Product development in the paint and coating industry continues to focus on the formulation of specialty products that offer improved performance and value-added benefits. These specialty products also should provide user friendliness, safety and improved environmental conditions. Developing such a product for one large international decorative metal manufacturer became the job of Fine Organics, Clifton, N.J.
With two U.S. locations, the metal manufacturer/decorator is a safety-conscious and employee-oriented organization, so its management was concerned about serious accidents that could have been caused by its use of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) to remove wet/uncured paint from its equipment and parts. MEK has excellent wet and uncured paint removal capabilities but is highly flammable, hazardous and unfriendly to the user. MEK was being used in large quantities as the primary wet/uncured paint remover on ferrous and nonferrous paint line equipment and parts. With its flashpoint at 21°F, MEK was regularly applied to surfaces that were considerably warmer than its flashpoint, thereby presenting the constant risk of a flash fire at any time during use.