Orion Offers Carbon Black for High-Jet
Waterborne Base Coatings

A new easy-to-disperse carbon black pigment that can produce stable waterborne pigment pastes within minutes is now available from Orion Engineered Carbons. Black XPB 430 was developed to deliver the high jetness and bluish undertones needed for durable, high-quality automotive basecoats.

Rapid and thorough dispersion is essential to improve productivity and achieve waterborne coatings of highly consistent quality. XPB 430 can be dispersed directly in water and develops the final colorimetric properties within minutes without further milling or further wetting additives, according to the company. The recommended paste formulation for XPB 430 contains no wetting agents – only water and a defoamer (at 0.5 percent). In comparison tests with other commercial high-jet carbon black pigment powders, XPB 430 achieved high gloss, very low haze coatings with highest jetness values combined with very strong bluish undertones, according to the company.

The company reported that test coatings formulated with the XPB 430 paste were compared with several competitive high-jet carbon black pigment powders in equivalent 13 percent pigment concentrations in binder-free millbases. The competitive carbon black pigments were all well stabilized for comparison (90 percent active wetting agent to pigment).

Final coatings were then prepared at 1.5 percent pigment concentration letdown in a commercially available 30 percent polyurethane (PU) dispersion and applied to glass plates for colorimetric testing.

Industrial Controls and
Automation Packages from
Ross SysCon

Ross SysCon has announced that it is branching out its process control and automation services to more applications in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, plastics, adhesives, chemicals, coatings, paper and energy and utilities industries. In one of its most recent projects, Ross SysCon supplied seven NEMA 4X stainless steel enclosures with RX3i multi-rack programmable logic controller (PLC)-based platform to a nuclear power plant facility. The panels were designed to integrate to the end-user’s system, which uses a variety of digital, analog and RTD-type field devices. Through a series of structured I/O modules, the operator panels enable monitoring and control of selected processes in the plant. Communication protocols include 10/100Mbps Ethernet over fiber optic, which connects to the plant’s main control system.

Knowledgeable in the latest automa-
tion and programming software, Ross
SyCon can provide industrial controls
solutions and packages of virtually any
complexity. Regardless of the size of
a project, Factory Acceptance Testing
is routinely performed with customers
or their representatives for inspection,
simulation and debugging of all appli-
cable control functions, terminal blocks,
wiring and other hardware. Ventilation
louvers, filters and fans are supplied as
appropriate and in accordance with the
desired NEMA enclosure rating.

500°F Electric Universal Oven from Grieve No. 953 is a 500° F, electrically-heated universal oven from Grieve. It can be used for various paint baking operations. Workspace dimensions of this oven measure 36”W x 36”D x 48”H. 9kW installed in Nichrome wire heating elements provide the power, while a 600 CFM, 1/2-HP recirculating blower provides horizontal front-to-rear airflow. This universal oven features 4” insulated walls, aluminized steel exterior, Type 430 stainless steel interior and an integral leg stand. The over features safety equipment required for handling flammable solvents including explosion-venting door hardware, powered forced exhauster with airflow safety switch and purge timer. No. 953 also features a digital indicating temperature controller. CW

Company Spotlight:

Sunin Machine Company Provides High Production Dispersion Mixers

Sunin Machine Company provides its customers with high production dispersion mixers for a variety of industries, including the coatings, inks, pigments and adhesives markets. Sunin Machine Company was established in 1978. The company prides itself on offering its customers a high level of service and equipment.

Sunin’s dispersion mixers feature dynamic gap-type separation apparatus, using the hardness of tungsten carbide deposits, excellent abrasion, high speed rotation of the movable piece and easy-to-clean retention beads.

The horizontal type sand mill offers continuous production of ultra-fine particles and can be manufactured with a variety of valves for frequent color change. The mixers offer uniform production and high quality, and can also reduce costs. They are suitable for dispersing high viscosity substances such as paints, inks and dyes.