency, the company
said. The minimum expected service life
is several years based on a successful four-year test conducted previously.
MetoKote and Volkswagen
form partnership
MetoKote Corporation has been selected
by Volkswagen Group of America to provide 100 percent of the German auto
manufacturer’s service part e-coat needs
for its Passat passenger car being produced at its first U.S.-based vehicle assembly facility in Chattanooga, Tenn.
MetoKote’s regional coating service
center located in Lebanon, Tenn., will receive orders via VW’s advance shipping
notice (ASN) system, and will in turn, e-coat replacement body panels—hoods,
fenders, doors, trunk lids—as well as
various other service parts including
welded assemblies and brackets.
MetoKote Lebanon will also provide
hem sealing around replacement doors,
barcode labeling, packaging and direct
shipping to a distribution center for
eventual delivery to VW dealerships
across the nation.
In support of the new business
MetoKote added another shift of e-coat
and sealing production and has added
seven additional employees per shift.
General Paint and Société
Laurentide announce Peinture
Laurentide as a General Paint
brand
General Paint and Société Laurentide have
formed an agreement that makes Peinture
Laurentide a part of the General Paint
brand portfolio. By integrating Peinture
Laurentide’s current architectural coatings
activities in the city of Quebec and
Canada’s Atlantic provinces, this transaction makes General Paint a nationwide
Canadian paint manufacturer.
“After more than three years of close
collaboration with Peinture Laurentide’s
team for the distribution of its PARA Paints
and Crown Diamond products in Quebec
and the Atlantic provinces, General Paint is
enhancing its strategic position by becoming Canada’s leading paint manufacturer,”
said Dale Constantinoff, president and
CEO of General Paint. “Having multiple
manufacturing and distribution facilities
with a reputation for solid sales and service
