A new automotive pretreatment technology addresses environmental concerns and offers cost-saving advantages while also meeting the performance requirements of today’s automakers. The pretreatment is based on technology that uses a proprietary blend of additives and zirconium-based chemistry to deposit a zirconium oxide conversion coating on clean metal surfaces.
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 40, Protection of the Environment, requires by federal law that all hazardous wastes or constituents be positively contained. Two deadlines are rapidly approaching, one for the secondary containment of underground storage tanks (USTs) and the other for aboveground storage tanks (ASTs). One polymer membrane that meets the new requirements is polyurea spray elastomer technology.
Modern digital gauges such as coating thickness gauges, relative humidity gauges and surface profile gauges incorporate features that aid in the collection and management of data on coatings applied to a variety of metal products and components. Memory in these gauges allows readings to be stored in batches for analysis and archiving; onboard calculation capabilities allow statistical information to be displayed and stored for decision making and further analysis; and data output allows the gauge memory to be uploaded to a PC for analysis, reporting and archiving in an efficient and accurate manner.
Researchers have used instrument-provided black panel temperatures to estimate the temperatures of coatings of real interest. However, such estimates are error-prone for a number of reasons. Recently, new technology has been developed to measure and provide the specific sample surface temperature of materials under test, thereby providing more accurate and reliable weathering test results.
To protect steel surfaces from attack by marine environments, industrial atmospheres, chemical fumes and moisture, we use barrier and galvanized coatings specifically formulated for corrosion resistance. But what characteristics separate a “good” corrosion-resistant coating from a “better” or “best” coating?
Industrial manufacturing OEMs often experience bottlenecks at the paint line that impact throughput times. Relatively simple process changes, coupled with the use of reactive-cure coatings, can increase manufacturing volumes from 20 to 50%. Also called plural-component or two-component coatings, reactive-cure finishes offer several production advantages to improving efficiency.
Whether your finishing operation has already felt the effects of a slowdown or is simply bracing for the possibility, implementing processes and technologies that improve efficiency, productivity and quality can have a substantial impact on where your profit margins end up during 2008.
Conventional coating thickness tests are time-consuming, difficult to perform, and are subject to operator interpretation and other measurement errors. Applicators find destructive methods impractical. To get a statistically representative sample, several wood or plastic products from a lot might need to be scrapped as part of the destructive testing process. With the arrival of advanced ultrasonic instruments, many finishers have switched to nondestructive inspection using this accurate measurement technique.
Reducing the amount of fuel used by ships could have a significant impact on pollution, as well as save substantial amounts of money. One way to achieve this goal is to use coatings that prevent the growth of marine organisms. By eliminating the surface resistance caused by the buildup of these organisms on the hulls of marine vessels, such coatings can reduce the amount of fuel needed to propel the vessel. New powder coatings and thermal spraying devices are making it easier and more cost-effective to apply these coatings to today’s marine vessels.
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