PPG introduces Envirobase High
Performance EC800 Ultra Fast Clearcoat
PPG’s new Envirobase High Performance
EC800 Ultra Fast Clearcoat
PPG has launched its new EC800 Ultra
Fast Clearcoat, a high-production, 2.1-
VOC air-dry clear for use with PPG’s Envirobase High Performance system. The
new clear is intended to support high-vol-ume collision repair centers focused on
cutting refinish cycle times while still delivering premium quality finishes.
According to Jeff Griffin, PPG compliant segment manager, North America,
EC800 offers an array of benefits that
production-oriented repair facilities will
find attractive.
EC800 affords exceptional cycle time
performance while meeting all VOC regulations said the company. The new clearcoat
provides excellent gloss and appearance. It
is suitable for single- and multi-panel repairs and requires no flash time between
coats. It also dries dust-free in as little as 10
minutes. In addition, EC800 does not require bake time in the paint booth, thereby
allowing shop owners to save on energy
consumption and costs.
“We formulated EC800 to address the
issues of speed and ease of application
without sacrificing finish quality, appearance, or durability,” said Griffin. “The intent is to help shop owners maximize
throughput and productivity and reduce
energy costs. With so many collision centers now using Envirobase High Performance waterborne basecoat, EC800 is an
effective and efficient addition to their refinish process.”
Ecology Coatings develops UV-
curable coatings for medical
wristbands
Ecology Coatings, Inc. has developed a
UV-curable coating to meet the rigorous
requirements of the healthcare industry.
The coating is applied to a multilayered
paper, printable patient wristband and is
benzophenone-free—a request that is becoming a requirement within the food industry and is increasing in popularity
within the healthcare sector.
searching for improved product perform-
ance, asked that we develop a UV-curable
coating for patient identification wrist-
bands used by their customers within the
healthcare industry,” said Ecology Coat-
ings CEO Bob Crockett. “Sally Ramsey,
our vice president of research and devel-
opment, worked with the manufacturer to
understand the use, durability and
longevity of the wristbands in a hospital.
Based on the data gathered, Ms. Ramsey
and her staff developed a coating that
would be clear, glossy and resistant to
water, blood, urine, betadine, alcohol, xy-
lene, acetone, antimicrobial skin cleansers,
chlorhexidine and a number of other com-
mon chemicals that could come in contact
with patient wristbands.”
The company performed extensive lab-
oratory trials before providing the coating
to the label manufacturer for customer
testing. According to Ms. Ramsey, the re-
sults were positive and the project is mov-
ing to the next level. AHA statistics from
2009 indicate there are approximately
5,800 registered hospitals in the U.S. with
944,000 staffed beds and 37 million an-
nual patient admissions—all requiring pa-
tient identification wristbands.
“We are working closely with label
manufacturers and believe the healthcare
industry could be another excellent market
for our coatings, from final overcoat on
printable, multilayered paper wristbands to
prescription labels,” said Mr. Crockett.
In other new product news, Ecology
Coatings has developed biobased GRAS
(generally recognized as safe) UV-curable
materials for coatings. Because these components are GRAS, they can be used to
make coatings that are safe for human
consumption and can be placed in direct
contact with food and food packaging.
Ecology has filed a PCT patent application
for its GRAS coating materials, which has
been accepted by the patent office with the
distinction as novel and inventive. This action will allow Ecology to file for an accelerated treatment for United States
