PPG was named a 2010 Automotive News PACE Award winner at the PACE Award Ceremony. The prestigious award recognizes automotive suppliers for superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance.PPG was recognized for its Super High Throw Electrocoat, which allows coatings to penetrate recessed, hard-to-reach areas and interior surfaces on a vehicle without leaving excess paint on the exterior surfaces. This innovation reduces weight and improves the efficiency of the electrocoat process.In one year, PPG and Toyota have launched Super High Throw Electrocoat at 11 plants in North America and Europe.

“We are honored to receive the PACE Award for this exciting product,” said Cindy Niekamp, PPG vice president, automotive coatings. “Super High Throw Electrocoat is another important innovation from PPG that reflects our dedication to improving our customers processes and products while reducing overall costs and environmental impact.”

The 16th annual PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence) Award was presented by Automotive News, Ernst & Young LLP and Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC Inc.). The competition was open to suppliers who contribute products, processes, materials or services directly to the manufacture of cars or trucks. The Automotive News PACE Award is accepted around the world as the industry symbol of innovation.

PPG won in the Product category which recognizes innovations in new products, components or systems that have significant market impact and act as “game changers” in the automotive industry.

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Henkel received a 2010 Automotive News PACE Award for its new Aquence Co-Cure coating process. The prestigious award recognizes automotive suppliers for superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance.

Henkel's Aquence Co-Cure process was recognized in the Manufacturing Process category. This process layers the Aquence autodeposition coatings with a powder or liquid topcoat, and or adhesive and "co-cures" them together in a single oven. In addition, the environmentally responsible process simplifies conventional metal pretreatment by reducing it to a two-step coating process, therefore reducing the production footprint by up to 40 percent. The Aquence Co-Cure process results in energy and cost savings, process efficiency, and reduces environmental impact since it contains no heavy metals or sludge.

Henkel was first to introduce this new lean paint shop process. For the award, Henkel partnered and recognized Valley Towing Products (formerly Thule Towing Systems) in Lodi, CA, where the first dedicated commercial Aquence Co-Cure line was installed.

"Henkel is committed to developing solutions that streamline processes and reduce costs and environmental impact for our automotive customers," said Chuck Evans, corporate vice president, automotive, Henkel Corporation. "The revolutionary Aquence Co-Cure process is an example of such a technology, we're extremely honored to be recognized by Automotive News, Ernst & Young LLP and Transportation Research Center Inc. for this achievement."

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"Gold Digger," a stunning 1933 Ford Phaeton sporting a gleaming gold PPG finish, has been named the winner of this year's coveted Ridler Award

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Graco, the paint sprayer brand trusted and preferred by professionals, introduces a paint sprayer designed to give consumers an affordable tool that delivers professional-quality results

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At a time when “environmentally friendly” is in great demand, paint and adhesive manufacturers are seeking effective answers to their product development challenges. That’s why Celanese Emulsion Polymers at this year’s American Coatings Show (ACS) is inviting the industry to take a fresh look at vinyl-based technology to help deliver a new generation of eco-friendly products high in performance and low in environmental impact.

With a full line-up of new products on display at ACS, Celanese is demonstrating the value of vinyl-based emulsions for a variety of applications. Compared with other technologies, Celanese vinyl emulsions, especially vinyl acetate/ethylene (VAE), demonstrate greater performance while having a smaller carbon footprint than other traditional acrylic-based technologies, according to the company. Moreover, vinyl-based technology has been shown to be a source-stable raw material even as others face supply constraints and price hikes.

“Have you looked at vinyl-based emulsions lately? If you have, you can see that we have so much to offer, whether your needs are for low emissions, excellent wet scrub resistance or formulation compatibility,” said Craig Mitchell, Celanese commercial director. “Vinyl-based emulsions such as VAE continue to gain momentum under these industry conditions because formulators are discovering all the properties they offer while being cost-effective.”

One of the key technologies visitors to Celanese’s booth will see is an expansion in the EcoVAE series of vinyl acetate/ethylene emulsions used in decorative coatings. With the introduction of EcoVAE 405 and 408 at the show, this line now offers a choice of products with superior performance and increased capabilities. According to the company, interior flat paints made with EcoVAE 405 demonstrate better wet scrub resistance than all-acrylic emulsions. Similarly, paints made with EcoVAE 408 have the same high-performance profile but are freeze-thaw stable up the five cycles, which is especially important in northern regions where paint can freeze in transit.

Celanese is also showcasing several other products designed to support specific performance needs. Resyn 7305, a vinyl acrylic resin, is ideal for formulating stain removal and sealing properties into both interior and exterior paints. APE-free, the polymer emulsion helps formulators or specifiers reach various green certifications. Resyn 7305 can also be used to formulate freeze/thaw stable coatings.

Another Celanese product being displayed at ACS is Celvaset PL-1000, a coalescing agent with less than 2 g/L VOC as tested at an independent lab. It is designed for formulation into conventional VAE, vinyl acrylic or all-acrylic interior or exterior coatings. The technology can be used to achieve formulations with less than 50 g/L VOC while offering film durability.

At this year’s ACS, Celanese is attracting more adhesives and construction product formulators. “A number of coatings companies manufacture and distribute products other than their paint line, and ACS is an ideal venue to address their other needs,” said Mitchell.

For this reason, Celanese is also showcasing its TufCOR brand of emulsions, key building block materials for construction products such as tape-joint compounds, caulks and sealants, mastics, cement bonding and liquid admixtures. At ACS, the company is introducing TufCOR 703, an emulsion designed for interior painter’s caulk.

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In the coatings business Rhodia’s main position has been as a supplier of surfactants for emulsion polymerization to latex manufacturers. More recently the company has moved into the paint additives arena for interior architectural coatings, helping their customers to develop products that are incrementally greener with high levels of performance.

“We’re targeting low and zero VOC paints,” said John Foley, vice president industrial formulations, Rhodia Novecare. “The market is growing based on both regulatory drivers and consumer preference.”

At ACS 2010 Rhodia is highlighting its zero-VOC, APE-free performance additives for waterborne coatings, especially Rhododline OTE and Rhodoline FT-100.

“Open time is an issue with low and zero VOC paints,” said Foley. “Traditional waterborne formulations have an open time of approximately eight to 10 minutes whereas their solventborne counterparts have an open time of 15-20 minutes. The newer low and zero VOC paints have open times of as little as zero to two minutes.”

Rhodoline OTE is a zero-VOC, APE-free novel line of additives for extended open time in waterborne coating formulations. “Originally designed for paint formulations that contain a minimum amount of solvent, Rhodoline OTE actually yields a substantial two- to four-fold increase in open time in both waterborne and standard formulations,” said Foley. It also provides benefits such as improved gloss, scrub resistance and stain resistance.

Rhodoline FT-100 is a zero-VOC, APE-free freeze-thaw stability additive that stabilizes waterborne soft latex-based paints upon freezing during transportation, storage and application. “Rhodoline FT-100 addresses the latex coagulation issues of low-VOC paints based on soft binder polymers and, whether added either to the binder polymer or during paint formulation, it provides a finished paint that passes five cycles of freeze-thaw stability,” said Foley.

Rhodia is also highlighting Rhodoline defoamers and Rhodoline WA wetting agents. Rhodoline defoamers deaerate formulations and provide foam control for an improved mixing efficiency and reduced production time. They continue to work during packaging, including high-speed operations, where they minimize air entrainment and foam formation. During paint and coating application, Rhodoline defoamers remove bubbles and ensure smooth, uniform films.

Rhodoline WA wetting agents for paint formulations provide wetting yet low foaming characteristics. Rhodoline WA products present low static surface tension and unusually fast dynamic surface tension, thus, promoting quick and efficient wetting and stabilization. These products are derived partially from renewable raw material and based on environmentally friendly APE-free, zero VOC chemistries.

Additionally, at the show Rhodia is debuting its new eco-friendly evaluation approach to help customers better understand and choose sustainable products for coatings that meet Green Seal criteria. Each product is evaluated on several criteria related to sustainability, such as zero or low-VOC, APE-free, biodegradability, and renewable resources.

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At the American Coatings Show (ACS) 2010 specialty amine producer Taminco is featuring its Vantex-T amine additive. “Taminco is one of the world’s leading producers of amines that are used in many markets,” said Robert Ash, sales and marketing manager, Taminco. “Wer’re here at the ACS to promote our amine additives into the coatings marke/t.”

The company entered the coatings market about five years ago with the launch of Advantex. Last year Vantex-T was launched. “Vantex-T is a pioneering amine additive that is changing the world of paints and coatings by enabling environmentally friendly, low-odor, zero-VOC formulations,” said Dr. Conor M. Dowling, who leads the performance products business unit of Taminco’s functional chemicals division. “Vantex-T is cost-effective and multi-functional. It is an excellent replacement for current paint neutralization systems as well as a highly effective coalescing aid, providing for the reduction or complete elimination of coalescing solvents.”

With virtually no odor, eco-friendly Vantex-T is ideally suited for paints used in areas that need to be occupied immediately after painting.

“Vantex-T meets an important need in that it produces zero VOCs and hs no odor,” said Ash. “It can be used in any water-based coating. Its primary application is for architectural latex paint or really wherever you need a pH buffer you can use Vantex-T.

“Moving forward Taminco’s primary focus when it comes to coatings is on continuing to grow Advantex and Vantex-T,” Ash added. “Taminco is not as well known as some of our larger competitors because we have a very narrow focus selling essentially just two additives. We have work to do promoting the company, but our business is doing well. While all coatings markets were affected by the recession, the amines market was no different. While some of our existing business at the time decline, we were actually able to pick up new customers to offset the drop.”

Visit SpecialtyAmines.com, to learn more about Taminco’s performance products business unit that provides innovation technologies and know-how to several key markets including inks & coatings, metalworking fluids, functional fluids and polymer additives.

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Konica Minolta Sensing, a leader in the industrial measurement of color is showcasing several of its technologies at the American Coatings Show (ACS). Among the featured items is its new CM-5 benchtop spectrophotometer for the paints and coatings industry. The CM-5 is a full featured, highly accurate and a totally standalone instrument that does not require a PC. In addition, the CM-5 has a full range of advanced functions including specialized indices for a variety of applications and a large color display that makes results easy to read.

Konica Minolta Sensing is also showcasing its CM-3220d benchtop spectrophotometer for foolproof operation of POS applications within the paint and coatings industry. “This affordable and highly precise instrument easily connects to a PC running Konica’s SpectraMagic Quality Control Software,” said Lou Carulli, marketing manager, Konica Minolta Sensing Americas (KMSA). “Additionally being featured for the first time by Konica will be Colibri color matching software. This powerful software is the premier tool for perfect recipe calculation of color and opacity in one simple step, a huge benefit when color consistency in paint formulation is a concern. Both the CM-3220 and Colibri are being demoed live in booth 1731 at ACS.”

Also on display at Konica’s booth is the CM-700d/600d. This compact, lightweight, portable spectrophotometer with wireless communication and color LCD screen is designed for reliable color measurement in the field.

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A custom-built, infrared system from Heraeus Noblelight has helped the Barrier Group, of Wallsend, to develop a high performance, thermal insulation system for submarine pipelines, which offers significant advantages over conventional systems

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In many fields the importance of pro-active performance at the surfaces of substrates is paramount to achieve the delivery of specific effects. A wide variety of industrial sectors with a vast array of applications rely on this arrangement to satisfy many demanding tasks

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