CHROMASLICK™ Outperforms Various PTFE-Based Coatings in Side-by-Side Chemical Corrosion Testing

CHROMASLICK™ OUTPERFORMS VARIOUS PTFE-BASED COATINGS IN SIDE-BY-SIDE CHEMICAL CORROSION TESTINGBy Jim Stuelke, CEO of Extreme Coating Solutions

CHROMASLICK™ is ECS’s product offering for projects requiring non-stick/high-release, excellent chemical and environmental corrosion-resistance, excellent UV-resistance, and… can be offered in pretty much any color needed.

In this case, CHROMASLICK™  was applied to the client’s operating component and tested against various PTFE-based coatings, all of which ended up falling short of the results shown by our CHROMASLICK™ product.

What is CHROMASLICK™

CHROMASLICK™ is a 2-coat system utilizing one of the polysiloxane pigmented base coating products from suppliers like PPG, Sherwin Williams and others. These coatings by themselves are outstanding product technologies, possessing some of the following properties:

Abrasion resistance (ASTM D4060, 1 kg load/1000 cycles, CS-17 wheel): ~53 mg weight loss reported for PSX 700.

Adhesion (ASTM D4541): ~2700 psi on steel (≈18.6 MPa) quoted for PSX 700.

Elongation (ASTM D522): ~14 %.

Weathering/Corrosion: Example: Salt spray (ASTM B117) 5500 h with no face corrosion/blistering reported in one data sheet. Humidity (ASTM D2247) also 5500 h with similar result.

Excellent UV-resistance for gloss and color retention

CHROMASLICK™ OUTPERFORMS VARIOUS PTFE-BASED COATINGS IN SIDE-BY-SIDE CHEMICAL CORROSION TESTING CHROMASLICK™ OUTPERFORMS VARIOUS PTFE-BASED COATINGS IN SIDE-BY-SIDE CHEMICAL CORROSION TESTING

How do we improve and add to these performance properties?

By top coating it with patented hybrid polysilazane-polysiloxazane clear coatings provided by Dyna-Tek, LLC. using their SlickShield™ PLUS product combined with our proprietary pretreatment process.

SlickShield™ PLUS adds several very important performance properties to the polysiloxane base coat:

  1. Significant increase in PERMEATION resistance.
  2. Adds excellent hydrophobic properties.
  3. SlickShield™ PLUS itself has outstanding corrosion resistance that further compliments the polysiloxane base coat.
  4. Excellent inter-coat adhesion via a covalent bond, which significantly enhances the combined properties of both coatings.

Anyone who knows the polysiloxane coating chemistries well, knows that they inherently have a “low surface energy”, which can sometimes lead to inter-coat adhesion with other, dissimilar coating chemistries.

Our proprietary processes not only overcome any possibility for inter-coat adhesion issues but results in a “covalent bond” between the two.

For more information, email us at sales@nullecs-ww.com or call us at 816.381.9900.

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ECS Launches ChromaSlick™ PFAS-Free Non-Stick Color Coatings

ChromaSlick™Armed with the confidence of a successful 10-year, proven track-record of usage in various industries to control adhesive build-up, Extreme Coating Solutions (ECS) is now expanding its ChromaSlick™ coatings offerings into new markets.

ChromaSlick has excellent corrosion-resistance exhibiting over 5,000 hours of Salt Spray (ASTM B1117) testing with no visible corrosion or blistering. ChromaSlick’s combination of Easy Clean/non-stick and corrosion resistant properties makes it well suited for uses on components found in areas such as:

  • Industrial plants – Ink trays, rollers, any surfaces where an easy clean surface can minimize down-time.
  • Transportation sectors – components like grills, bumpers, and ancillary items found on buses, trucks and rail products.
  • Marine – components that not only see marine corrosion but also abrasive use.
  • Indoor aquatic centers and sports stadiums
  • Any products subjected to the corrosive environments found near coastal developments
  • Offshore oil, LNG platforms, FPSO’s and exterior of tankage

Product information

ChromaSlick is a multi-coat organosilicon hybrid system that exhibits excellent non-stick properties, robust chemical resistance and very good UV-resistance for color and gloss retention.

Performance properties include:

  • Continuous operating temperature resistance is 250 – 275℉.
  • Graffiti resistant.
  • Good abrasion-resistance.
  • Coefficient of friction of .02-.03

NOTE: ChromaSlick is currently not approved for food-contact surfaces.

For more information about ChromaSlick™ or email us at sales@nullecs-ww.com, or feel free to call us at 816.381.9900.

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What is PFAS and why has it become a 4-letter word?

What is PFOA and why has it become a 4-letter word?

What has long been viewed as an irreplaceable solution in the coatings industry, “PFAS” has become a “4-letter word”

Even if you’ve never heard of the chemical “PFAS”, your world is currently being affected by it. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also frequently called “forever chemicals”, is a man-made chemical characterized by its strong carbon-fluorine molecular bond, which is one of the strongest molecular bonds in all of chemistry.

This strong molecular bond is significant to PFAS’s almost unrivaled chemical resistance to a broad range of acids, solvents and other chemicals that degrade not only other coatings, but also metals and materials. Ironically, the strengths of PFAS in coatings are how it comes to be known as a “forever chemical”.

While the PFAS in/on common products stands up to environmental degradation longer than most, their degradation is slow and continuous. This leads to their accumulation in soil, water, and living organisms. PFAS exposure has been linked to adverse health effects, including cancer, hormonal disruption, immune system suppression, and developmental issues in children.

PFAS Alternatives

Some of our customers have already asked us to guide them on converting their coating specifications to PFAS-Free alternatives. In each case, we have found them at minimum, new coatings that are equivalent to their PFAS-based predecessors, and in several cases the new coating solutions have benefits they didn’t have before.

We will be publishing case studies about these success stories soon. However, feel free to reach out to us if you would like to explore PFAS-free options as well!

We can be reached at info@nullextremecoatingsolutions.com or call us at 916.381.9901. You can also find us online at www.extremecoatingsolutions.com

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What if we could save you $1 million per year in tooling costs?

One Million DollarsThe following is a list of important questions related to your current investment in molds and tooling:

  • How much are you spending on molds/tooling each year?
  • Are they lasting for as many production cycles as they were engineered for?
  • Does your company measure the number of production cycles your molds produce versus the projected number of cycles the tooling manufacturer made when you were evaluating the payback analysis?
  • What is the true cost per production/part cycle versus the real “life cycle” of the tooling?
  • How can we save you $1 million dollars in a year?

Companies that manufacture molded products that include “sticky” ingredients such as candy (basically any product with sugar), adhesive-backed printed labels, or the latest generations of high-performance aerospace composite resins (like those used to mold the fuselage spars and components for the Boeing 787…) ALL of these processes inevitably lead to sticky production issues, quality control problems, and lost profits when production is halted due to molds sticking to the molded parts as the original mold release/non-stick coatings wears off.

The tooling manufacturer isn’t necessarily at fault if the manufacturer doesn’t properly maintain the non-stick coating on the tooling. After all, metal is stronger than any non-stick coating… so, when the coating wears off, wear and tear accelerates.

Improving the Efficiency of Tooling

ECS works with a broad range of clients who recognize the value of keeping their tooling working efficiently by having their molds recoated with non-stick coatings ranging from PTFE-based fluoropolymers to Sol-Gel technologies. Some of these clients cycle their tools out frequently, sometimes several times a month to be recoated. The problem this can create however, is when the worn coating is blasted off to prep for a new application, the blasting process is slowly eroding the metal below it also.

Over time, the erosion is enough to render the tooling dimensionally obsolete and the tooling scrapped. To overcome this, we utilize walnut blast media to remove the original coating instead of blast media. Because the walnut media is harder than the coating, but softer than the metal, there is no erosion.

While we charge slightly more for this process, the tooling’s operational life is extended significantly. In a recent case study, whereas our client had been replacing the tooling each year, they have extended it to two years… and counting. We saved them the equivalent of $1 million because they don’t have to buy replacement molds as often.

How much money can we save your company? Let’s talk.

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Coatings, Cocktails and Cigars

 

With all the challenges (everyone) is facing in this world, it’s important to make space for our teams to spend time together and blow off some steam. To talk about something besides work. It’s in these moments that deeper bonds are built and strengthened.

For this event, I turned to Jason Terry, the founder and owner of Blue Gurus, our social media advisor, trusted friend, and Bourbon Connoisseur. Jason volunteered to come by our place and conduct a Bourbon Tasting.

“I’ve been working with Jim and the ECS team for many years. Over the past couple of years, Bourbon has become a passionate hobby for me and I love sharing the experience with others.

I decided to bring an interesting selection of bottles. Some lower proof, some higher. Some easy to get at the local liquor store, some not so much. In the end, everyone had a couple of favorites and not everyone agreed on what was best. And that’s one of the best things about Bourbon. Every person will have their own preferences, and some of the fun is comparing notes as you try different bottles.”
Jason Terry, Blue Gurus

Coatings, Cocktails and Cigars

As you can see, Jason brought a great selection of Bourbons to compare and pick our personal favorites.
From Left to Right: Tin Cup 10 Year Whiskey, Peerless Single Barrel, Nulu Straight Single Barrel, Copper & Cask Missie’s Store Pick, Blanton’s 10 Year Single Barrel, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel

We also rounded out the tasting with some bourbon-infused cigars. Why the propane torch you ask? Well, none of us had a lighter and the matches we had were old, so we had to improvise.

Our next group gathering idea?

We are taking everyone to the shooting range at Frontier Justice so everyone can receive safety training on how to handle different types of pistols, and of course, blast some targets. There won’t be any Bourbon at this event…

As we come up on Memorial Day weekend, we hope all of you are finding time to not only smile, laugh, but also take the time to reflect and appreciate the sacrifices of all members of the U.S. military who died while serving and protecting the privileges we have as Americans. God Bless.

– The Extreme Coating Solutions Team

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Determining which standard of “Food-Grade” coating your equipment should comply with can be confusing.

FDA LogoWhat does it mean to be Food-Grade?
Food grade means that the material is either it is okay to come into direct contact with food products or the substance is safe for human consumption.

What does Food Safe mean?
Food safe means that a Food-Grade material is also suitable for its intended use and will not create a food-safety hazard.

What are Food Contact Surfaces?
A food contact surface is any surface that may come into direct contact with food. Food contact surfaces are made of food-safe materials designed to withstand the environment where they will be used. This includes exposure to cleaning compounds, sanitizing agents and cleaning procedures.

What does GRAS stand for?
GRAS is a substance that is Generally Recognized as Safe. These are materials that can be safely used for articles and surfaces that come into direct contact with food under normal, Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP).

How do I know which type of standards my product needs?

One place to start when figuring out if you need a coating that is GRAS, Food-Grade, or Food-Safe coating for your product is to know which type of contact your product makes with the food you’re working with or around. When dealing with the world of food, the regulations can get specific as a safety precaution against potentially consuming something that may cause someone to get sick.

This is partly why there are Three Types of Food Contact.

Direct Contact substances are those that directly touch, or contact, food. This may lead to the creation of direct or indirect food additives.

Indirect contact Substances might come in contact with food, such as on the outside of food packaging; such as a sealed packaging or a carton.

Incidental contact substances are those that rarely contact food and the contact is not purposeful or continuous. For example, food that contacts an extraneous part of a food processing machine where contact is not expected is considered incidental.

If your product falls in the Direct Contact description you may have noticed that your product may or may not be considered a potential food “additive”. What do you mean I could be creating a food additive?

Thankfully there are only two types of food additives recognized by the FDA.

Generally, they define an additive as: “any substance the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result, directly or indirectly, in its becoming a component of, or otherwise affecting the characteristic of any food including any substance intended for use in… packing…or holding food…”

This just means that whether or not you mean to, your product or coating might get added to the food you are helping to produce or manufacture. The USDA and FDA make this part easy as they both manage different aspects of potential food-related contact. Think of them as two separate sides of the same coin.

  • The most common type of FDA-approved coatings are intended to come into direct or indirect contact with food substances.
  • USDA approved coatings will typically be wall and floor coatings. The latter type—especially floor coatings—is specifically formulated to handle the extreme cleaning conditions that are usually present in a food and beverage facility.

When it comes to direct contact with food or working in and around a food production facility a little bit of knowledge about your coating needs goes a long way. Whether your product requires a Food-Grade, Food-Safe, or even Generally Recognized as safe we’ve got you, and your product, covered.

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ECS Continues to Upgrade its “Googie” Facility

Angela ConrowBy Angela Conrow, Controller at Extreme Coating Solutions

Since moving Extreme Coating Solutions into its current location in 2017, we have continued to make improvements to the building. Things like replacing the roof, new HVAC units, windows, as well as leasehold improvements for projects like our new coatings manufacturing capabilities which is part of a collaboration with another company; Dyna-Tek.

Our “Googie” Karma

Built in 1959, our building’s unique architectural style stands out among the other more conventional manufacturing buildings in our area. While struggling to describe our facility recently, I mentioned to our team that our building’s architecture was “reminiscent of the Googie Modern Architecture style from the mid-nineteenth century”.

What? Googie?!

My team decided to look that one up. Sure enough Google reported, “Googie architecture was considered futuristic architecture and was influence by the car culture, jets, the Space Age and the Atomic Age.” I not only gave a really good trivia question for future reference, but we all think it’s cool karma that in our 1959 Googie, jet-influenced architecture, we’re manufacturing coatings for the aerospace industry today!

Extreme Coating Solutions - Googie Architecture
Facility Upgrades

In a long-overdue move, we recently upgraded the facility security systems and added new receiving lobbies for both the office and shipping entrances. To guide us on this, we called on Kenton Brothers Systems for Security to recommend and install new exterior and interior access controls, video surveillance and a commercial grade intercom system. Kenton Brothers came through with flying colors and we have been very pleased with the results.

One area of improvement that has been really appreciated has been the video-intercom system.

In the past, incoming truck drivers had to go up to our exterior dock door, ring our buzzer and then wait for us to come and open the door. This wasn’t a good scenario, particularly when it was raining, snowing or just plain hot. With the new security measures, drivers come into the new shipping and receiving room and go to the AXIS video intercom which is tied to our IT/phones and enables someone from our office staff to greet and take care of them.

ECS Building Signage ECS Building Signage

Building Signage

We had never gotten around to adding building signage since moving into our current building back in 2017. Our CEO, Jim Stuelke, would jokingly say we didn’t need it… “just tell visitors to look for our building’s white arches… Just like “McDonalds” only white. You can’t miss us!”

I recently had my 1-year anniversary with ECS and moved ahead with adding building addresses… Next month we’ll be official when we put our name up on the side of the building after it gets a new coat of paint courtesy of our friends at Major Painting Co.

Unfortunately, the COVID impact hasn’t allowed us to have many visitors to share all of this with, but the ECS team has enjoyed the updates. As far as company culture, we’re always looking to improve. And we feel our facility should reflect that as well!

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Release Coating for Overflow LDPE Adhesive Resin Bin

Dyna-Tek No Stick ZoneOne of Extreme Coating Solutions (ECS) clients inquired whether we could provide a semi-permanent coating that would allow them to discharge the remaining LDPE resin they used for laminating large animal feed bags.

The challenges were:

  • The resin temperature at the time of discharge is 550⁰ – 650⁰ F which is more than fluoropolymer coatings can sustain repeatedly.
  • The adhesive additive, LOTADER® made by ARKEMA does its job well and would stick to most surfaces. Meaning if our client used their metal collection bin, the resin would be virtually impossible to remove once it cooled down.

The ECS Solution:

ECS applied a 2-coat system using Dyna-Tek’s DT-480 heat dissipating base coat, and topcoat with DT-555 clear coat. BOTH coatings are designed to handle temperatures of over 1000⁰ F and have excellent hydrophobic and abrasion-resistant properties.

The durability of this coating system is has performed admirably as it just passed 1-year of service life since we coated it!

For information on how we can solve your coating challenges, visit www.ExtremeCoatingSolutions.com or email us at info@nullecs-ww.com or call Jim Stuelke at 816.381.9901.

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Only the Paranoid Survive

Times like the ones we are living with right now can make anyone a little paranoid. People who know me well, also know that I can be a little paranoid whenever potential threats arise in business and life in general. For most, getting the adjective “paranoid” used to describe them isn’t an endearing compliment. However, the teachings of Andy Grove, one of my business idols, suggests that some element of paranoia in business; especially during times like these is imperative.

Mr. Grove – Only the Paranoid Survive

Book Cover: Only the Paranoid SurviveAs many of you already know, Mr. Grove was a brilliant visionary and significant reason for the meteoric rise of INTEL Corporation. Mr. Grove also wrote several books; one of which; “Only the Paranoid Survive” has influenced me over my years in  business. In this book,

Mr. Grove refers to the term “Strategic Inflection Point”; he used to describe those moments business leader must face when a significant change occurs in their industry and threatens their very existence. In these moments, the ordinary rules of business have been made irrelevant and if immediate adjustments and changes to adapt to these changes aren’t made, companies can perish.

Looking Ahead

While the death toll of the Coronavirus is unlikely to rival tens of millions of people that perished during the 1918-19 Spanish Flu, the financial impact of the Coronavirus will negatively impact almost everyone for years to come. New rules are being developed that will require adaptation by not only industry but society in general.

As 19th Century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” (provided we learn from it).

Best wishes for good health to everyone.

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Food Processing – Alternatives for when Stainless Steel isn’t corrosion-resistant enough?

The Food Processing & Handling (FP&H) industry is seeing greater use of High-Pressure Processing (HPP) techniques. These techniques require Production Equipment to be able to handle higher production rates, different processing methods and various ingredients.

For example, many fast foods contain enough salt to drive up the alkalinity in the production environment. Combine that with production temperatures of over 140⁰ F (60⁰ C) even Stainless Steel can begin to corrode. This of course can lead to higher risks of food contamination.

ECS believes you can “have your cake and eat it too”

We offer high-performing polymer coatings that provide excellent non-stick/easy clean properties. These coatings also fit the bill for operating at on-going temps of 500⁰ F (260⁰ C), have permeation and corrosion resistance, and outstanding chemical resistance to concentrated chemicals. So how do you get to eat your cake? Our coatings provide all of those benefits as well as wear/abrasion resistance. It’s rare that you get these performance characteristics in one coating.

For more information please contact Jim Stuelke at jim@nullecs-ww.com or call him direct at 816.381.9901.

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