Surface World September 2019 Surface World September 2019 | Page 32
QUALICOAT UK & IRELAND
QUALICOAT Meet in Newcastle
Members recently met at the Vermont Hotel
in Newcastle to hold their third and fi nal
meeting of the year. Present were members
representing powder coat manufacturers,
pretreatment systems suppliers and powder
coat applicators, the meeting was chaired
by Alan Maginnis of Sprint Coatings. pretreat-ment plants are being installed, they are being set up as
chrome free systems as there are less effluent issues to deal with.
Some 69% of global powder coaters have moved to chrome-free
alternatives for their aluminium pretreatment prior to powder
coating of profiles.
The meeting begun with an overview of potential new applicators
wishing to join the association of which two were close to being
approved and two further applicators were yet to have initial
inspections. The QUALICOAT UK & Ireland association can only
approve membership and award a QUALICOAT licence once the
applicant can prove that their equipment, procedures and quality
of finishing meets the latest, sixteenth edition of the QUALICOAT Training remains high on the agenda for powder coaters laboratory
personnel. Laboratories regularly inspect and test on-going
powder coating production and it is this crucial part of the operation
of a powder coat applicator, which maintains their licence as a
QUALICOAT approved applicator. The next laboratory training
programme is to be held at the AluK powder coating plant in
Chepstow at the beginning of October. Training is mandatory for
all applicators at least every
two years. More information is
available on the QUALICOAT
UK & Ireland website.
QUALICOAT UK & Ireland recognises that the new draft BS EN
12206-1 ‘Paints and varnishes. Coating of aluminium and aluminium
alloys for architectural purposes. Coatings prepared from coating
powder’ is out for comment prior to it being published. The updates
broadly follow the continuous work that QUALICOAT has done
since the last iteration of the standard in 2004.
The new regulations covering
the surface spread of flame
for dwellings which are above
18m in height was discussed.
It was agreed that all powder
coatings will meet the minimum
classification of, A2, s1,d0
for surface spread of flame
and this is something that
will likely form part of the
QUALICOAT specification
in the foreseeable future.
Always changing and
developing, QUALICOAT has
announced that an international
working group has been set
up to look at developing an
even tighter specification for
QUALICOAT which will further
enhance the life expectancy of
architectural coatings.
standard. The association also wishes to make it very clear that they
welcome any company operating in the architectural powder coating
sector to apply for membership of the UK & Ireland association
which is part of the global QUALICOAT association based in Zurich.
An update was offered on the use of hexavalent chrome as a
pretreatment system. Whilst QUALICOAT is committed to the move
to chrome free alternatives for pretreatment, there is no further
deadline set at the moment by the ECHA to ban its use in the
architectural coatings industry. It is noted however that when new
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SEPTEMBER 2019
Copies of the new sixteenth
edition of the QUALICOAT
Standard, is available
through the UK Association website, www.qualicoatuki.org
together with an up-to-date list of approved Powder
Suppliers, approved Pretreatment Suppliers and licensed
Applicators.
Printed literature and telephone support is available from
QUALICOAT UK & Ireland Head Offi ce in Birmingham on
0330 236 2800 or email [email protected].
The Association can also be followed on Twitter @Qualicoatuk
read online: www.surfaceworld.com