8 NEWS www.finishingmagazine.co.uk Angus Mackie, QUALICOAT chair, looks at maintaining the architectural powder coating colour Registration open Registrations for the world's leading trade fair for industrial coating technology are already at an excellent level one year before the next edition of the event opens its doors. From 9 to 12 April 2024, PaintExpo will once again be providing a global showcase for the latest trends in industrial coating. The who's who of the coating technology industry exhibits at PaintExpo 2024 in Karlsruhe. With around 430 exhibitors from 27 countries and more than 9,000 trade visitors from 57 countries, PaintExpo was successfully restarted in 2022 following the pandemic break. More than one in three exhibitors travelled from abroad. Visitors included a large number of key decision-makers, specialists and managers, with around 90 per cent of visitors to the previous PaintExpo able to influence investment decisions in their companies. Shift in sales Datacolor has announced a shift in its sales organization in the Nordic countries. Following the retirement of a long-term partner, Datacolor will transition from using agents to directly engaging with customers in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. This strategic move underscores Datacolor's ongoing commitment to maintaining high customer satisfaction and staying closely connected to the market. The decision to adopt a direct sales model aligns with Datacolor's dedication to providing the same level of professionalism that their agent demonstrated over the past 25 years. To ensure seamless service support for customers, Datacolor has hired Marcus Lehto, who will continue to serve and support clients as he has done in previous years. Hot dip alternative A global manufacturer of playground equipment and urban furniture is partnering with AkzoNobel to replace hot dip galvanizing (HDG) with a more sustainable alternative. CEMER, A Turkish business, has switched to an Interpon Redox powder coating system which not only delivers the anticorrosion performance the business needs to compete on a global stage, but also helps CEMER to meet its sustainability ambitions. Burak Eroglu, chief production officer at CEMER, says that the system, comprising a primer and topcoat, is helping the business to compete on the international stage: “Working with AkzoNobel has helped us further improve the quality of our equipment. The durability of the powder coatings helps to guarantee that our products will last in extremes of hot and cold and all climates, in any of the 75 countries in the world where our products are used.” As with any applied finish exposed to British weather, it is important that a maintenance regime is put in place to keep it performing and looking well for many years. If neglected, over time atmospheric pollutants are deposited on the surface of finishes and if not removed, these pollutants can affect the colour and surface finish. So what should we be specifying by way of finish and maintenance? Aluminium window and facade longevity starts with a high quality aluminium substrate pretreatment followed by a quality powder coat finish as provided by a licensed QUALICOAT applicator. Often overlooked in the specification process, the pretreatment of the aluminium substrate is crucial as this process needs to completely seal the surface of the aluminium, whilst offering a good key for the powder coating to adhere to. Despite the powder coating being of a consistent thickness, powder coatings are air permeable and if the pretreatment is poorly applied or non-existent, oxidisation of the aluminium substrate over time will cause the finish to lift. QUALICOAT UK & Ireland applicators are routinely inspected by independent test house IFO to ensure the latest QUALICOAT specification is being adhered to which ensures that a robust consistent pretreatment is applied. Once handed over to the client, in normal use such as in cities, the powder coat finish should simply be washed down at yearly intervals with clean water or with a ph neutral mild detergent solution in water. Whilst the original colour of the powder coating can be affected over time by contaminants in the atmosphere, we also need to consider UV degradation. Ultra violet light can fade rich colours, especially rich bold red’s and blue’s. UV exposure can also finish gloss levels. Elevations exposed to sunshine and effected by UV degradation can display a surface ‘chalking’, which is appears as a whitening of the surface. Chalking is caused by UV radiation which brings the binder in the powder coat to the surface and is not an indication that the powder coating has failed but is an indication that cleaning has been neglected. Again, regular cleaning cycles should keep any chalking to a minimum. Powders can be supplied in various grades of durability to suit a project application. Premium powder compositions use more expensive and robust materials to offer life expectancies well beyond thirty years and often similar life expectancy of the building itself. QUALICOAT has created quantifiable performance classifications for architectural organic coatings. In Europe there are three distinct classes of performance - Classes One, Two & Three. The key parameter to distinguish the performance of these classes is their ‘weathering’ ability. That is to say, the ability to maintain a consistent colour and gloss level over time. On new and refurbished commercial building projects, powder coated facades will always be accompanied with a cleaning and maintenance regime from the company who coated the aluminium profiles. Crucial to any maintenance regime is preventative maintenance and powder coating is no exception, if the coating has become damaged, exposing the aluminium, it should be repaired as soon as possible. For repair, either contact the original coater, or approach any QUALICOAT approved applicator who can normally offer guidance. <strong>Finishing</strong> – <strong>May</strong>/<strong>June</strong> <strong>2023</strong>
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